Awards

• Short-listed for Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature 2022 (UK)
• Short-listed for Mountain Literature (non-fiction) - The Jon Whyte Award, Banff Mountain Book Competition 2022 (Canada)
• Short-listed for Mountain Literature (non-fiction) – The Jon Whyte Award, Banff Mountain Book Competition 2022 (Canada)

Overview

'All I wanted to do was go to sleep. And I was certain that if I did drift off, it would be for the last time.' In 1998, Paul Pritchard was struck on the head by a falling rock as he climbed a sea stack in Tasmania called the Totem Pole. Close to death, waiting for hours for rescue, Pritchard kept himself going with a promise that given the chance, he would 'at least attempt to live'. Left hemiplegic by his injury, Pritchard has spent the last two decades attempting to live, taking on adventures that seemed impossible for someone so badly injured while plumbing the depths of a mind almost snuffed out by his passion for climbing. Not content to simply survive, Pritchard finds ways to return to his old life, cycling across Tibet and expanding his mind on gruelling meditation courses, revisiting the past and understanding his compulsion for risk. Finally, he returns to climb the Totem Pole, the place where his life was almost extinguished. The Mountain Path is an adventure book like no other, an exploration of a healing brain, a journey into philosophy and psychology, a test of will and a triumph of hope.

Full Product Details

9781839810930

Table of Contents

Reviews

'The Mountain Path is a beautiful, thoughtful work that affirms Pritchard's place as one of our most insightful, and courageous, mountain voices. A perfect follow-up to his explorations of the reasons we climb (Deep Play) and their sometimes-tragic consequences (The Totem Pole), The Mountain Path expertly navigates the even more complex terrain of the spiritual value of a mountain life, through the eyes of a very wise guide.' GEOFF POWTER - PSYCHOLOGIST, WRITER AND CLIMBER 'Unable to kill himself, quite, we now have Paul's books to read. This one has some vintage detail. We hear about the school spitting champion, about the oval things that come from chickens but also about the most diffuse Pritchard: the 'one' that experiences. Out of a soup of pain and fears, a person clear about what really matters has surfaced. Paul liked to say: 'urrgghh ... death's my constant companion'. Introduced to the marrow of his experiences so very well, here we get to feel first-hand just how close to us that companion is. The truth of life for Paul laid bare.' JOHNNY DAWES - CLIMBING VISIONARY 'In Deep Play, Paul probed into the heads of the misfits among us who tackle big, hard, risky climbs. A subsequent near-death accident on the Totem Pole nearly ended his active life, but he re-invented himself and kept on adventuring. As his new book shows, he's still deep in thought about the play of risk in life, but moreover, it shows an indomitable spirit.' GREG CHILD - CLIMBER AND AUTHOR 'Poetic, gritty and at times funny to the point of agony (literally), Paul Pritchard has not only offered up an absorbing life story of adventure, tragedy and philosophical reflection, but a prism through which generations of readers to come will be profoundly touched.' TIM COPE - AUTHOR OF ON THE TRAIL OF GENGHIS KHAN

Author Information

Paul Pritchard is an award-winning author and one of the UK's most visionary and accomplished climbers. Originally from Lancashire, he began climbing in his teens and went on to repeat some of the most difficult routes in the country, before moving to North Wales where he played a pivotal role in the development of the Dinorwig slate quarries and the imposing Gogarth cliffs on Anglesey. A move into mountaineering followed, with significant ascents around the world, including the East Face of the Central Tower of Paine in Patagonia, and the first ascent of the West Face of Mount Asgard on Baffin Island. In 1998 his life changed dramatically when he was hit by falling rock while climbing the Totem Pole, a sea stack off the Tasmanian coast. He was left with hemiplegia paralysis down the right side of his body and also lost the power of speech for many months. Since his accident, Paul has continued to lead a challenging life through caving, tricycle racing, sea kayaking, river rafting, climbing Kilimanjaro, and, in 2009, a return to lead rock climbing. He is an international speaker, advocating for disability, and a diversity and inclusion trainer volunteering for The Human Library, which challenges the harmful effects of stereotyping and prejudice. He is the author of three books Deep Play, The Totem Pole, and The Longest Climb and has won the prestigious Boardman Tasker Prize on two occasions (Deep Play, 1997; The Totem Pole, 1999). The Totem Pole was also awarded the Grand Prize at the 1999 Banff Mountain Book Festival. Paul lives in Hobart, Tasmania.

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