The Calling

The winner of the 2015 Boardman Tasker Award.

Blanchard learned to abseil in the Army Cadets but he was soon kicked out for insubordination. Fortunately he was already hooked on climbing and started to aquire the skills, equipment and partners to tackle climbs of ever increasing difficulty.

Respected as an alpinist at the cutting edge of high altitude climbing for many years, this book is an honest account of the culture of punk rock climbing and of a life devoted to climbing at the highest levels.