Synopses & Reviews
A grand adventure an elite kayaking team's heroic conquest of the world's last great adventure prize: Tibet's Tsangpo River.
The Tsangpo Gorge in southeastern Tibet has lured explorers and adventurers since its discovery. Sacred to the Buddhists, the inspiration for Shangri La, the Gorge is as steeped in legend and mystery as any spot on earth. As a river-running challenge, the remote Tsangpo is relentlessly unforgiving, more difficult than any stretch of river ever attempted. Its mysteries have withstood a century's worth of determined efforts to explore its length. The finest expedition paddlers on earth have tried. Several have died. All have failed. Until now.
In January 2002, in the heart of the Himalayan winter, a team of seven kayakers launched a meticulously planned assault of the Gorge. The paddlers were river cowboys, superstars in the universe of extreme kayaking who hop from continent to continent ready for the next death-defying pursuit. Accompanying them was author Peter Heller. A world-class kayaker in his own right, Heller has logged countless river miles and several major first descents. He joined the Tsangpo Expedition as a member of the ground support team and official expedition journalist, and was also granted the exclusive opportunity to write the book about the descent.
Hell or High Water is that book greatly expanded from his coverage for Outside magazine. Filled with history, white-knuckle drama, and mutiny in one of the world's most storied and remote locations, Hell or High Water is as riveting as any of the great epic adventures throughout history. Publication coincides with the release of a documentary about the expedition by National Geographic.
Review
"Heller does a smooth job of introducing the participants and, at first, a rip-roaring job of evoking the river's conditions....Heller works a difficult story gamely, getting enough color into the narrative to keep readers involved, if not exhilarated." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The author will occasionally grind a gear in his transitions between cultural passages, immediate events, and poetical evocations of river-gorge vistas, but he also stokes plenty of the action that propels thrill-seeking readers." Booklist
Review
"[A] riveting adventure book....Readers who kayak no doubt will find within the book's pages a wave of thrills on the river-running experience." Rocky Mountain News
Review
"[A] wonderful book....[The] successful quest conveys all the drama and derring-do of the works of Thor Heyerdahl or the explorers of the so-called Dark Continent. An enthralling tale for anyone who joys in conquests of new frontiers." Library Journal
Synopsis
In this grand adventure, an elite kayaking team makes a heroic conquest of the world's last great adventure prize: Tibet's Tsangpo River. Publication coincides with the release of a documentary about the expedition by National Geographic.
Synopsis
A grand adventure-an elite kayaking team's heroic conquest of the worlds last great adventure prize: Tibet's Tsangpo River.
The Tsangpo Gorge in southeastern Tibet has lured explorers and adventurers since its discovery. Sacred to the Buddhists, the inspiration for Shangri La, the Gorge is as steeped in legend and mystery as any spot on earth. As a river-running challenge, the remote Tsangpo is relentlessly unforgiving, more difficult than any stretch of river ever attempted. Its mysteries have withstood a century's worth of determined efforts to explore it's length. The finest expedition paddlers on earth have tried. Several have died. All have failed. Until now.
In January 2002, in the heart of the Himalayan winter, a team of seven kayakers launched a meticulously planned assault of the Gorge. The paddlers were river cowboys, superstars in the universe of extreme kayaking who hop from continent to continent ready for the next death-defying pursuit. Accompanying them was author Peter Heller. A world-class kayaker in his own right, Heller has logged countless river miles and several major first descents. He joined the Tsangpo Expedition as a member of the ground support team and official expedition journalist, and was also granted the exclusive opportunity to write the book about the descent.
Hell or High Water is that book-greatly expanded from his coverage for Outside magazine. Filled with history, white-knuckle drama, and mutiny in one of the world's most storied-and remote-locations, Hell or High Water is as riveting as any of the great epic adventures throughout history. Publication coincides with the release of a documentary about the expedition by National Geographic.
About the Author
Peter Heller, a seasoned adventure journalist and passionate kayaker, is a frequent contributor to
Outside magazine. He lives in Denver.
Table of Contents
Put-in 1
1 The assignment 5
2 Lhasa to Pe 27
3 The river 53
4 Tripe to Selung Creek 67
5 Kintup the tailor 91
6 Gyala to Doug's Ledges 101
7 Doug's Ledges to the Spur 127
8 Pemakochung 143
9 The Kondrasong La to Kondrasong La Falls 165
10 Northeast Straits to Pine Camp 181
11 The grand portage 207
12 Gogden 231
13 The Lower Gorge 253
Take-out 273
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Peter Heller