Synopses & Reviews
Leaving the security of friends, work, and a wife, Alastair Vere Nicoll joined a team of young men to harness the katabatic winds and haul and kite-surf across Antarctica: the coldest, windiest, most violent continent on earth. Not since Shackleton nearly perished attempting the same thing in his Endurance expedition had such a crossing been attempted. This is the story not only of the first West-to-East traverse of the continent of Antarctica, but of the crossing of two phases in the authors life—from youth into manhood, fantasy into reality. It is also the story of a race against time, as he fought to get home for the birth of his first child. As Alastair battled through the freezing wastes, exploring the earths wildest continent and his deepest self, he was haunted by the ghosts of past explorers and by the question of what it is to be a “modern man.”
Review
"This is a heart-led account of one of the longest, hardest polar journeys of recent years. It is a testament that enduring hardship isn't about bravado but about a quiet, at times faltering, daily decision to endure." -- Bear Grylls, Man vs. Wild
"It's extremely heartening to discover, through a text that is beautifully and powerfully written, that a younger generation of adventurers has got what it takes - and more. They prove themselves worthy successors to their heroes, Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott." -- John Hare, author of Mysteries of the Gobi
"An original and compelling book that really gets into the psyche of adventure and the conflict between the call of responsibility and the desire for freedom. I thoroughly enjoyed it." -- Jonny Bealby, Wild Frontiers
"...fresh as a daisy... challenging, intelligent and thoughtful. Riding the Ice Wind reminds us that decent writing about tough adventure need not be a thing of the past. A hundred years ago there was a great explorer with a literary soul and the ability to write well. Alastair Vere Nicoll may not be Ernest Shackleton, but he's living proof that while the literary explorer may be an endangered species, there are still a few out there, if you know where to look." -- Nick Smith, for Bookdealer
"...lovely descriptions of the wilderness. The real voyage at the heart of the book, though, is the attempt to discover meaning in a life the writer had found increasingly mediocre." -- Clove Stroud, Sunday Telegraph
"...A superbly engaging account of an impossibly hard trip. Its originality, however, lies in its sensitivity to the purpose of such expeditions to the have-it-all generation." -- Richard Lofthouse, Oxford Today, Hilary Term edition
About the Author
Alastair Vere Nicoll is the investment director at Berkley Energy. He studied English Literature at Oxford University where he was awarded an undergraduate scholarship and a double first class degree. He lives in London.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Bear Grylls * Introduction * Beginnings * Flauberts Parrot * A New Life * Altered Reality * Constructing the Creature * There But Still Nowhere * Family Matters * Team Building * A New Horizon * The Icefall * The Layer Cake * Down and Out * Silence Valley * The Sword of Damocles * Difficult Decisions * Its All In The Mind * Uncontactable * Divide and Rule * Heat Miser * Travelling Without Moving * The South Pole * Leaving the End of the Earth * North * The Winds of Change * Touching the Void * Mutability * Final Burst * An End and a Beginning * Epilogue