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Ascent
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
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Ascent
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Summary
'He is the David Attenborough of mountaineering . . . Bonington's most personal memoir yet' The Times
'This is a compelling tale of fortitude and endurance' The Sunday Times
Chris Bonington is Britain’s best-known climber, having spent a lifetime among the world’s highest and wildest mountains.
In the 1960s, he made the first British ascent of the north face of the Eiger. In the 1970s, he led some of the most important first ascents ever achieved in the Himalaya, including the south face of Annapurna and the south-west face of Everest – the hard way. Along with successes came the agony of friends losing their lives on the mountain, gambling with the highest stakes of all. In the 1980s, he reached the summit of Everest, aged fifty-one, a moment of fulfilment that only renewed his passion for adventure. In the years since, he has led countless expeditions to remote peaks with small teams all over the world, his enthusiasm for remote and little-known places still burning as he enters his ninth decade.
He now looks back on his extraordinary life, recounting his family’s adventurous roots, his mother’s struggle to bring him up through the Blitz on her own, his discovery of the mountains, his fierce ambition and the long marriage that gave a sensitive boy the security to find his place in the world. Honours and fame follow the decades of risk and adventure, but nothing could protect him from the devastating fatal illness of his wife Wendy. Open, honest and full of hardwon wisdom, Ascent is the epic saga of an unrepeatable life on the edge.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David Filce
- 22-03-23
Absolute Mountain of a Man
Probably the best book I have listened to on Audible.
I've had the pleasure to listen to Chris Bonnington albeit some years ago, and got 3 books signed. He is a wonderful and inspirational human being.
And that comes across loud and clear, and honesty in this book.
Fabulous
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fast feet
- 22-02-24
A beautifully honest tale of adventure, love, life and it’s ups and downs.
Well narrated, so very easy to listen to. Love hearing people’s story’s and this man has had plenty of adventures. Also touched by his love for his wife and family. Hearing how he continues to live a fulfilling life is inspiring.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- flutterby
- 04-03-24
A Moving account of his life
I loved that I could relate to the places he spoke of in and around Carlisle and Cumbria. The account of his wife’s passing had me in tears and yet he found love again.
This book has taken me to places all across the world, places I will never go, will never see but yet I feel like I have seen the beauty as well as the danger of the mountains he has climbed.
A very moving book from start to finish.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- WayneB
- 29-11-18
Life lived to the extreme!!
Very much enjoyed reading - fascinating life full of extreme challenges, successes, failures & tragedies. Extraordinary person's life story honestly told.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John McCluskey
- 22-09-18
Master Adventurer
What a well written and engaging bio. Had me gripped all the way and intruiged by Chris if he had read it himself it might have been a five. Would definitely be one of my 10 dinner guests ...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ProWhistler
- 07-12-22
Get through first hour
As per other reviews, I almost gave up after an hour but stick with it. Some incredible adventures and a life well lived
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-12-17
Ascent
I've read about a number of Sir Chris Bonington's mountaineering expeditions but this book offers so much more than an account of such trips. Indeed, to write this book he must have experienced an intense adventure into his own soul. No stone is left unturned as Sir Chris writes about moments of great joy, fear, love and loss. It really is an incredible life which has been led but he does not hold back when considering the impact upon his family, accepting that ultimately the life of a serial adventurer must be a selfish one. Also for someone who is considered a kind of action hero it is perhaps reassuring to find that he has often lacked confidence and felt insecure, both as a young boy and later in life. The journey from extreme mountaineering to struggling to look after his Wife during her illness is sobering and make it very clear that his true loyalties were always closer to home. The narration was very good being soft and easy to listen to. I didn't find it difficult to picture the great man as I listened to it on my drive into work. I have always believed that Sir Chris' life has inspired millions around the world to seek joy in the natural environment and the company of friends. I am sure that this great book will continue to do this.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mills
- 12-11-17
What a man... truly inspirational.
As a non climber I found this biography of an incredible man inspirational. Very well narrated.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marbo
- 04-01-18
A joy
At first I didn’t like the reader, expecting to hear the familiar Bonington voice. But Gordon Griffin does a masterful job, sensitively and convincingly.
Bonington retells the same old tales with a wonderful freshness then goes on to surpass the heights of the mountains he has climbed, telling a story of youthful vigour and aging frailty and love. An inspiration.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nigel Moffet
- 05-04-18
Adventure all the way through.
This book is well written, descriptive and a easy listening. Puts you on the rock faces and you feel the cold.
A gentleman with a soft heart, soul and morals.
Fantastic.
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1 person found this helpful