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BOOK REVIEWS
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'Dougal Haston, The Philosophy of Risk'
by Jeff Connor.Published by Canongate Books 2002. Hardback.
211pages. 29 Colour Plates. ISBN 0-903908-522.
Now here is a book that you should read. Snow, rock and ice star as rock star. Jeff Connor's biography of Dougal Haston, is a professional piece of writing in every sense. The account charts the life of the Scottish climbing superstar of the sixties and seventies from his early years in Currie, through his early climbs in Scotland and big walls in the Alps, including the Eiger Direct, to stardom in the Himalayas, firstly on Annapurna and most famously of all on Everest's South West Face with Doug Scott in 1975.
The book is remarkable for a number of things - firstly, for its insight into Haston's early years, which will probably be new to many who know his Leysin-and-onwards period well. The author describes a not particularly appealing roller-coaster existence of drinking, fighting, stealing and on-the-edge climbing that was to lead almost inevitably to the dreadful drink-driving incident in Glencoe.
Secondly, Jeff Connor captures the extraordinary, reckless, pace of Haston's life and his indifference to most of the people around him. Haston struck most people who met him as one set slightly apart, his inner thoughts unknowable and his outward utterances couched in philosophical borrowings or outright scorn for climbers whom Haston believed to be not on his level. In the climber's own words "Why do people/Not understand/That a man/Who lives constantly/On the edge of the abyss/Must be difficult/To live with/On the ground?".
Thirdly, you will enjoy the book for the way in which Jeff Connor gradually pieces together an understanding of the growth of Haston's character. His life is portrayed in phases; from the intensity of his early years to his growing confidence in the Alps and finally to his professional fulfilment in the Himalayas. The influences upon him are documented - John Harlin and Don Whillans and Haston's great equal, Doug Scott, with sidelights cast by Chris Bonington, among others, who appreciated Haston's extraordinary climbing talent and drive but also his great willingness to take more than his share of the back-breaking work of an expedition. As younger stars such as Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker began to challenge Haston's dominance, Jeff Connor speculates how his subject would have adjusted to being forty or fifty, and concludes that Haston at last found contentment in his last years in Leysin.
This is not a book about the climbing itself, and those looking for a detailed account of the 1975 Everest Expedition, for example, are better off reading Bonington's own account. The telling of each expedition's story centres rather on other climbers' recollections of Haston, such as those of Paul Braithwaite : "It was like a remoteness, he was sort of telling us he was different from the rest of us. There were maybe six guys who were the hard core of that trip, and could have gone to the top, but Dougal had this thing that was above this. It was like, what the hell is he on?" What makes this book so interesting is that it does not retell the same expedition stories that many others have told before, but rather focuses on achieving real insight into that most impenetrable of big walls, the mind of Dougal Haston. I strongly recommend it.
Richard White
Care and Maintenance
Published by BMC 2001. Paperback. 59 pages. Price £4 members, £6 non-members. ISBN 0-903908-522.
This little book will change pub life forever. From now on whenever the argument about gear treatment or life gets going some smart aleck will quote chapter and verse, leaving the rest of us to stare sullenly into the pints. Neville McMillan and his team at the BMC Technical Committee have brought together comprehensive information on technical standards, proper and improper use, care and maintenance requirements, and scrap and replace criteria for karabiners, ice tools, chocks, cams and other metal gear, helmets, ropes, slings and harnesses. Neville has even tried to explain about loads and forces, newtons and all that stuff which I kind of understand, but don't ask any questions. My only doubt is the advice to seek the advice of other climbers about when to retire your rope-this could get that pub brawl started again! This booklet is essential reading for anyone looking after their own gear or responsible for their club, school, or company kit. Note that the BMC have already posted minor corrections on their website.
John Donohoe
Rother Walking Guide to Madeira
by Rolf Goetz
Distributed in the UK by Cicerone.
Paperback. 158pages. 83 colour photos, 51 maps. ISBN 0-903908-522.
 Having recently walked some of the 'levada' paths on the Island I only wish I had had this with me. First, a little explanation; Madeira is not dissimilar to most other mountainous areas; it is long and narrow and rises to 1862m at Pico Ruivo. So far so good. Now comes the difference. Most of the mountains rise from the sea at an angle little short of miraculous. The Alps in comparison are gentle swellings. To compound this, the rock walls comprising the sides are a compound of a rotten basalt and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Some of the 'fields' are on so steep a hillside that the farmers access them by ropes and even the cows are tethered.
So how does one 'walk' on such an island? The answer is the levada, a narrow (often no more than 30cms wide) track that was built to service the ingenious irrigation system of narrow channels that cover hundreds of km. The channels were hacked out of the soft basalts and cross forest and cliff regardless of angle or difficulty. They were designed to allow water to flow at a controlled rate and thus it is possible to cover great distance at an exceedingly gentle angle.
The author, Rolf Goetz, has described the best of the popular walks and a few that are rarely visited, 50 in all and graded them into three categories with the proviso that the last might need the use of hands and that vertigo sufferers should keep well away. Having walked a few of the levadas, this latter point made itself obvious even on the easier and less exposed paths. He also includes some of the better mountain walks, which are actually less precipitous than the levadas. These include the highest summits and invariably give fantastic views.
All in all, this is a good buy if you are visiting Madeira, fitting into a jacket pocket easily and with good maps and colour photography throughout. The Island itself is Portugese, friendly and with excellent facilities. It is definitely worth a visit, provided you don't fall off one of the paths!
John Mackenzie
Other walking guides from the Rother stable recently received are "Tuscany North" (by Heitzman & Gabriel, 160pages, Price £7.99, ISBN 3-7633-4812-3) and "Tenerife" (by Klaus and Annette Wolfsperger, 158pages, Price £7.99, ISBN 3-7633-4809-3).
Beyond Adventure by Colin Mortlock
Published by Cicerone Press. Paperback. 125pages. ISBN 1-85284-332-2.
 I first read Colin Mortlock's work in 1980 as an undergraduate grappling with the philosophy of taking young people into the outdoors. His small booklet "Adventure Education" was essential reading for students of Outdoor and Environmental Education. In 1984 he published "The Adventure Alternative", which likewise became a standard text for numerous courses.
His latest book "Beyond Adventure" will no doubt be lapped up and quoted in thousands of student dissertations, but it is a very interesting book for all outdoors folk, whatever their area of work or study. For this book explores the deeper reasons for wanting to head outdoors in order to seek adventure. In particular this book looks at one man's changing reasons for going to the wilder places, from the attitude and beliefs he held as a youth, through his different adventures and activities, to his deeper philosophical thoughts he now holds in his older years.
Beyond Adventure is a small book that can be quickly read, but the writing is meaningful and should not be rushed. It may well be a book that many will choose to read twice in order to enable the thoughts to sink in.
In a country where our contact with adventure can be taken over several days, but is quite often grabbed on days out from home, before going home for tea, this book is well worth a read, because it describes the feelings that can easily be missed in the busy lives that so many people lead. So, whether it is looking for a concise quote for that essay, exploring your own motivations for seeking adventure, or just reading about the impact that Scotland has had on a great adventurer, then this book is well worth picking up and absorbing.
Mike Dales
The Grave in the Mountains by Elke Kammer
Published by The Pentland Press Ltd. Paperback. 113pages. ISBN 1-85821-625-7.
When the mountain rescue end their search for his father, 16 year old Jack takes it upon himself to find him. A ministers son, Jack sets out for the wintry mountains of Glencoe with the unquestioning faith that God will have kept his father alive, refusing to lose hope when others have. During the days that follow, faced by dangerous conditions which jeopardise his own chances of survival, and the ever dimmer prospect of finding his father alive, Jack begins questioning his religious beliefs, views on life and death.
Whether or not you like this book may depend on your religious convictions or lack of them. This book is a platform for philosophical and religious debate, and should be viewed as such. Reading the book, it often feels that the primary intent of the author was to explore the possible nature of relationships with God, with the story of Jack's rescue attempt coming very much secondary. Any one looking for a novel purely about climbing and adventure will be disappointed.
Avril Shepley
A Price Guide to Books
Concerning Mountaineering in the Himalayas
By Dek Palmer
Published by Cheyne Books. Paperback. 154pages. ISBN 0-9704143-2-3.
The second in the series of "A Price Guide to…". The last one being to British based books. The National Mountaineering Exhibition and Cheyne books held a photo competition for the cover this latest one, which we ran in Issue 7 March 2001. The winning cover was from Barry Imeson, but for my money, does not really capture the Himalayas at all. Anyway, this is a reference book about the value of other books on the title subject and if you are into collecting will be very helpful.
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