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BOOK REVIEWS
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Rock Climbs in Donegal - Edited by Alan Tees
Published by A.S Bell Publishing for the MCofI. 366 pages. ISBN 0-902940-17-1
Since the last Donegal guide was published in 1985, this wonderful part of the world has been further scoured for new cliffs, with many of the best only recently uncovered. In this new edition, recorded climbs have more than doubled and the emphasis has moved to the coast, with nineteen sections now devoted to Atlantic rock as opposed to ten covering the hills. Which is as it should be. Of all the charms of Donegal, the coastal scenery excels, and climbing there is at its most reliable and least vegetated. The useful division of the county into five geographical areas has been retained, and Padriac Breen's island guide has been added to cover the major developments on Gola etc. Directions are pretty straightforward, including the latest road numbering, but be warned, getting from A to B can take longer than you think. Location sketches need to be read along with a contour map, but the crag drawings and numbering are easy enough to follow; and a major improvement is the quality of the crag photographs. Good guidebooks should whet the appetite and Alan Tees has achieved just that by cleverly adding a wad of colour shots at the back.
There is something for everybody in Donegal and if there are many climbs of VS and below, ample extreme routes can readily be found for the hard men, often in wild and unforgettable places. I liked this guide, but buy it a good plastic cover- it does rain in Donegal.
Ray Lee
My Life as a Climber
by Anderl Heckmair; Translated by Tim Carruthers
Published by Baton Wicks. Hardback. 269 pages. ISBN 1-898573-55-7.
It was in the 'White Spider' by Heinrich Harrer that I first became familiar with the name Anderl Heckmair. As one of the famous four that scaled that Eiger North Face in 1938, his name became immortalised forever in the annals of outstanding World Mountaineering achievements. Yet, although I acknowledged his role as the one person that led the way in the final hours of the first ascent through some desperate and dangerous ground, his presence seemed overshadowed by the powerful writing of the author.
It was not until we made the film documentary 'Climbing for the Fatherland' on Channel Four and after having climbed the North Face of the Eiger for the film, that I realised just how fantastic Anderl's skills as a mountaineer, a technical climber on snow, rock and ice, and his judgement and unbelievable route finding skills really were. It was awe inspiring that they had such commitment and belief in their abilities. I wanted to know more, read more.
At Kleine Scheidegg, he sat straight, puffing on a small crème cigar, powerful looking and strong in presence, every wrinkle on his face, of which there were few, was wrought deep and hard; undoubtedly still a handsome man. Trudel his wife sat beside him translating, but I could swear he understood and could speak more than he cared to. He relived parts of his life for a privileged few at that table. Unbelievably, he was still guiding mountains at 87, now sitting in front of us in his 90's. He appeared calmly excited and at home sat once more beneath the North Face.
His relationship with the famous German Actress Leni Riefenstahl, led him to meet with the Fuhrer himself, Adolf Hitler. A man who would eventually use them all as German propaganda 'supermen' for his quest to win the war. His membership to the 'SS' (Germany's Elite) has been a cross to bear for his whole life, in some ways surpassing and hiding his achievements as we care to think less of those that were associated with some of the most horrific acts on humanity, yet his book: 'My Life' gives insight into this side of his life and tells a story of a man who like all of us, couldn't quell his desire to climb. 'My Life' translated by Tim Carruthers goes down in my library along side 'The Great days' by Walter Bonatti and 'Total Alpinism' by Rene Desmaison as inspirational and essential reading in appreciating the talent and achievements that shaped Mountaineering Worldwide.
Scott Muir
Skye 360, Walking the Coastline of Skye
by Andrew Dempster.
Published by Luath Press Ltd. Paperback. 228 pages. Price £8.99. ISBN 0-946487-85-5.
Bagaholics have reason to be grateful to Andrew Dempster. Not only did he chronicle their eccentricities in The Munro Phenomenon, but he also produced the definitive guide to the Grahams (if you don't know don't ask), the last stop on the way to the madness that is the Marilyn Hall of Fame.
This book is the story of his walk around the 360 miles and degrees of the coastline of Skye, most of it trackless, in a typical summer month, enjoying the 360 different kinds of Hebridean weather. He quotes Bill Murray's comment that Skye has little body and more arms than the Goddess Kali, and the innumerable peninsulas and promontories makes for a strange Pilgrim's Non-progress, ending up near the start point after days of difficult walking. Andrew started off solo backpacking and quickly realised the problems of hauling a large sack over rough ground, reverting to a car and companion assisted plan. The book provides details of accommodation and other services available in remote spots, though regrettably a number of his favourite lodgings have since closed. He provides a lot of detail on current and historical island issues, such as inward migration, rekindled recently in the “racialist” comments of Iain Noble at a Scottish Countryside Alliance meeting in Edinburgh, and has a passing kick at whining so-called conservationists. The most poignant elements are the descriptions of deserted villages, like Boreraig, and the leading part that the people of Glendale and the Braes played in resisting ethnic cleansing.
I would recommend this book both for the long distance walker looking for a change from linear paths, and for others looking for a change from the crowded honeypots.John F Donohoe
Also received as reprints in paperback from Cannongate Publishers:
- High Exposure by David Breashears. Forward by Jon Krakauer. - buy a copy
- In High Places by Dougal Haston. Introduced by Doug Scott. - buy a copy
- Dougal Haston; The Philosophy of Risk by Jeff Connor. - buy a copy
- Kingdoms of Experience. Introduction by Chris Bonington. - buy a copy
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