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Bezig met laden... Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across Antarctica (2010)door Alastair Vere Nicoll
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten. This is an interesting story which shows the effort level, the isolation, and the difficulty of living and traveling in extreme environments. The author also wanders into the realm of philosophy, sometimes very effectively. ( )Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten. Let me start off by saying that I have no idea how a trip across Antarctica could appeal to anyone, even in the most posh of circumstances. Obviously, the group of friends did not just traipse across the continent in this manner. Perhaps since I am from the Midwest, I realize on a much, much smaller scale how miserable ice, wind, and snow can be, and this is what the author described in this book. The conditions are horrid, but the details are many. This is definitely a good read for anyone that wants to experience the misery of a lengthy, miserable Antarctic trip. Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten. The author seems to have very romanticized notions of what Antarctica should be like. He constantly draws parallels between his trip and former well recorded historic trips, as well as with just other literature in general. If you are looking for a book that is strictly a description of the adventure, then this is not for you. He spends barely half the book describing the actual journey, and a good portion of that is about the preparation. This book seems to be more about how the trip and everything that happens before and during it make the author feel about life in general. That said, I still found it enjoyable. Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten. I really wanted to love this book, however, too little attention was paid to the details of the actual adventure. Much of the book focused on the authors private life including what lead to his deciding to take up the adventure which was interesting, but took up too much of the story. There were so many quotes and references to classic literature and too much time drawing parrallels to other works and adventurer's efforts. The last 1/4 or so was good, but the beginning was just so drawn out that I had a hard time getting into the book. Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten. All in all, I'd say in general that this isn't a great adventure book. But it is a good book and enjoyable to read. Lots of books are written nowadays about gimmicky adventures that are 'the first this' and 'the biggest that' type derivatives of adventures that have already been done. You know, you've heard of a celebrated adventure that amounted to something like "the first rock climber to jump on his left foot while singing 'away in a manger' in Spanish on top of Mount McKinley." While Riding the Ice wind isn't quite that absurd, the adventure itself, while still a huge accomplishment, wasn't terribly unique from a readers' perspective. However, I found the human element to be very interesting. Alistair Nicoll had a kind of mid-life crisis a few years early and had to do something drastic to understand himself and his path. He was racing to try and get home for the birth of his first child and was fighting his own internal dialogue the whole way. Something in me resonated with "Ali's" position in life. Also, I found a lot in common with him that made the story really hit home for me. The writing itself is a bit better than the average adventure book, and was enjoyable especially because he writes some rather literary and interesting things into the text. For example, comparing the Katabatic winds to the winds in the lower circles of Dante's Inferno. A bit effete, and too much for some people, but right up my alley! geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
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 author's 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 earth's 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." Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
Deelnemer aan LibraryThing Vroege RecensentenAlastair Vere Nicoll's boek Riding the Ice Wind was beschikbaar via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Actuele discussiesGeen
Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)919.8904092History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in Australasia, Pacific Ocean islands, Atlantic Ocean islands, Arctic islands, Antarctica and on extraterrestrial worlds Polar regions AntarcticaLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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