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Alastair Vere NicollBesprekingen
Auteur van Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across Antarctica
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Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge across… door Alastair Vere Nicoll
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varroa | 10 andere besprekingen | Feb 12, 2011 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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kphillip9 | 10 andere besprekingen | Jan 10, 2011 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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kristinmm | 10 andere besprekingen | Dec 21, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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the_nimue | 10 andere besprekingen | Nov 28, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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!
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tkraft | 10 andere besprekingen | Nov 10, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
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FireandIce | 10 andere besprekingen | Nov 5, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
While the danger of frostbite, injury and death is lessened by all the modern advances in materials and equipment since the "golden age of exploration" it is still very real and the author did an OK job of making one feel concerned about the physical strains of the trek. Less so about the psychological one. It is hard not to compare today's adventurers, keeping in touch by cell phone and texting, and listening to music as you pull a sled to the South Pole to the explorers of 100 years ago. In this account, much was said about the strain of calling each day to arrange the restocking of supplies at the South Pole – the strain was dealing with the cost, not the uncertainty of would there be a resupply. Another big problem for the author was separation from his pregnant wife, and not knowing if he would be there for the delivery. I wont spoil the end of the book by telling you whether he made it or not, but I couldn't help compare the authors situation to the many servicemen in Afghanistan & Iraq, whose separation from their family was not self imposed.
One final note – the author is British, and had less than kind words for the American presence at the South Pole. "Many factors, including the rubbish, the joy-riding and the close proximity of the base to the site itself, represented clear signs of the territorial marking of a dominant animal. Metaphorically speaking, the Americans were cocking their national leg on a daily basis and urinating on the tree stump that was the Pole." That may all be true, but at least the American excuse for being at the Pole is to staff a scientific base, and not just because of an early mid-life crisis, to use the authors own words. What was cost to the environment to fly four men and their supplies to the Antarctic?
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jrbeach | 10 andere besprekingen | Sep 24, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
The Not So Good stuff- I would have liked a bit more detail in the maps to be able to track where the group was; the maps didn't have enough detail for a newbie like me. Two, there might have been a bit more "Americanizing" for some of the terms - on p 45 I didn't know what the term "marquee" was doing describing a wedding, and on p 83 what the heck is a "car tax-disc being punched from out of its perforations? "
My biggest gripe with the book? The printing, to my eye, was a bit mussy and the paper could've gone up a grade or two in quality - it just annoys me when I can see too much of the other page on the one I'm reading.
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Ann_Louise | 10 andere besprekingen | Sep 23, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
I was initially concerned that Riding the Ice Wind would be a similar experience. That was quickly put to rest within the first chapter. While not the most talented writer or the most exciting trip, both manage to be decently entertaining. He weaves in emotional of the four-person group with their physical struggles and does it fairly well. I think it falls just short of my thumbs up for recommendation, but at least I didn't feel like I unfairly lost hours of my life that I'll never get back.
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Sean191 | 10 andere besprekingen | Sep 17, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
On the plus side, when I saw the route maps I was confused at first – did they really go up and over the Trans-Antarctic Mountains? They did! It starts as a hard route, but then settles into a lot of drudgery once the plateau is reached. Getting the kites to behave was another bright spot of excitement. Great color photos, with more photos available off the publisher’s author page. Sadly this book is recommended only for those studying alternate forms of transportation on the polar ice.½
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BookWallah | 10 andere besprekingen | Sep 15, 2010 | ![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/er_tiny_logo2_20h.png)
In some ways Nicoll's introspection brings a new light to cold-weather expeditions as the author gives us insight into the intricate maneuvering that's necessary to 'pull it all off'. The problems of finding the right team members, doing the right training, and finally finding the funding. Not to mention the angst that comes from uprooting yourself, throwing your life into a tizzy as you say goodbye to your family -- in this case, the author has to leave his new bride who will probably have their first baby while he is gone.
In many ways though, these 'human' elements override the landscape, wretched conditions and sense of adventure in the tale. I came away from the book admiring the men and how important humor and openness was to the expedition. But I was frustrated by the less than solid grasp I had of the kiting aspect of the trip. And alas, there wasn't a single picture in the book of what the blasted kites looked like. (Though the pictures that were there were phenomenal.)
Overall, well written. It's rather apparent that the author had a top notch British education and I enjoyed his quotes and ruminations. The adventure was interesting and the perspective that the bleak loneliness produced was fascinating. But all-in-all I wasn't quite as awestruck with this book as any of the ones previously listed. It was just too angst-y and self-focused for me. Though to be honest and fair, the problem may lie more with me than with the book, because you see I'm not a fan of intimate first person adventures. And at times I felt that the personal information overrode the physical continuity of the adventure, BUT just as this makes this only a middlin' read for me, it will probably be a great 'hit' and stunningly good read for others.
Pam T~
mom/blogger
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PamFamilyLibrary | 10 andere besprekingen | Sep 12, 2010 | Links
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