Revised edition of The Baruntse Adventure available from all good e-bookstores

Another quick book update. Some of you may know that I am gradually re-editing the more popular volumes in my Footsteps on the Mountain Diaries series and releasing revised editions in both ebook and paperback format.

The Footsteps on the Mountain Diaries are my expedition journals. They are edited versions of what I scribble in my tent each evening after a day in the mountains, with a bit of history thrown in. Written in a light-hearted and engaging style, they provide a great introduction to life on the trail. You can find out more about the evolution of the series in this blog post. The latest diary to undergo such a transformation is The Baruntse Adventure, the story of my expedition to Baruntse in Nepal in 2010.

A revised digital edition of The Baruntse Adventure is available to download now
A revised digital edition of The Baruntse Adventure is available to download now

The book follows a remote trek and climb in Nepal with my erstwhile trekking and climbing buddy Mark Dickson in 2010. Starting off in the balmy climate of the Arun Valley in eastern Nepal, we crossed Shipton’s Pass and trekked up the Barun Valley in the shadow of Makalu, before making an attempt on 7,129m Baruntse. When we reached base camp, we learned of a fatal accident involving a highly experienced Everest veteran Chewang Nima Sherpa, which attracted some negative publicity a few years later. The diary includes a new epilogue describing some of these events and providing a balanced perspective of what happened.

One figure who looms large in the history of Makalu and Baruntse is the great New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, who was involved in much of the early exploration of the Barun Valley. He made two attempts on Makalu, and his great friend George Lowe took part in the first ascent of Baruntse along with fellow climbers from the New Zealand Alpine Club. The updated edition of The Baruntse Adventure includes some additional stories about the early history of both mountains, using original sources.

The book should appeal not only to mountaineers who are considering climbing Baruntse, but to all fans of trekking in Nepal. It was a wonderful trek. Mark has retired from trekking and mountaineering now, but I have good memories of these expeditions – he was an interesting, entertaining character and his humorous banter helped to bring my diaries to life. I hope you enjoy it too.

The complete text has been re-edited with the help of my regular editor Alex Roddie. As well as the extra historical background and new epilogue, I have tightened up many of the jokes and generally polished the text until it shines.

Fans of my writing will be happy to know that the underlying style remains. My aim with the Footsteps on the Mountain Diaries is to treat the reader as a travelling companion, walking alongside me on the trek and joining me for the climb.

The revised digital version of The Baruntse Adventure is available now from the main online bookstores (Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and B&N). To buy a copy, find out more about it, or read a free sample, visit my book page.

For a limited period you can buy the digital version for the bargain price of under $1, €1 or £1, depending on your preferred currency.

Until now the book has only been available digitally. But I am now in the process of producing it as a paperback for those of you who like sniffing the ink on the page. Once the paperback is available, I will be increasing the price to bring it into line with other titles in the series, so get in quick.

It’s a busy time for me on the writing front. I have also started work on an audiobook version of Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest and am honoured to be working with a distinguished stage and screen actor on the narration. More news soon.

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