Listen free for 30 days
-
The Calling
- A Life Rocked by Mountains
- Narrated by: Barry Blanchard
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for £30.49
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Beyond the Mountain
- By: Steve House, Reinhold Messner - foreword
- Narrated by: Steve House
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does it take to be one of the world's best high-altitude mountain climbers? A lot of fundraising; traveling in some of the world's most dangerous countries; enduring cold bivouacs, searing lungs, and a cloudy mind when you can least afford one. It means learning the hard lessons the mountains teach. Steve House built his reputation on ascents throughout the Alps, Canada, Alaska, the Karakoram, and the Himalaya that have expanded possibilities of style, speed, and difficulty.
-
-
Not Great
- By Peter Page on 23-05-23
-
High Risk
- Climbing to Extinction
- By: Brian Hall
- Narrated by: Sam Stafford
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through the seventies and into the mid-eighties, a cohort of young climbers challenged the siege mentality of their seniors on high mountains in the Greater Ranges with fast moving, lightweight expeditions run on a shoestring. Brian Hall was one of them and, in High Risk, he describes their daring adventures and the counterculture they lived within, their rivalries and relationships, and the terrible price many of them paid.
-
-
excellent
- By Black Rod on 14-10-22
-
Crazy for the Storm
- By: Norman Ollestad
- Narrated by: Norman Ollestad
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. While his friends were riding bikes, playing ball, and going to birthday parties, young Norman was whisked away in pursuit of wild and demanding adventures.
-
Closer to the Edge
- Climbing to the Ends of the Earth
- By: Leo Houlding
- Narrated by: Leo Houlding
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leo Houlding started climbing at 10 years of age in the Lake District and was the youngest person (and first Briton) to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in the United States at 18 years, which cemented his reputation. He has since gone on to summit the world's toughest peaks and explore the most extreme places on our planet.
-
-
Total badass!
- By Amazon Customer on 15-05-23
-
Savage Arena
- By: Joe Tasker
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges. The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains.
-
-
Gripping stories from the mountains
- By Hayley on 09-10-19
-
Ron Fawcett - Rock Athlete: The Story of a Climbing Legend
- By: Ron Fawcett, Ed Douglas
- Narrated by: Dan Bottomley
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix... Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him.
-
-
Psyched me up to a whole new level!
- By Travis on 03-05-20
-
Beyond the Mountain
- By: Steve House, Reinhold Messner - foreword
- Narrated by: Steve House
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does it take to be one of the world's best high-altitude mountain climbers? A lot of fundraising; traveling in some of the world's most dangerous countries; enduring cold bivouacs, searing lungs, and a cloudy mind when you can least afford one. It means learning the hard lessons the mountains teach. Steve House built his reputation on ascents throughout the Alps, Canada, Alaska, the Karakoram, and the Himalaya that have expanded possibilities of style, speed, and difficulty.
-
-
Not Great
- By Peter Page on 23-05-23
-
High Risk
- Climbing to Extinction
- By: Brian Hall
- Narrated by: Sam Stafford
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through the seventies and into the mid-eighties, a cohort of young climbers challenged the siege mentality of their seniors on high mountains in the Greater Ranges with fast moving, lightweight expeditions run on a shoestring. Brian Hall was one of them and, in High Risk, he describes their daring adventures and the counterculture they lived within, their rivalries and relationships, and the terrible price many of them paid.
-
-
excellent
- By Black Rod on 14-10-22
-
Crazy for the Storm
- By: Norman Ollestad
- Narrated by: Norman Ollestad
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the age of three, Norman Ollestad was thrust into the world of surfing and competitive downhill skiing by the intense, charismatic father he both idolized and resented. While his friends were riding bikes, playing ball, and going to birthday parties, young Norman was whisked away in pursuit of wild and demanding adventures.
-
Closer to the Edge
- Climbing to the Ends of the Earth
- By: Leo Houlding
- Narrated by: Leo Houlding
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leo Houlding started climbing at 10 years of age in the Lake District and was the youngest person (and first Briton) to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in the United States at 18 years, which cemented his reputation. He has since gone on to summit the world's toughest peaks and explore the most extreme places on our planet.
-
-
Total badass!
- By Amazon Customer on 15-05-23
-
Savage Arena
- By: Joe Tasker
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges. The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains.
-
-
Gripping stories from the mountains
- By Hayley on 09-10-19
-
Ron Fawcett - Rock Athlete: The Story of a Climbing Legend
- By: Ron Fawcett, Ed Douglas
- Narrated by: Dan Bottomley
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix... Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him.
-
-
Psyched me up to a whole new level!
- By Travis on 03-05-20
-
The Bond: Two Epic Climbs in Alaska and a Lifetime's Connection Between Climbers
- By: Simon McCartney
- Narrated by: RJ Bayley
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Simon McCartney was a young British alpinist climbing many of the hardest routes in the Alps during the late seventies, but it was a chance meeting in Chamonix in 1977 with Californian "Stonemaster" Jack Roberts that would dramatically change both their lives - and almost end Simon’s...The Bond is Simon McCartney’s story of these legendary climbs.
-
-
interesting book
- By Helen on 09-08-19
-
Training for the New Alpinism
- A Manual for the Climber as Athlete
- By: Steve House, Scott Johnston, Mark Twight - foreword
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steve House, world-class climber and Patagonia ambassador, and Scott Johnston, coach of US national champions and World Cup Nordic skiers, translate training theory into practice to allow you to coach yourself to any mountaineering goal. Applying training practices from other endurance sports, House and Johnston demonstrate that following a carefully designed regimen is as effective for alpinism as it is for any other endurance sport and leads to better performance. They deliver detailed instruction on how to plan and execute training tailored to your individual circumstances.
-
-
Good book but the narration is generally poor
- By Jasper_Smith on 07-08-19
-
Ascent
- By: Sir Chris Bonington
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hear Sir Chris Bonington's extraordinary story, read by Gordon Griffin. His memoir, Ascent, charts not only his many triumphs in the climbing world - such as the Eiger and the Himalayas - but also the struggles he has faced in his life bringing up a family and maintaining a successful and loving marriage over the decades of travelling the world to conquer mountains.
-
-
Disappointing
- By C. Hart on 17-01-18
-
First into Action
- A Dramatic Personal Account of Life Inside the SBS
- By: Duncan Falconer
- Narrated by: Duncan Falconer
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Special Boat Service (SBS) has long been the forgotten sibling of British Special Forces, but no longer. Duncan Falconer's grippingly personal memoir finally lifts the lid on life, loss, training and operations in the toughest unit of them all—the SBS. From joining up as a teenager, through SBS recruitment, training, and operational detachments, First into Action takes us on a journey through the SBS's history, operations and tactics seen through the lens of Duncan Falconer's remarkable story.
-
-
Much needed Account of the SBS
- By peter on 02-12-22
-
The Push
- By: Tommy Caldwell
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Penguin Audio presents The Push by Tommy Caldwell, read by Johnathan McClain. A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan. On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history Yosemite's nearly vertical 3,000 foot Dawn Wall, after 19 days on the route. Caldwell's odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete.
-
-
2% climbing 98% morose love story
- By Chris on 04-06-18
-
Eiger Dreams
- Ventures Among Men and Mountains
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb.
-
-
Step by step excitement
- By Amazon Customer on 16-06-19
-
No Shortcuts to the Top
- Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
- By: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 18 years, Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's 14 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.
-
-
Are you an 8000 m mountain nerd?
- By Emma on 04-02-07
-
Structured Chaos
- The Unusual Life of a Climber
- By: Victor Saunders
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Structured Chaos is Victor Saunders’ follow-up to Elusive Summits (winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize in 1990), No Place to Fall and Himalaya: The Tribulations of Vic & Mick. He reflects on his early childhood in Malaya and his first experiences of climbing as a student, and describes his progression from scaling canal-side walls in Camden to expeditions in the Himalaya and Karakoram.
-
-
A well crafted book
- By Girdle Traverse on 07-12-21
-
Everest the Cruel Way
- By: Joe Tasker
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On 30 January, 1981 Joe Tasker and Ade Burgess stood at 24,000 feet on the west ridge of Mount Everest. Below them were their companions, some exhausted, some crippled by illness, all virtually incapacitated. Further progress seemed impossible. Everest the Cruel Way is Joe Tasker's story of an attempt to climb the highest mountain on earth - an attempt which pushed a group of Britain's finest mountaineers to their limits. The goal had been to climb Mount Everest at its hardest: via the infamous west ridge, without supplementary oxygen and in winter.
-
-
People Will Climb Mountains
- By SocialGoose on 28-09-19
-
Home Is Forward
- Hiking and Travel Adventures from Around the World
- By: Gary Sizer
- Narrated by: Gary Sizer
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wanted to visit Machu Picchu, or witness the Northern Lights? To explore remote landscapes where no boot has tread, no shutter ever snapped? You can.... Before he became Green Giant on the Appalachian Trail, Gary Sizer was a Marine, a computer nerd, and a guy with a problem. No matter how much time he spends outside, it's never enough. Whether being thrashed by drill instructors at Parris Island or drenched by a squall in a high tundra, the same calming thought always prevailed: It's good to be outside.
-
Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest
- A Hill Walker's Journey to the Top of the World
- By: Mark Horrell
- Narrated by: Philip Battley
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As he teetered on a narrow rock ledge, a yak's bellow short of the stratosphere, with a rubber mask strapped to his face, a pair of mittens the size of a sea lion's flippers, and a drop of two kilometres below him, it's fair to say Mark Horrell wasn't entirely happy with the situation he found himself in. He had been an ordinary hiker who had only read books about mountaineering. When he signed up for an organized trek in Nepal with a group of elderly ladies, little did he know that ten years later he would be attempting to climb the world's highest mountain.
-
-
Funny and educational
- By Anonymous User on 15-07-21
-
The Chase Baker Trilogy
- A Chase Baker Thriller
- By: Vincent Zandri
- Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chase Baker is a true Renaissance man. He’s also a man who knows how to find trouble. A part-time resident of Florence, Italy, his resume reads like a modern day Da Vinci or Casanova. Writer, private investigator, tour guide, historian, treasure hunter, adventurer, and even archaeological sandhog, Chase is also a prolific lover. Unfortunately for him, his dangerous liaisons all too often make him the target of a jealous husband.
-
-
Bam bam bam
- By Candice K Hardcastle on 05-03-23
Summary
With heart-pounding descriptions of avalanches and treacherous ascents, Barry Blanchard chronicles his transformation from a poor Native American/white kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world. At 13 he learned to rappel when he joined the 1292 Lord Strathcone's Horse Army Cadets. Soon kicked out for insubordination, he was already hooked on climbing and saw alpinism as a way to make his single mother proud and end his family's cycle of poverty. He describes early climbs attempted with nothing to guide him but written trail descriptions and the cajones of youth. He slowly acquired the skills, equipment and partners necessary to tackle more and more difficult climbs, farther and farther afield: throughout the Canadian Rockies, into Alaska and the French Alps and on to Everest, Peru, and the challenging mountains in Pakistan. From each he learned lessons that only nature and extreme endeavor can teach. This is the story of the culture of climbing in the days of punk rock, spurred on by the rhythm of adrenaline and the arrogance of youth. It is also a portrait of the power of the mountains to lift us.
What listeners say about The Calling
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 11-10-22
Enthralling
I am sad that I have finished this audiobook! One of the only books I think I have preferred listening to, rather than reading first hand.
Barry Blanchard tells his story so well. Full of gripping tales that are so vividly described, you could be there on the wall with Barry and his pals.
The book is also powerful and moving in the way it describes the lifelong friendships and bonds built with his fellow climbers.
10/10, could not recommend this book enough.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- kb
- 25-04-19
an aplinist's adeventure
This audio book ruled, and it makes it so much better Barry is the one telling the story. I could see how someone might be turned away if they weren't into climbing. Honestly you probably like some form of climbing if you got this book in the first place. In that case it is a great book! I highly recommend this audio book!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Casey L. Stroud
- 17-04-19
stories of a man in the mountains rocked with love
barry is an eloquent storyteller. his writing seeps with passion and his humanity.
the fact that he narrated it is icing to the cake
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tyler
- 06-02-19
Inspirational.
Very happy that Barry narrated his story. It feels like he's sitting beside you tellng his amazing story.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Brenden horn
- 06-06-18
Wow... Get this book
I loved this book so much and when I find myself on long drives or hikes I’m might dive back into the world of Barry Blanchard and his extraordinary detail and imagery.
RECOMMEND HIGHLY
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 31-05-23
Absolute top notch book
Captivating book only made better by being read by the author. What a fantastic listen and amazing life. Barry seems so incredibly humble and of course well accomplished. I wish I could find climbing partners like Barry.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Katherine C.
- 22-04-23
So good
I loved that the author read his own work. A must read for anyone who appreciates mountaineering literature.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Faissal
- 22-12-22
Great chronicling of the author's journey
I liked how the author chronicled his physical journey, and dropped nuggets from forays into his mental/head space.
It's sobering, rather than being too upbeat, and it fulfilled my wanting a book that takes me on a journey, and makes me think.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Juan
- 13-12-22
Compelling story
Great story for those who understand that a life is better when we live our passions. Barry Blanchard's narration brings the book to life and brings you closer to the events and the people in the book .
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Roxie in Dallas
- 03-12-22
armchair adventure with compulsive clinber
typically I love hearing authors voice reading own words but his gratuitous cursing pulled down one notch. mostly fascinating
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Spencer W Moore
- 03-08-22
Author reading his work makes this 100%
Barry Blanchard reads the text himself, with full on Calgary accent and Rockies slang, you get to hear the fear of God as he curses just as you would expect when taking a massive alpine whip on a sketchy piton. Heartfelt and full of dope history, and good book recommendations.