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Joe Simpson, with just his partner Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000 foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm in a delirium. Far from causing Joe's death, Simon had paradoxically saved his friend's life. What happened, and how they dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.
Joe Simpson (Author), Andrew Wincott, Daniel Weyman (Narrator)
Audiobook
Based on fifteen years of research, Glock is the riveting story of the weapon that has become known as American's gun. Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time. Law enforcement agencies had concluded that their agents and officers, armed with standard six-round revolvers, were getting "outgunned" by drug dealers with semi-automatic pistols. They needed a new gun. When Karl Water, a firearm salesman based in the U.S. first saw a Glock in 1984, his reaction was, "Jeez, that's ugly." But the advantages of the pistol soon became apparent. The standard semi-automatic Glock could fire as many as 17 bullets from its magazine without reloading (one equipped with an extended thirty-three cartridge magazine was used in Tucson to shoot Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others). It was built with only 36 parts that were interchangeable with those of other models. You could drop it underwater, toss it from a helicopter, or leave it out in the snow, and it would still fire. It was reliable, accurate, lightweight, and cheaper to produce than Smith and Wesson's revolver. Made in part of hardened plastic, it was even rumored (incorrectly) to be invisible to airport security screening. Filled with corporate intrigue, political maneuvering, Hollywood glitz, bloody shoot-outs—and an attempt on Gaston Glock's life by a former lieutenant—Glock is at once the inside account of how Glock the company went about marketing its pistol to police agencies and later the public, as well as a compelling chronicle of the evolution of gun culture in America.
Paul M. Barrett (Author), Kiff VandenHeuvel (Narrator)
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The bestselling author of No Shortcuts to the Top and K2 chronicles his three attempts to climb the world's tenth-highest and statistically deadliest peak, Annapurna in the Himalaya, while exploring the dramatic and tragic history of others who have made -- or attempted - the ascent, and what these exploits teach us about facing life's greatest challenges. As a high school student in the flatlands of Rockford, Illinois, where the highest objects on the horizon were water towers, Ed Viesturs read and was captivated by the French climber Maurice Herzog's famous and grisly account of the first ascent of Annapurna in 1950. When he began his own campaign to climb the world's 14 highest peaks in the late 1980s, Viesturs looked forward with trepidation to undertaking Annapurna himself. Two failures to summit in 2000 and 2002 made Annapurna his nemesis. His successful 2005 ascent was the triumphant capstone of his climbing quest. In The Will To Climb Viesturs brings the extraordinary challenges of Annapurna to vivid life through edge-of-your-seat accounts of the greatest climbs in the mountain's history, and of his own failed attempts and eventual success. In the process he ponders what Annapurna reveals about some of our most fundamental moral and spiritual questions--questions, he believe, that we need to answer to lead our lives well. 'Of all fourteen of the world's highest mountains, which I climbed between 1989 and 2005,' writes Viesturs, 'the one that came the closest to defeating my best efforts was Annapurna. Although it was the first 8,000-meter peak to be climbed, Annapurna is not as well known as the world's highest mountain, Everest, or second highest, K2. But as Viesturs argues, Annapurna, while not technically the most difficult of the 8,000ers, is the most daunting because it has no route--no ridge or face on any side of the mountain--that is relatively free of what climbers call 'objective danger' the threat of avalanches, above all, but also of collapsing seracs (huge ice blocks), falling rocks, and crevasses. Since its first ascent in 1950, Annapurna has been climbed by more than 130 people, but 53 have died trying. This high fatality rate makes Annapurna the most dangerous of the 8,000-meter peaks. Viesturs and co-author David Roberts chronicle Ed's three attempts to climb Annapurna, as well as the attempts of others, from the two French climbers who made the landmark first ascent of Annapurna on June 3, 1950, through the daring and tragic campaigns of such world-class mountaineers as Reinhold Messner and Anatoli Boukreev. Viesturs's accounts and analyses of these extraordinary adventures serve as a point of departure for his exploration of themes vividly illustrated by Annapurna expeditions, including obsession and commitment, fear and fulfillment, failure and triumph--issues that have been neglected in the otherwise very rich literature of mountaineering, and that can inform the lives and actions of everyone. From the Hardcover edition.
David Roberts, Ed Viesturs (Author), David Roberts, Fred Sanders (Narrator)
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Mike Parker, bestselling author of Map Addict, is back with a very full, intelligent and witty exploration into a glorious and passionate British subject - footpaths and the history of land ownership.Mike discovers how these paths have become part of our cultural landscape and why, at the tender age of 44, he suddenly finds himself at a crossroads.Provocative, funny and personal, this book celebrates Britain's unique and extraordinary network of footpaths. It examines their chequered and surprisingly turbulent history, from the Enclosures Acts of the eighteenth century to the 1932 Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in Derbyshire; and from the hard-won post-war establishment of great National Trails like the Pennine Way to the dramatic latter-day battles by the likes of Nicholas van Hoogstraten and Madonna to keep ramblers off their land.The story ranges far and wide, to all corners of the country and beyond, and is filled with the many characters that Mike engages with along the way - the poets and artists, farmers and ramblers, landowners and Rights of Way officers and campaigners, historians, archivists and anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it).
Mike Parker (Author), Mike Parker (Narrator)
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River Monsters: True Stories of the Ones That Didn't Get Away
Biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade is well known for his extremely popular River Monsters program, the most successful show in Animal Planet history. Whether he's tracking fearsome monsters like the goliath tiger fish or gargantuan brutes like the freshwater stingray, Wade sifts through the mythology surrounding these creatures to separate fact from fiction. What emerges are true stories to rival even the most exhilarating mysteries.
Jeremy Wade (Author), Jeremy Wade (Narrator)
Audiobook
In 1968, the Sunday Times organised the Golden Globe race - an incredible test of endurance never before attempted - a round the world yacht race that must be completed single-handed and non-stop, going into port for repairs or supplies would mean disqualification. This remarkable challenge inspired the daring to enter - with or without sailing experience. A Race Too Far is the story of how the race unfolded, and how it became a tragedy for many involved. Of the nine sailors who started the race, four realised the madness of the undertaking and pulled out within weeks. The remaining five each have their own remarkable story. Chay Blyth, fresh from rowing the Atlantic with John Ridgway, had no sailing experience but managed to sail round the Cape of Good Hope before retiring. Nigel Tetley sank whilst in the lead with 1,100 nautical miles to go, surviving but dying in tragic circumstances two years later. Donald Crowhurst began showing signs of mental illness and tried to fake a round the world voyage. His boat was discovered adrift in an apparent suicide, but his body was never found. Bernard Moitessier abandoned the race whilst in a strong position and carried on to Tahiti, where he settled and fathered a child by a local woman despite having a wife and family in Paris. Robin Knox-Johnston was the only one to complete the race. It has undoubtedly become the most legendary of modern stories of men pitting themselves against the sea. Forty years on, Chris Eakin recreates the drama of the epic race, talking to all those touched by the tragedies surrounding the Golden Globe: the survivors, the widows and the children of those who died. It is a book that both evokes the primary wonder of the adventure itself and reflects on what it has come to mean to both those involved and the rest of us in the forty years since.
Chris Eakin (Author), Christian Rodska (Narrator)
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Two Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea
In 1834, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., went from Harvard student to common seaman, sailing from California to Cape Horn. This journal survives as one of the most vivid accounts of the relationship between man and sea---and still rings true as a portrayal of man's endurance.
Jr. Richard Henry Dana, Richard Henry Dana, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (Author), Kirby Heyborne (Narrator)
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127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Movie Tie-In
THE "EXTRAORDINARY" (Booklist) #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER-THE "HARROWING" (The Washington Post) SURVIVOR'S MEMOIR YOU WILL NEVER FORGET Aron Ralston, an experienced twenty-seven-year-old outdoorsman, was on a day's solitary hike through a remote and narrow Utah canyon when he dislodged an eight-hundred- pound boulder that crushed his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. Emerging from the searing pain, Aron found himself completely stuck. No one knew where he was; no one was coming to rescue him. With scant water and food, and a cheap pocketknife his only tool, he eliminated his options one by one. On the fifth night, wracked by delirium and uncontrollable shivers, Aron scratched his epitaph into the rock wall, certain he would not see daylight. Yet with the new morning came an epiphany: if he could use the rock's vise-like hold to break his arm bones, his blunted pocketknife could serve as a surgeon's blade.
Aron Ralston (Author), Aron Ralston (Narrator)
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NPR Sound Treks: Adventures: Breathtaking Stories from Nature's Extremes
Experience a refreshing adrenaline rush on this NPR guided tour of the ultimate in outdoor fun: Whether whitewater rafting on the Hudson River, mountain climbing in the Himalayas, kayaking in Alaska, airboarding in Oregon’s Cascade mountains, or bungee jumping in Australia, each story is an amazing sound adventure—and a great escape. The NPR Sound Treks series features outstanding audio documentaries, stories, and commentary from the NPR archives. Each volume features sounds from nature, insights from experts and others who love the outdoor experience (naturalists, zoologists, biologists, adventurers, even a cowgirl), and vivid storytelling that captures the excitement of the wilderness. Contents: Introduction by Jon Hamilton Racing for Adventure in Borneo The Unger Report: Indoor Skydiving Leaping Down Under Sliders: Racing Down Berkeley’s Steep Hills Braving the Badwater Ultramarathon Air Boarding: Surfing the Slopes, Belly-First Whitewater Rafting on New York’s Hudson River Rock Climber Chris Sharma Chases Next “King Line” Kayaking in Alaska Climbing Blind in the Himalayas
NPR (Author), Jon Hamilton (Narrator)
Audiobook
A thrilling chronicle of the tragedy-ridden history of climbing K2, the world's most difficult and unpredictable mountain, by the bestselling authors of No Shortcuts to the Top At 28,251 feet, the world's second-tallest mountain, K2 thrusts skyward out of the Karakoram Range of northern Pakistan. Climbers regard it as the ultimate achievement in mountaineering, with good reason. Four times as deadly as Everest, K2 has claimed the lives of seventy-seven climbers since 1954. In August 2008 eleven climbers died in a single thirty-six-hour period on K2-the worst single-event tragedy in the mountain's history and the second-worst in the long chronicle of mountaineering in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. Yet summiting K2 remains a cherished goal for climbers from all over the globe. Before he faced the challenge of K2 himself, Ed Viesturs, one of the world's premier high-altitude mountaineers, thought of it as 'the holy grail of mountaineering.' In K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain, Viesturs explores the remarkable history of the mountain and of those who have attempted to conquer it. At the same time he probes K2's most memorable sagas in an attempt to illustrate the lessons learned by confronting the fundamental questions raised by mountaineering-questions of risk, ambition, loyalty to one's teammates, self-sacrifice, and the price of glory. Viesturs knows the mountain firsthand. He and renowned alpinist Scott Fischer climbed it in 1992 and were nearly killed in an avalanche that sent them sliding to almost certain death. Fortunately, Ed managed to get into a self-arrest position with his ice ax and stop both his fall and Scott' s. Focusing on seven of the mountain's most dramatic campaigns, from his own troubled ascent to the 2008 tragedy, Viesturs and Roberts crafts an edge-of-your-seat narrative that climbers and armchair travelers alike will find unforgettably compelling. With photographs from Viesturs's personal collection and from historical sources, this is the definitive account of the world's ultimate mountain, and of the lessons that can be gleaned from struggling toward its elusive summit. From the Hardcover edition.
David Roberts, Ed Viesturs (Author), Fred Sanders (Narrator)
Audiobook
Set against the backdrop of the first world's fair in London, America's Victory takes listeners into a world rich in adventure and history in an unforgettable story of skill, daring, and honor at the heart of our national identity.In 1850, a brilliant young boat designer and an unlikely team of humble, hard working men faced the might and arrogance of the British empire in a yacht race for The Great Exhibition in England. Revolutionary in design and strikingly beautiful, the schooner America set sail against the world's greatest maritime nation.This is an account of an amazing feat accomplished long ago at the turning point in the growth of a young nation's confidence, but it is also the story of a victory of the American spirit that bravely lives on today.
David W. Shaw (Author), Patrick Cullen (Narrator)
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Segeln: Kleine Philosophie der Passionen
Das Hörbuch erzählt von blonden Heldenskippern, Regatta-Rächern, segelnden Aussteigern, Hundewachen und perfekt gemixten Anlege-Drinks. Für alle die weder Wellen, Gischt, Mast- und Schotbruch fürchten. 'Der Körper bewegt sich im Rhythmus des Schiffes. Man beginnt eins zu werden mit dem Meer. Es wird dabei kräftig unterstützt vom Wind. Wenn die beiden nicht wollen, dann kann kein Mensch dagegen an. Wobei es durchaus Möglichkeiten gibt, Meer und Wind ein bisschen auszutricksen. Man nennt das Segeln.'
Karl Forster (Author), Norbert Langer (Narrator)
Audiobook
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