On Thin Ice

First published at the height of a remarkable era in British alpinism, On Thin Ice, Mick Fowler’s second volume of climbing memoirs, is a vivid, wry and gripping account of life on the world’s steepest, coldest faces. Following on from Vertical Pleasure, On Thin Ice charts a decade of audacious expeditions undertaken alongside the demands of work and family. From Taweche and Changabang to Arwa Tower, Mount Kennedy and Siguniang, Mick and his partners – including Pat Littlejohn, Andy Cave and Steve Sustad – pursue elegant, uncompromising lines in remote ranges, travelling light and accepting uncertainty as part of the game. The climbs are described with characteristic modesty and dry humour, yet the danger is never far away: hard ice, savage weather, exhaustion and the long, fragile business of getting down. At the heart of the book is the 2002 ascent of Siguniang with Paul Ramsden, a dazzling achievement that earned both a Golden Piton and the Piolet d’Or, the Oscars of the mountaineering world. But On Thin Ice is more than a record of prizes or summits. It is a portrait of judgement under pressure, partnership in extremis and the stubborn pull of adventure. Compelling, humane and often very funny, this is mountaineering writing at its finest – and an enduring testament to one of Britain’s greatest alpinists of modern times.