The Calling Audiobook By Barry Blanchard cover art

The Calling

A Life Rocked by Mountains

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The Calling

By: Barry Blanchard
Narrated by: Barry Blanchard
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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.

©2014 Barry Blanchard (P)2017 Random House Audio Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Outdoors & Nature Sports Heartfelt Inspiring Alps
Authentic Narration • Captivating Climbing Stories • Honest Personal Reflections • Vivid Imagery • Humorous Moments
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would. Anyone interested in adventure/alpinism books will love The Calling by Barry Blanchard.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Barry Blanchard. Since the story is told by Barry he was the most relatable character to me (insights into his feelings during expeditions, uncertainties in life, etc)/

What does Barry Blanchard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Candidness, Barry's background story, upbringing, and path into Alpinism.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed out loud many times during the book.

Great. entertaining, and honest

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I have listened to a lot of books on climbing but this one was definitely my favorite. Honest, good descriptions on the climbing. I felt like I was right there with Blance kicking the steps in the snow. The book is really funny too. At times I was laughing with tears in my eyes. Also I must say that the narration is spot on.

A really good read

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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

Wow... Get this book

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typically I love hearing authors voice reading own words but his gratuitous cursing pulled down one notch. mostly fascinating

armchair adventure with compulsive clinber

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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.

Great chronicling of the author's journey

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Phenomenal. gripping and inspiring book! It will make any adventurer long to be in the mountains!

Phenomenal. gripping and inspiring book!

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Quite simply, you must read-- or even better-- listen to Barry Blanchard read this book! Mr. Blanchard cites the immense impact that classic mountaineering literature had on his life. His very honest and very personal story deserves a place in that same classic canon--as acknowledged by his winning of the Boardman Tasker Prize in 2015. If you have the good fortune to be both an avid reader and a climber, this book will entertain and touch you personally. Thank you very much Barry Blanchard!

Fine Climbing Literature!

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I loved that the author read his own work. A must read for anyone who appreciates mountaineering literature.

So good

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This is a very long audiobook. If you're not an outdoors person or climber it may have too much technical detail. But if you like those details you're in for a nice long treat. Blanchard narrates the book himself, for which I say "Thanks Barry!" He doesn't have the professional narrator's polish (which I find can be too impersonal) but he's clear, expressive, and it's just cool to hear him tell his own stories. The stories cover highlights from a lifetime of climbing, starting when he was a teenager with virtually no gear and no money. (Actually, starting from when he was a kid and a stranger read to him from The White Spider on a bus ride.) Throughout the book his focus is on his awe and fascination of mountains and climbing, and of other climbers. There is so little ego in the story that I had to remind myself that HE is someone other climbers are in awe of. He tells about the failures, the fear, the times when he wanted to -- or did -- turn back, as well as the stunning achievements and times when he reached deep and forged on, sometimes only at the urging of a climbing partner, to whom he always gives lots of credit. His descriptions of his partners are also very entertaining, and they become fully realized characters in the stories. Some of the climbs he describes are so under-hyped that it was only when I looked up media accounts of them that I realized what a BFD they were. The chapters are laid out so that it's easy to just settle in for a nice 30-60 min stretch of "storytime with Barry." The only thing that would be better would be to hear them live around a campfire.

Awesome storytelling from a climbing legend

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I fell in love with his writing from an article he wrote for Alpinist several years ago and wanted more. This book won’t disappoint. He taps into something deeper than just climbing

Barry is the man

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