Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153277 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Synopsis
This autobiography offers a glimpse into the mind of Tom Patey, a man whose contributed greatly to modern climbing. He was killed in May 1970, abseiling from a sea stack off the north coast of Scotland. He was 38. People outside the climbing world knew of him as the only man who launched himself into space during the televised climb of the Old Man of Hoy. Inside the climbing fraternity everyone knew of him. It was when studying medicine at Aberdeen University that Tom first showed his talent as an extraordinary climber and started his long series of epic first ascents. He also took part in the four-man 1956 British expedition to climb the 28,800-foot Mustagh Tower, a mountain that many people regarded as unclimbable; they conquered it - Tom, John Hartog, Ian McNaught-Davies and the legendary Manchester plumber Joe Brown.

Customer Reviews

A Short walk with patey
I came to read this book through a recommendation from my dad, an what a joy it turned out to be. As a young aspiring climber you want to try and learn all you can about the sport, and nothing can explain this than Patey's descriptions of climbing equipment and technique. This book has you laughing and inspired from the first page, "A short walk with Whillians" being one of the best. Two of the most well know climbers of the 60's walking to gether, a real insight of them both. A genuine book that can only be matched for wit by Muriel Gray's "The first fifty"

Gloriously warm-hearted and funny
Although I knew of Tom Patey's mountaineering reputation, I wasn't expecting to find that he was equally talented as a writer. It was the perfect book to take on a week's camping to the Highlands - a fabulous selection of climbing vignettes, with fondly painted portraits of many well-known names from the climbing scene. The characters are more than 3-dimensional - I've learnt more about people like Don Whillans and Chris Bonington than I would have from their own publications, I think.

The climbing accounts are honest and well-observed, but tales of this ilk can start to merge into one after a while. Not so here - the latter part of the book shines with Patey's satirical writing and bothy ballads. His wry observations on being glamourised as part of the BBC's outside broadcasts on climbing are marvellous. He identifies and slyly pokes fun at many mountaineering stereotypes without being harsh or viscious.

It's worth buying the book for the gem of a letter from a public school teacher to Hamish McInnes (p224), whose attitude towards his pupils' safety is an astounding contrast to today's risk-averse culture.

The Funniest Book I've ever read about Climbing
Patey spares no one in this satirical collection of essays articles and songs whether they're Military trained expedition leaders, well 'ard northern lads or mountain rescue supremos.

It is is love of the mountains and the people that climb in them that really shines through though.

It's a pity he's not still here to puncture some of the inflated egos in todays climbing scene.