2005.'Preposterous Tales' captures an energy charged tour of the globe by two of Britain's best known and most colourful climbers. Having honed their rock and ice skills on home turf, Neil Gresham and Tim Emmett set out on a crusade which landed them in scrapes in such unlikely destinations as Mongolia, Cuba, Brazil, Quebec and Vietnam. This is an inspiring and uninhibited celebration of climbing at its most diverse.
A vibrant, action packed photo-diary which follows Neil Gresham and Tim Emmett on their climbing travels throughout the world. It starts by giving an insight into their friendship and climbing partnership, and then goes on to show some of their hardest ascents at home, first on gritstone and then on the sea cliffs. It pays particular attention to ‘deep water soloing’ which is one of the exciting new styles that Neil and Tim have helped to develop. The tour then starts in earnest, by leapfrogging from rock to ice destination. Rather than sticking to the popular spots on the climbing World map, Neil and Tim have always sought their own adventure in unorthodox destinations.
First it’s trad climbing in Brazil with Seb Grieve, then remote ice in Canada with Mark Garthwaite. Next it’s the incredible new deep water soloing venue in Majorca, followed by crack climbing in the barren wastelands of Mongolia. Ice in Quebec is then followed by crazy limestone formations in Cuba, and more ice in France and Switzerland. This is followed by more deep water soloing in Thailand and the beautiful un-spoilt waters of Vietnam. The final chapters show Neil and Tim competing in the Ice World Cup and their thirst for ‘additional stimulation’ in the form BASE jumping, snowboarding and slacklining.
