FREEDOM CLIMBERS 2011 Rare Hardcover First Edition SIGNED BY Bernadette McDonald WINNER of Three Awards: Grand Prize Banff Mountain Book Festival; Boardman Tasker Award (McDonald, Bernadette)

	Item #: BK2526-843 FREEDOM CLIMBERS 2011 Rare Hardcover First Edition SIGNED BY Bernadette McDonald WINNER of Three Awards: Grand Prize Banff Mountain Book Festival; Boardman Tasker Award By McDonald, Bernadette Price: $149.95 Add to wish list Click Here For Related Selections
Detailed Product Description
WINNER Grand Prize Banff Mountain Book Festival 2011 WINNER of the 2011 Boardman Tasker Prize SIGNED BY Bernadette McDonald Canada, 2011, 1st edition. 352 pp, photos. Renowned author Bernadette McDonald weaves a passionate and literary tale of adventure, politics, suffering, death and�ultimately�inspiration. Freedom Climbers tells the story of a group of extraordinary Polish adventurers who emerged from under the blanket of oppression following the Second World War to become the worlds leading Himalayan climbers. Although they lived in a dreary, war-ravaged landscape, with seemingly no hope of creating a meaningful life, these curious, motivated and skilled mountaineers created their own free-market economy under the very noses of their Communist bosses and climbed their way to liberation. At a time when Polish citizens were locked behind the Iron Curtain, these intrepid explorers found a way to travel the world in search of extreme adventure�to Alaska, South America and Europe, but mostly to the highest and most inspiring mountains of the world. To this end, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Nepal became their second homes as they evolved into the toughest group of Himalayan climbers the world has ever known. New hardcover with Dust Jacket. From the Boardman Tasker Award Speech in November 2011: 'Freedom Climbers by Bernadette McDonald we felt to be one of the most important mountaineering books to be written for many years. Freedom Climbers is the story of how Polish climbers emerged after the 2nd World War and the rigours of the Russian occupation to discover, and then dominate, high altitude climbing in the 1970s and 1980s. Bernadette McDonald draws upon her extensive interviews with climbers and their relations to paint a vivid picture of the stifling social, political and economic background faced by Polish climbing communities on their extraordinary journey from local outcrops and testing climbs in the Tatras to the highest, and most difficult climbs in the world. The author describes how this was achieved, not only by their toughness in the mountains, but also by how they turned the economic situation to their advantage by trading on their prestige value to the establishment and by creating a system within the system to allow them to travel outside their borders, experience new cultures and make a living from climbing that gave them what they valued most � freedom. The book touches upon many issues including the rise of Solidarity and a meeting with Pope John Paul but concentrates on the social backgrounds, domestic circumstances and climbing careers of five of the country�s most outstanding climbers. Though the book covers the extraordinary high altitude and Himalayan winter mountaineering achievements of Polish climbers, Bernadette McDonald concentrates on the personalities of the main activists. These are Wanda Rutkiewicz, Jerzy Kukuczka, Voytek Kurtyka, Andrzej Zawada and Krzysztof Wielicki. The author, in delving deep into the personality of Wanda Rutkiewicz, one of the world�s foremost female mountaineers, does not shy away from the sad and tragic elements of this driven woman�s life. Freedom Climbers is meticulously researched and, by bringing together the stories of some of the key players, fills an important gap in the history of Polish Mountaineering written in English and will be compulsive reading for anyone with an interest in mountaineering history.'
Other Items You Might Like
Similar Items Available Items From This Author Items From This Category AN AFTERCLAP OF FATE: MALLORY ON EVEREST Charles Lind 2006 Hardcover Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize Multiple Copies Available *By: Lind, Charles* Price $39.95 ~ Regular $50.00, You Save $10.05 (20%) *- Item # BK2167-8452* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ART OF FREEDOM: THE LIFE ANDS CLIMBS OF VOYTEK KURTYKA Bernadette McDonald 2017 New Hardcover Winner of 2017 Boardman/Tasker Award Multiple copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $39.95 *- Item # BK4849-8434* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ART OF FREEDOM: THE LIFE ANDS CLIMBS OF VOYTEK KURTYKA Bernadette McDonald 2017 New Paperback Winner of 2017 Boardman/Tasker Award. 2 copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $19.95 *- Item # BK4849B-8432* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES HOUSTON 2007 1st ed Hardcover w/DVD Like New SIGNED by Bernadette McDonald and Charles S. Houston 2 Copies Available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $195.00 ~ Regular $250.00, You Save $55.00 (22%) *- Item # BK2183C-8433* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart COLD WARS: CLIMBING THE FINE LINE BETWEEN RISK AND REALITY Andy Kirkpatrick 2011 1st ed Hardcover DJ Fine 2 Copies Available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: Kirkpatrick, Andy* Price $29.95 ~ Regular $40.00, You Save $10.05 (25%) *- Item # BK2551-8622* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BOARDMAN TASKER OMNIBUS [Savage Arena, Everest The Cruel Way, The Shining Mountain, Sacred Summits] 1996 Thick Hardcover No DJ Multiple copies available [Not signed] *By: Boardman, Peter and Joe Tasker* Price $9.95 ~ Regular $45.00, You Save $35.05 (78%) *- Item # BK153B-8442p* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BOARDMAN TASKER OMNIBUS [Savage Arena, Everest The Cruel Way, The Shining Mountain, Sacred Summits] 1996 Thick Hardcover with DJ Multiple copies available [Not signed] *By: Boardman, Peter and Joe Tasker* Price $29.95 ~ Regular $45.00, You Save $15.05 (33%) *- Item # BK153A-8447p* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES HOUSTON Bernadette McDonald 2007 1st ed Hardcover [Not Signed] Multiple copies available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $29.95 ~ Regular $39.95, You Save $10.00 (25%) *- Item # BK2183A-8433* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart AT THE RISING OF THE MOON Dermot Somers 1994 1st UK ed Softcover Fine 2 Copies Available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: Somers, Dermot* Price $45.00 *- Item # BK1466-8602* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart WINTER 8000 [Rare UK Hardcover]: CLIMBING THE WORLD'S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE COLDEST SEASON Bernadette McDonald 2020 1st UK edition Hardcover DJ New SIGNED & NUMBERED *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $150.00 *- Item # BK4237C-843* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES HOUSTON 2007 1st ed Hardcover w/DVD Like New SIGNED by Bernadette McDonald and Charles S. Houston 2 Copies Available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $195.00 ~ Regular $250.00, You Save $55.00 (22%) *- Item # BK2183C-8433* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart WINTER 8000: CLIMBING THE WORLD'S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE COLDEST SEASON Bernadette McDonald 2020 1st USA ed Tall Paperback New Multiple copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $14.99 ~ Regular $21.95, You Save $6.96 (32%) *- Item # BK4237A-8437* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart WINTER 8000 [Rare UK Hardcover]: CLIMBING THE WORLD'S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE COLDEST SEASON Bernadette McDonald 2020 1st UK edition Hardcover DJ New Multiple copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $44.95 ~ Regular $59.99, You Save $15.04 (25%) *- Item # BK4237B-8432* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ALPINE RISING: SHERPAS, BALTIS AND THE TRIUMPH OF LOCAL CLIMBERS IN THE GREATER RANGES 2024 1st ed Hc New SIGNED by Bernadette McDonald Multiple copies are available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $34.95 *- Item # BK4801-84315* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart WINTER 8000 [Rare UK Hardcover]: CLIMBING THE WORLD'S 14 HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE COLDEST SEASON Bernadette McDonald 2020 1st UK edition Hardcover DJ New SIGNED & NUMBERED *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $150.00 *- Item # BK4237C-843* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ART OF FREEDOM: THE LIFE ANDS CLIMBS OF VOYTEK KURTYKA Bernadette McDonald 2017 New Hardcover Winner of 2017 Boardman/Tasker Award Multiple copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $39.95 *- Item # BK4849-8434* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROPE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES HOUSTON Bernadette McDonald 2007 1st ed Hardcover [Not Signed] Multiple copies available Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $29.95 ~ Regular $39.95, You Save $10.00 (25%) *- Item # BK2183A-8433* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ART OF FREEDOM: THE LIFE ANDS CLIMBS OF VOYTEK KURTYKA Bernadette McDonald 2017 New Paperback Winner of 2017 Boardman/Tasker Award. 2 copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette* Price $19.95 *- Item # BK4849B-8432* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart VOICES FROM THE SUMMIT: THE WORLD'S GREAT MOUNTAINEERS ON THE FUTURE OF CLIMBING Bernadette McDonald, John Amatt 2000 1st ed Hardcover 2 copies available *By: McDonald, Bernadette and John Amatt* Price $9.99 ~ Regular $75.00, You Save $65.01 (87%) *- Item # BK28-8432p* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart ANNAPURNA SOUTH FACE UK Hardcover reprint Fine SIGNED by Chris Bonington and Tom Frost, *By: Bonington, Chris, Bonington, Chris, Bonington, Chris, Bonington, Chris* Price $75.00 ~ Regular $100.00, You Save $25.00 (25%) *- Item # OP17A-845* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart EDMUND HILLARY: A BIOGRAPHY Michael Gill 2019 1st UK ed Hardcover DJ Fine *By: Gill, Michael* Price $59.95 ~ Regular $75.00, You Save $15.05 (20%) *- Item # BK3777-843* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart HERO OF EVEREST TENZING: A BIOGRAPHY OF TENZING NORGAY Ed Douglas 2003 1st ed Hardcover DJ Fine Multiple copies available *By: Douglas, Ed* Price $19.99 ~ Regular $45.00, You Save $25.01 (56%) *- Item # BK1876-8485* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart GREAT EXPLORERS Roderic Owen 1995 Hardcover DJ Near Fine *By: Owen, Roderic* Price $15.00 ~ Regular $30.00, You Save $15.00 (50%) *- Item # PL8148-883p* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart THE THIRD POLE: MYSTERY, OBSESSION, AND DEATH ON MOUNTAIN EVEREST Mark Synnott 2021 1st ed New Hardcover 2 copies available *By: Synnott, Mark* Price $18.95 *- Item # BK4381-9472* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart THE MAN AND THE MOUNTAIN: SYDNEY LAURENCE'S MT. MCKINLEY Cyrus Peter Francisco 1990 1st ed Softcover Like New 2 copies available *By: Francisco, Cyrus Peter* Price $19.95 ~ Regular $40.00, You Save $20.05 (50%) *- Item # BK1848-8622* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart POLAR ATTACK, FROM CANADA TO THE NORTH POLE AND BACK Weber and Malakhov 1996 1st ed Hardcover Fine *By: Weber, Richard and Mikhail Malakhov* Price $5.00 ~ Regular $30.00, You Save $25.00 (83%) *- Item # PL222-883* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart HIGH AMBITION: A BIOGRAPHY OF REINHOLD MESSNER Ronald Faux 1982 1st ed Hardcover DJ Fine *By: Faux, Ronald* Price $55.00 ~ Regular $150.00, You Save $95.00 (63%) *- Item # OP304C-882* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart LIFE AND DEATH ON MOUNT EVEREST: SHERPAS AND HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINEERING Sherry Ortner 1999 1st ed Hardcover DJ Fine 2 Copies Available *By: Ortner, Sherry* Price $9.95 ~ Regular $30.00, You Save $20.05 (67%) *- Item # BK1140A-8542* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart K2 THE SAVAGE MOUNTAIN Charles Houston and Robert Bates 1994 Hardcover Near Fine-Fine *By: Houston, Charles and Robert Bates* Price $19.99 ~ Regular $150.00, You Save $130.01 (87%) *- Item # BK694A-881* View Details Add To Cart Adding... Added! Click To View Cart