Our Top 5 Adventure Reads

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
This account of the 1996 disaster on Mt Everest by journalist and climber Jon Krakauer is totally and inspiringly gripping. Krakauer was on the mountain when 12 people died in a single night, and his firsthand account is beautifully written.

Seven years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
Don't base your opinion on the Brad Pitt film version, the book is an incredible read about climber Heinrich Harrer, who escaped from Europe during the second world war and spent seven years exploring Tibet before many Westerners had even heard of it.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Another true mountaineering adventure, this time in the middle of the Peruvian Andes. Two young climbers find themselves stuck on the side of a 6,344-metre high peak as a storm brews. A few days later, only one arrives back in base camp.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
Made into an acclaimed movie (127 Hours, 2010) this book is about a canyoneer who gets trapped in an isolated part of Utah. How he escapes will keep you turning pages until you finish the book.

Mud, Sweat, and Tears by Bear Grylls
The autobiography of the legend that is Bear Grylls. Follow him through his British Special Forces training, his horrific free-fall accident which left him nearly unable to walk and his climb of Mt Everest. And that’s all before he was 23 years old!