Some people are born to climb mountains

Phil Gribbon is one of those people. He has a hugely impressive CV; he has over 100 first alpine ascents of mountains in the Arctic, has led expeditions in Greenland, America and Canada; has written for various illustrious publications and was awarded the Polar medal. Somehow he also had time to be a physics professor.

This book is a series of essays of his recollection of climbs and expeditions that he undertook over a number of years. Some of the essays are several pages long and others are just over a page. There are photos in the centre of the book and they have included sketches made by Gribbon throughout the book.

I thought that this was an interesting book. There are moments of exhilaration and awe that he feels as he makes his climbs. But these expeditions can be dangerous and he writes about a couple of tragic events – a reminder that however prepared and experienced that you are, it may not be enough.

His prose is crisp and he writes in a matter-of-fact style, as well as a bone-dry humour and a very healthy respect for the place that he is climbing. If you are looking for a book that is full of superlatives and eloquent prose about the mountains, then this might not be the book for you. Instead, it is recollections of memorable climbs that he has undertaken all over the world.

It is only a small thing, but I wasn’t keen on having the synopsis and who’s who at the beginning of the book in two different sections, I personally would have preferred the intro and context at the beginning of each essay. flipping back and forwards to see who was with him in each was a little tiresome.

That aside, if you have a love of mountains then this should be on your reading list.

I love books about nature and the outdoors. When I came across Wild Wanderings, the title was so intriguing and made me want to read it. I liked a lot the writing of Phil Gribbon in this book, I love the humour he uses. In this book, we explore 34 moments of life of Phil and, as a climber, I loved this reading.

Admittedly, anything more strenuous than a leisurely walk in the countryside on a summer’s day gets a bit too much for me to think about. However, I ended up enjoying this collection of musings and stories a lot more than I thought I was going to when I first started it.

Gribbon writes in an accessible and conversational manner with a great deal of humour, so it’s easy for even someone who usually might not have a strong interest in walking and climbing books to get something out of it.

The man has seen a lot in his seventy years in mountaineering, from everything to animal rescue to the sad discovery of other lost climbers. Oddly enough, I found his tale relating to the loss of his beloved ‘sticka’ (a fallen branch fashioned into a walking stick that he used for over twenty years) to be one of the most moving moments of the book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Luath Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.