An inspiring story of adventure and endurance in a quest to rediscover the passions of youth.
At the end of 2019, Tom French retired from a four-decade career in business, determined to return to interests that had defined his youth and see what meaning they still held. One of these interests was mountaineering. Another was adventure travel, with a particular focus on Nepal. A third was cross-country ski racing. Having taken "gap years" between school and university, and again before he started work, he decided to take a gap year before settling into the expectations of retirement. One year turned into three as he rebuilt his athletic strength, competed in cross-country ski marathons, and climbed some of the world's highest mountains, including two expeditions to Mount Everest. On the first Everest climb, a cyclone forced him to turn around high on the mountain and descend the treacherous Lhotse Face in a blizzard. On the second, he approached the mountain through the remote Makalu Barun region, the first climber ever to do so, and climbed to the summit on a moonlit night.
But this is a book about much more than Everest. It is about beauty and joy found in wild places, about cross-country ski racing and mountaineering more broadly, and—most of all—about a journey to find meaning in life and reconnect with the passions of youth.
- 264 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Information
Print ISBN
9781684583027
Subtopic
Historical BiographiesTable of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Prologue
- 1. Mountain Dreams
- 2. In and Out of the Flow
- 3. Life and Retirement Planning
- 4. Aconcagua
- 5. Back to Skiing
- 6. The Gyro of the Universe
- 7. Approaching Everest
- 8. Base Camp
- 9. The First and Second Rotations
- 10. Pushing for the Summit
- 11. Deciding to Return
- 12. Cotopaxi
- 13. Winter Preparations
- 14. The Makalu Barun
- 15. Back on the Mountain
- 16. Climbing Toward My Dream
- 17. Aftermath
- 18. Cholatse
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
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Yes, you can access The Gap Years by Tom French in PDF and/or ePUB format. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.