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Savage Arena

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Savage Arena

By: Joe Tasker
Narrated by: Stewart Crank
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About this listen

Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges.

The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains. A superb writer, he vividly describes the first British winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang - considered a "preposterous" plan by the climbing world - and his two unsuccessful attempts on K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.

Savage Arena is both moving and exciting, an inspirational tale of the adventuring spirit which follows its own path, endlessly seeking new challenges, climbs and difficulties to overcome. It is not reaching the summit which counts, it is the journey to it. It is also a story of the stresses and strains of living for long periods in constant anxiety, often with only one other person, and of the close and vital human relationships which spring from those circumstances.

©1982 The Estate of Joe Tasker (P)2019 Vertebrate Publishing Adventure Travel Climbing & Mountaineering Earth Sciences Outdoors & Nature Science Adventure Sports
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Took a little getting used to the ‘Tinny’ sound quality- this isn’t a big-budget production I would guess, but you quickly get used to it and the narrator makes for a convincing Joe.

A wonderful ‘read’

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i discovered joes name on youtube climbing doc on everest seen him name on a memorial glad i tracked brilliant listen

wow 👏 what a book great listen

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Loved it, most of it, and due to much of the personal analysing, got to know what makes climbers tick

Gripping

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Incredible tales from a special group of mountaineers. Their sense of adventure really comes through.
RIP

Fantastic story

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I liked the reading of the book. The reader is very good. However, his pronunciation of Germanic place names in Switzerland , such as Wengen and Lauterbrunnen, is dodgy. I didn't like his French accent much either. Otherwise well read.
A really good book for anyone interested in mountaineering.

Very good book.

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