Book Review: One Day As A Tiger: Alex MacIntyre and the Birth Of Light And Fast Alpinism by John Porter
Alex MacIntyre (1954-1982) was a British mountaineer who helped to pioneer the concept of alpine style. By going fast and light, MacIntrye became “known internationally for his audacious ascents in the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalaya.” MacIntyre’s style helped shaped the way people climb mountains in modern times.
One Day As A Tiger: Alex MacIntyre and the Birth Of Light And Fast Alpinism is the story of Alex MacIntrye as seen from the eyes of his friend and climbing partner, John Porter. This powerful biography shines the spotlight on a truly inspirational mountaineer pushed the limits of what was possible with the “concept of “alpine style”: facing an unknown challenge and climbing it from bottom to top and back in one push, with only what you carry to keep you alive.”
Discover More Mountain Book Reviews
MacIntyre saw the mountains differently than most people and the result was an impressive climbing resume. His “brilliant climbing career spanned barely a decade, from early 1972 until the autumn of 1982.” During this time, MacIntyre put up new alpine style routes on peaks like Dhaulagiri, Changabang, and others.
In the eyes of Alex MacIntrye, “by going light, your speed increased and thus reduced your exposure to danger. It was a simple theory; in speed lay safety. But the desire to make first ascents of great unclimbed routes on the highest peaks was an ambition fraught with exposure of incalculable dangers.” His theory proved true and ultimately shaped the way that most mountaineers approach the mountains today.
Unfortunately, in the Autumn of 1982, Alex MacIntyre met his untimely demise when he was struck by rockfall while attempting a new route on the South Face of Annapurna. Now there is a “memorial stone for Alex at Annapurna base camp with an inscription that reads: “Better to live one day as a tiger than to live for a thousand years as a sheep.”
One Day As A Tiger by John Porter is an award-winning book that every mountain enthusiast should read. Not only did it win the Grand Prize at the 2014 Banff Mountain Book Festival, but it was also shortlisted for both the 2015 Boardman Tasker Prize and the 2015 Cross British Sports Book Awards.
If you’re fascinated by the history of mountaineering, read One Day As A Tiger by John Porter. You won’t be disappointed.
Learn more about One Day As A Tiger in this video with author John Porter:
See Also:
