The Mountain Path

'The Mountain Path is a beautiful, thoughtful work that affirms Pritchard's place as one of our most insightful, and courageous, mountain voices. A perfect follow-up to his explorations of the reasons we climb (Deep Play) and their sometimes-tragic consequences (The Totem Pole), The Mountain Path expertly navigates the even more complex terrain of the spiritual value of a mountain life, through the eyes of a very wise guide.'

GEOFF POWTER - PSYCHOLOGIST, WRITER AND CLIMBER

'Unable to kill himself, quite, we now have Paul's books to read. This one has some vintage detail. We hear about the school spitting champion, about the oval things that come from chickens but also about the most diffuse Pritchard: the 'one' that experiences. Out of a soup of pain and fears, a person clear about what really matters has surfaced. Paul liked to say: 'urrgghh ... death's my constant companion'. Introduced to the marrow of his experiences so very well, here we get to feel first-hand just how close to us that companion is. The truth of life for Paul laid bare.'

JOHNNY DAWES - CLIMBING VISIONARY

'In Deep Play, Paul probed into the heads of the misfits among us who tackle big, hard, risky climbs. A subsequent near-death accident on the Totem Pole nearly ended his active life, but he re-invented himself and kept on adventuring. As his new book shows, he's still deep in thought about the play of risk in life, but moreover, it shows an indomitable spirit.'

GREG CHILD - CLIMBER AND AUTHOR

'Poetic, gritty and at times funny to the point of agony (literally), Paul Pritchard has not only offered up an absorbing life story of adventure, tragedy and philosophical reflection, but a prism through which generations of readers to come will be profoundly touched.'

TIM COPE - AUTHOR OF ON THE TRAIL OF GENGHIS KHAN