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Tomaz Humar
Tomaz Humar
Oct 2, 2024 8:34 AM

Author:Bernadette McDonald

Tomaz Humar

In August, 2005, Tomaž Humar was trapped on a narrow ledge at 5900 metres on the formidable Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat. He had been attempting a new route, directly up the middle of the highest mountain face in the world - solo. After six days he was out of food, almost out of fuel and frequently buried by avalanches. Three helicopters were poised for a brief break in the weather to pluck him off the mountain. Because of the audacity of the climb, the fame of the climber, the high risk associated with the rescue, and the hourly reports posted on his base-camp website, the world was watching. Would this be the most spectacular rescue in climbing history? Or a tragic - and very public - death in the mountains?

Years before, as communism was collapsing and the Balkans slid into chaos, Humar was unceremoniously conscripted into a dirty war that he despised, where he observed brutal and inhumane atrocities that disgusted him. Finally he did the unthinkable: he left and finally arrived home in what had become a new country - Slovenia.

He returned to climbing, and within very few years, he was among the best in the world. Reinhold Messner, among others, called him the most remarkable mountain climber of his generation. His routes are seldom repeated; most consider them to be suicidal; yet he often climbs them solo. As this book was being written, he achieved the first-ever solo ascent of the east summit of Annapurna.

Tomaž Humar has cooperated with Bernadette McDonald, the distinguished former director of the Banff Festival and author of several books on mountaineering, to tell his utterly remarkable story.

Reviews

The book is cleverly constructed, using the tale of the extraordinary and prolonged rescue effort on the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat as a coat-hanger for Tomaž's life and extraordinary climbs ... well-written and perceptive

—— Chris Bonington

The intense and penetrating biography of one of the brightest burning flames in modern climbing... McDonald empathises with Humar's passion, being a climber herself, and the resulting book is a must read for anyone with a love of pushing the boundaries.

—— Adventure Travel

A brilliant book ... This extraordinarily absorbing insight into Humar's originality ultimately compels the reader to participate personally in his decisions. Besides breath-taking descriptions of what happens on the mountains, this book most importantly helps us understand the main character as Bernadette McDonald sets him free from the swirls of mist.

—— Kurt Diemberger

Andy Cave's compelling autobiography is, like Joe Simpson's Touching the Void, a gripping book on mountaineering that will appeal even to those who didn't know they were interested in climbing

—— The Observer

Marcotti has an unrivalled network of contacts, and writes with authority and style... an intriguing portrait

—— Liam Doyle , The Bookseller

Informative, entertaining

—— When Saturday Comes

Extremely detailed, well-researched, informative and entertaining

—— Steve Amoia , soccerlens.com

Motty, like Pele and Madonna, needs no other form of identification.

—— Alan Fraser

The FA Cup final without Motty is almost unthinkable. Because, like the competition itself, Motty is a hopeless romantic.

—— Graham Wray , People

This is a man in love with his calling.

—— Jim White , Daily Telegraph

Motty is, in the words of the old cliché, a legend in his own lifetime. He has brought knowledge of and passion for football direct into the homes of millions - he is a national institution, recognised and loved. He is also a thoroughly decent bloke.

—— Tony Blair

John Motson has for many years been the undisputed true voice of English football.

—— Sir Bobby Robson

There is no doubting Motty is a footie hero ... this will be an ideal stocking-filler for dads at Christmas

—— News of the World

Like Cheryl Cole and Lincolnshire sausages, John Motson is a national treasure to be cherished. From his verbal scraps with Brian Clough to the traumatic Hillsborough tragedy, his autobiography reveals the man behind the microphone.

—— Sport Magazine

John Motson is an institution and his commentaries on Match of the Day are part of the fabric of football. The BBC legend has been behind the microphone for 40 years, covering just about every big match going.

—— Metro

Bright and breezy ... it reflects on a lifetime watching football matches big and small and of bumping into all the heroes of the game

—— Sunday Express

Strangely compelling memoir by one of the best-known sports commentators of his generation. If you cannot remember what colour shirts Newcastle United wore in 1972 when they were drummed out of the FA Cup by Hereford ... this is the book for you

—— Financial Times 'Books of the Year'

Motty's knowledge and passion for football are unrivalled as he shares his story for the first time with humour and honesty.

—— Oxford Times

Filled with a multitude of detail about Motson's background and the sporting times he lived through ...Motson is one of the most intelligent and accomplished commentators in history, a voice that has conveyed the best (and worst, depending on your allegiance) moments in the recent past of the game. His book offers a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes of football broadcasting, as well as a trip down memory lane for many supporters. A must-read for any football fan.

—— Sunday Business Post

The voice of the sheepskinned sage and cult hero John Motson will doubtless be heard at the 2010 tournament, and he reminisces on his career to date in the amusing Motty: Forty Years in the Commentary Box

—— Independent on Sunday 'Books of the Year'
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