The Kid Who Climbed Everest - by Bear Grylls (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published as: Facing up. London: Macmillan, 2000.

Book Synopsis

In 1996, a twenty-three-year-old soldier in the British Army was flying over an African desert on a routine parachute jump. He had a lot to look forward to-a long career ahead of him in the army, a beautiful girlfriend back home. But those dreams were cut short when his parachute failed to open at eleven thousand feet. He had cracked three vertebrae and come within a fraction of severing his spinal cord. A grueling eight months of physical therapy followed. Bear had to retrain his muscles to do all of the things we take for granted-how to sit, stand, walk, even breathe. Eighteen months after his accident he overcame incredible odds to reach the peak of Everest.

THE KID WHO CLIMBED EVEREST is a tale of courage and determination. Bear's quest for funding for his expedition, his seventy days on Everest's southeast face, and a narrow brush with death after a fall into a crevasse at nineteen thousand feet, make the story an essential read for anyone who's ever had a dream and made it come true.

From the Back Cover

In 1996, a twenty-three-year-old soldier in the British Army was flying over an African desert on a routine parachute jump. He had a lot to look forward to-a long career ahead of him in the army, a beautiful girlfriend back home. But those dreams were cut short when his parachute failed to open at eleven thousand feet. He had cracked three vertebrae and had come within a fraction of an inch of severing his spinal cord. A grueling eight months of physical therapy followed. Bear had to retrain his muscles to do all of the things we take for granted-how to sit, to stand, to walk, even to breathe. Eighteen months after his accident, he overcame incredible odds to reach the peak of Everest. The Kid Who Climbed Everest is a tale of courage and determination. Bear's quest for funding for his expedition, his seventy days on Everest's southeast face, and a narrow brush with death after a fall into a crevasse at nineteen thousand feet, make this story an essential read for anyone who's ever had a dream and made it come true. Bear Grylls was brought up on a small island off the south coast of England, where his late father taught him to climb and sail. Now one of the youngest and most sought-after motivational speakers, he relates his remarkable experiences to audiences and corporations all around the world.

Review Quotes

"Fascinating reading."
-Tony Blair, Prime Minister of England

"A vivid and inspiring read."--Kirkus Reviews

"I highly recommend this remarkable book, and I know its readers will be as spellbound as I have been."
--Michael, Prince of Kent

"Bear Grylls, the youngest [Briton] to ascend Everest, did so agter many months recovering from a broken back. He writes convincingly of feat and doublt. This is an honest and compelling story."
-Sir Ranulph Finnes, author of Mind over Matter: The Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent.

"Bear Grylls is a young man with skills beyond his years, both in climbing and story telling. This book, like the feat of summiting Everest itself, is a great triumph of the human spirit."
--Mike Tidwell, author of In the Mountains of Heaven: Tales of Adventure on Six Continents

About the Author

Bear was brought up on a small island off the south coast of England, where his late father taught him to climb and sail.

A martial arts expert, Bear went on to spend three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces (21 SAS). He then suffered a free fall parachuting accident in Africa, and broke his back in three places.

Yet despite this, and after months of military rehabilitation, he went on to become the youngest Briton ever, and one of only an elite number of climbers, to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Now one of the youngest and most sought-after motivational speakers, he relates his remarkable experiences to audiences and corporations all around the world.

Bear lives with his wife, Shara, and their little son, Jesse, on a Dutch barge in London and on a small, remote Welsh island. He is known for his TV shows Man Vs Wild, Born Survivor, and he hosts the thrilling adventure show Running Wild on NBC.