Alpine Warriors

"As a mountain lover, I was so happy when I stumbled upon this book. McDonald, a well-known author of Alpinist literature, has expertly told the story of Slovenia’s (and some of Yugoslavia’s) most famed climbers, during the 1970s through to the 1990s. Though the book is primarily about adventures at altitude – avalanches, frostbite, and first ascents – the stories are set to a backdrop of what was happening in the country at that time, so it also offers interesting insight into everyday life in Slovenia during this era. How did they manage such great feats of Alpinism? Well, you’ll have to read the book to get the full story, but in short, Slovenians have ideal training grounds – the Julian Alps, the Karavanke, the Pohorje mountains – which offer plenty of rock to cut your teeth on. And because of that, mountaineering is very much part of the Slovene mindset; my Slovenians friends are always climbing a mountain somewhere! In addition, almost all the climbers of that era had the financial backing of the Yugoslavian government, which at the time, wanted to demonstrate the sporting prowess of the country. Mountaineering was a discipline they knew they could excel in. It’s a fascinating account, well told; I thoroughly enjoyed it."