One Day As A Tiger is only the second mountaineering book to be shortlisted

One Day As A Tiger is only the second mountaineering book to be shortlisted

A biography of a mountaineer who died attempting a climb on Annapurna has been shortlisted for the British Sports Book Awards.

John Porter’s account of British mountaineer Alex MacIntyre’s life is only the second mountaineering book to gain the accolade in the 13 years of the awards.

One Day As A Tiger is one of six titles shortlisted in the biography of the year category. The book, which also won the grand prize at the 2014 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, is an account of the life of mountaineer Alex MacIntyre, Porter’s friend and climbing partner.

MacIntyre was one of the brightest stars of Britain’s golden age of mountaineering, establishing daring new routes in the Alps, Andes and Himalaya. He was killed at the age of just 28 by a single falling stone while attempting a new climb on the gigantic south face of Annapurna.

The book’s publisher, Vertebrate Publishing, said the book’s shortlisting stands as an important recognition of mountain literature’s rich heritage and the quality of writing within the genre.

Author John Porter, who is originally from Massachusetts and now lives in the Cumbrian Lake District, said: “This shortlisting for the British Sports Book Awards will, I hope, open up this extraordinary period in mountaineering history to a wider audience.

“Alex’s bold and committed approach in the mountains – and other areas of life – offers real inspiration to climbers and non-climbers alike. It’s incredibly rewarding to see his story striking a chord with so many people.”

The category winners of the 2015 British Sports Book Awards will be announced a ceremony at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Wednesday 3 June. These will then be put to public vote to decide the overall winner, which will be announced on 18 June.

Sheffield-based Vertebrate Publishing is one of the country’s leading producers of outdoor guidebooks and biographies. Vertebrate is hoping to build on the success of 2014, which saw its books awarded wins at Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival and Tolmezzo Mountain Festival, as well as being shortlisted for the prestigious Boardman Tasker Prize and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Award.