Books by John Smith

Graham's love of mountain sports started when, at the age of 14, he was dragged up his first VS by the noted Yorkshire climber, Alan Austin. Climbing remained a major passion until it had to take second place behind a busy professional career, which allowed for little more than annual holidays throughout the alpine regions. However, an unmissable early retirement package saw him move to the west coast of Ireland. Here, living in the midst of the Twelve Bens, he had the opportunity to make up for lost time! However, Graham, and wife Meg, have incurably itchy feet! After Ireland, they moved to the Lake District, but have now settled, perhaps permanently, in Italy. Their home is a little village at the foot of Monte Agner, one of the giants of the southern Dolomites, whilst the view from their front door is of the mighty Civetta-Moiazza group. Graham had begun his exploration of the Dolomites in 1997. He was drawn to climbing via ferratas partly by the sheer audacity of the bigger routes, but also by their historic resonance. Researching the guidebooks revealed the enormous scale and variety of the region, whilst the inclusion of the area round Lake Garda showed that climbing via ferratas could be a year-round activity, not just confined to the summer climbing season. After the demands of researching the guidebooks, Graham now enjoys introducing newcomers to via ferrata climbing. However, he and Meg also make time for other mountain sports, such as biking and skiing, whilst the proximity of historic cities like Venice and Padova allows them to indulge their love of Italian culture and architecture. John Smith has been walking and climbing mountains around the world for about 30 years, but until 1998 had never been to the Dolomites. On his first visit, with Marion, Dave and Deborah, he fell in love with the mountains, culture and via ferratas. In ticking off routes with a growing passion, he recognised the need for an up-to-date English-language guidebook; this first volume is the result of many enjoyable days in the Dolomites.