{"product_id":"ascent-book-anthony-king-9781837051175","title":"Ascent","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE STORY OF HOW A WILD MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE EVOLVED INTO AN ELITE OLYMPIC SPORT\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Why is the best blood of England to waste itself in scaling hitherto inaccessible peaks, in staining the eternal snow, and reaching the unfathomable abyss never to return?’ - \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e, 1865\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the 1950s, rock climbing was a wild mountain adventure that was defined by a rebellious, bohemian culture and practised by small groups of amateur enthusiasts.\u003c\/strong\u003e Today, rock-climbing has become a professionalised, high-performance, mass-participation Olympic sport. There are now more than 400 climbing walls and over 500,000 people climb regularly in the UK.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAscent\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of this remarkable transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnthony King – a dedicated climber himself – traces the sport’s evolution through decades of rebellion, innovation and achievement to its place today as a vibrant, diverse culture. His own experiences colour the narrative; we discover not just how climbing developed, but what it feels like to climb and be a climber. More than just a history of the sport, through this story we also see how British society itself has changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpansive, immediate and deeply engaging, \u003cem\u003eAscent\u003c\/em\u003e is both cultural sport history and lived experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":52503905108241,"sku":"NGR9781837051175","price":28.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":54695212286225,"sku":"GOR015111198","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781837051175.jpg?v=1789645683","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/ascent-book-anthony-king-9781837051175","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}