In 1959, sixteen-year-old Ian ‚Spike‘ Sykes left school and, after a short
\nperiod of work at Leeds University, joined the RAF. Already a keen climber, he
\nsigned up on the promise of excitement and adventure and was posted to the
\nremote RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team in the north of Scotland. It was the
\nbeginning of a journey which would see him involved in some of the most
\nlegendary call-outs in Scottish mountain rescue history, including the 1963
\nNew Year tragedy on the Isle of Skye.<\/p>\n
In the Shadow of Ben Nevis tells Spike’s story from growing up in Leeds in the
\naftermath of the Second World War, to his time with the RAF during the cold
\nwar. After leaving the RAF, he remained an active member of the Lochaber
\nMountain Rescue Team and was involved in the first lower down the north face
\nof Ben Nevis – an epic 1,500-foot descent to rescue stricken climbers in the
\nmiddle of winter. Following a two-and-a-half-year stint on Antarctica with the
\nBritish Antarctic Survey, he returned to the Highlands and opened the first
\nNevisport shop with his close friend Ian ‚Suds‘ Sutherland. Together, they
\nbrought Sunday trading to Fort William and were one of a small number of shops
\nto revolutionise outdoor retail in the UK. Later, he was a key player in the
\ndevelopment of the Nevis Range ski area. Over many years, and against all
\nodds, the project became a reality and a great success.<\/p>\n
Recounted within these pages are a great many lively tales of adventures and
\nmishaps, told with immediacy and charm. With a foreword by legendary Scottish
\nmountaineer Hamish MacInnes, a close friend of Spike’s, In the Shadow of Ben
\nNevis is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Scottish mountaineering
\nand mountain rescue.<\/p>\n
Ian ‚Spike‘ Sykes was born and raised in Leeds during the Second World War. A
\nclimber since his youth, he joined the RAF at sixteen, working on the Kinloss
\nMountain Rescue Team in the Scottish Highlands during a number of dramatic
\nrescues. After leaving the RAF he worked with the British Antarctic Survey on
\nthe southern polar ice cap, where he ran a dog team and worked as a guide for
\nthe Survey’s field scientists. Back in Scotland, Spike and Ian Sutherland
\nidentified an opportunity for a climbing and outdoor equipment shop in the
\nHighlands, and the first Nevisport shop was born. Both remained as members of
\nthe Lochaber Mountain Rescue, the UK’s busiest team. Spike was also
\ninstrumental in the development of the ski area at Nevis Range on Aonach Mor,
\nwhere he stayed on as managing director for twelve years. He is currently a
\ndirector of Nevis Range, which is now also internationally renowned as a
\nmountain biking centre. Spike was awarded an MBE in 1990 for services to sport
\nand mountain rescue, and in 2011 he received the Scottish Award for Excellence
\nin Mountain Culture. His first book, Cry Argentina (978-1-846248-71-9), a
\nsemi-fictional account of the build-up to the invasion of South Georgia in the
\nFalklands War, was published in 2013. In the Shadow of Ben Nevis is his second
\nbook. Spike lives in Fort William with his partner Gay, and has a daughter
\nEilidh.<\/p>\n
242 pages<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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