....lost a few friends recently. He'd been booked to speak in Bristol by
Wilderness Lectures (related to Himalayan Kingdoms) and the booking, as
is the norm with high profile speakers these days - had been made many
months ago. Bear's agent cancelled just one day before. The organisers
were unable to ascertain the real reason for this, and attempted, but
failed, to contact Bear personally. There were a number of theories, the
most credible being that he'd accepted another (perhaps more
lucrative?)offer on the same day.
Given that they were effectively landed right in it at very short
notice, the Wilderness Lecture team were brilliant - they personally
handed out explanatory leaflets to the audience as they came through the
doors, giving the option of a full refund, or the opportunity to hear
Mick Crostwhaite - a good mate of Bear's who was on the same Everest
climb and made it to 200ft below the summit, before running out of
oxygen - at a reduced price.
Mick's talk was excellent giving the circumstances - I don't believe he
is normally on the professional 'adventure speaker's' circuit, if so he
didn't have the usual polish one expects these days - but gave a
detailed and enaging account of day-to-day rigours and overall '[censored]'
bits of high Himalayan climbing. Personally, I felt this was a very
honest account and very much unglamourised it. He left the 'glamorous'
bits to digital video sequences which he played without comment.
The Wilderness Lectures web site leaves one in no doubt as to their view
of Bear Grylls now.
www.wildernesslectures.co.uk
Many of the audience donated their refunds to the Tsunami Relief Fund.
Steve