In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:
Congratulations to the author; his is one of the finest books about mountaineering I have ever read. It's on a par with Joe Tasker's 'Savage Arena' both in terms of the epic climbing described and the quality of the writing.
It tells a remarkable story, of two climbs which had passed into Alaskan mountaineering folklore and the two climbers who had done them, one of whom - the author - had subsequently pretty much disappeared off the climbing radar. And it tackles the question which a number of climbers have asked themselves, what would it take for you to walk away from something you love doing and which you're good at but which if you continue will probably kill you?
The Bond is a book from the very top drawer of climbing literature and however unprecedented it may be, it's surely a worthy winner of this trio of awards.
T.