The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back by French, Tom
The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back by French, Tom

The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back

An inspiring story of adventure and endurance in a quest to rediscover the passions of youth. At...
$42.00 USD
$42.00 USD
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Author: Tom French
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $42.00
The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back by French, Tom

The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back

$42.00
The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back by French, Tom

The Gap Years: Climbing, Skiing, and the Journey Back

$42.00
Author: Tom French
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description
An inspiring story of adventure and endurance in a quest to rediscover the passions of youth.

At the end of 2019, Tom French retired from a four-decade career in business, determined to return to interests that had defined his youth and see what meaning they still held. One of these interests was mountaineering. Another was adventure travel, with a particular focus on Nepal. A third was cross-country ski racing. Having taken "gap years" between school and university, and again before he started work, he decided to take a gap year before settling into the expectations of retirement. One year turned into three as he rebuilt his athletic strength, competed in cross-country ski marathons, and climbed some of the world's highest mountains, including two expeditions to Mount Everest. On the first Everest climb, a cyclone forced him to turn around high on the mountain and descend the treacherous Lhotse Face in a blizzard. On the second, he approached the mountain through the remote Makalu Barun region, the first climber ever to do so, and climbed to the summit on a moonlit night.

But this is a book about much more than Everest. It is about beauty and joy found in wild places, about cross-country ski racing and mountaineering more broadly, and--most of all--about a journey to find meaning in life and reconnect with the passions of youth.

Author: Tom French
Publisher: Brandeis University Press
Published: 04/14/2026
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.41lbs
Size: 9.28h x 6.32w x 0.94d
ISBN: 9781684583027


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2026

About the Author
Tom French is a lifelong mountaineer, cross-country skier, and lover of the outdoors. A senior partner emeritus of McKinsey & Company, he is currently board chair of the Trustees of Reservations, a director of Corning Incorporated, and serves on several other nonprofit boards. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Jill.
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