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Powter’s Inner Ranges unveils subjects and author

BANFF – The process of compiling the collection of articles and essays that fill the pages of his new book, Inner Ranges, made for an interesting journey, says Canmore author Geoff Powter.
Copy of Inner_Ranges_highres
The cover of Inner Ranges.

BANFF – The process of compiling the collection of articles and essays that fill the pages of his new book, Inner Ranges, made for an interesting journey, says Canmore author Geoff Powter. 

Together, the more than two dozen individual pieces – all but two previously published in outdoor magazines or climbing journals over the course of more than three decades – reveal as much about the writer as they often do about the subjects he’s written about. 

The resulting anthology emerges as an evolution of Powter himself, a multi-dimensional self-portrait that is a natural extension, or companion piece to the award-winning profiles which comprise the last, and in many ways best section of the book. 

“It is an interesting thing to go back through your writing career and see where you were back then, and in some cases see those articles with acceptance,” Powter said. “I’m a different person now. The world is a different place now. Those pieces are part of my story, and with some of them it’s a matter of, ‘I can’t believe I wrote that. I can’t believe I thought that.’ And I accept it even though it has some blemishes.”

An astute observer of the many layers and hues of life, of the mountains, and of mountain life, Powter’s inquisitive mind and finely-honed storytelling talent coalesce in the collection to reveal shifting perceptions and opinions, moods and passions. At times his writing is bluntly honest, at others joyous and blissful. On some pages he unearths dark and sobering realities, on others he shares absurdly entertaining scenes and downright hilarious insights. The adventures and events in his stories range from terrifying to hilarious, from disillusioning to enlightening. 

But then the diversity and breadth of his talent, his precision of language and practiced writing skill perfectly complement his accomplishments in the climbing milieu – rock climber, Himalayan alpinist, Yosemite big-wall climber, first ascensionist, soloist. 

His book also includes personal essays, strong opinion pieces expressing his views on the nuances and ethics of climbing – for 13 years Powter was editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal – paired with journalistic articles written to be fair and unbiased for the reader to arrive at their own conclusions. 

On the surface it might seem contradictory, particularly when running back-to-back from one page to the next, but in the end that’s what makes the book so much richer, like the range of the fall foliage pallet, each tone illuminating and strengthening the others’ presence, creating a luxuriant, more rewarding feast for readers. 

The physical discomforts that are integral to any climb, and the sublime moments of utter joy are equally, and inescapably, integral to the climbing experience, and Powter’s writing exemplifies this incongruity. 

With that, his notes, freshly written with an older, likely wiser and certainly more nuance–aware voice which accompany many of the pieces, offer valuable and highly rewarding perspectives that only enrich the stories. 

“That’s the point,” Powter admitted in an interview with the RMO. “As mountain writers, we’re faced with paradoxes. There are no easy answers.” 

In addition to the range of stories included in his book, his writing also drives home that there are always difficult questions to ask.

Asking them, he admitted, was, earlier in his writing career, not easy. But, he added, his profession as a psychologist did not factor into how he learned to be good at gleaning those difficult facts and feelings from his subjects.   

“I learned that the people I’m writing about almost always appreciate me asking them [difficult questions] if I ask them in the right way,” Powter said. 

And in the end, what attracts him to a story is what all writers seek, and embrace – compelling narrative arcs. 

“Some stories are really worth telling, some people’s stories are worth telling,” Powter said. “As writers, we’re often assigned pieces we might not otherwise do. Part of the journey is exploring ourselves. I really don’t like writing about myself. But some of the stories I enjoyed writing the most, and which are the ones I’m most proud of, are profiles that give voice to all the sides of me. And that, I really like.”

Powter will read from Inner Ranges, published by Rocky Mountain Books, at the Banff Mountain Book and Film Festival event, Tales and Ales: A Mountain Reading on Friday, Nov. 2, at 4:30 p.m. The event is free. 

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