John Clarke: Explorer of the Coast Mountains

By: Baile, Lisa

In this fascinating biography, author Lisa Baile provides a detailed portrait of John Clarke, the man who became British Columbia's most renowned mountaineer by doing it his way.

Mountaineer John Clarke had no interest in "trophy climbs" and never
did ascend many of BC's highest peaks. On the other hand, he explored
more virgin territory and racked up more first ascents than any other
climber--perhaps more than any climber who ever lived.

Although he came to be honoured far and wide and is one of the
few mountaineers to be awarded the Order of Canada, Clarke was a modest
man who pursued his passion without fanfare, frequently embarking on
gruelling expeditions into unknown territory by himself. His reputation
spread and grew to legendary proportions, not just owing to the prodigious
scale of his achievements, but because of the way he carried them out--he
travelled light and scorned technology, wearing cotton long johns and
eating homemade granola.

Clarke dedicated his life to exploring the numberless, nameless
peaks of the Coast Range and worked at odd jobs just long enough to pay
for the next season's climbing. Always a popular lecturer, in his later years
he devoted his considerable energies to the cause of environmental
education. After he succumbed to cancer in 2003, the BC government
named Mount John Clarke in his honour--fitting recognition for the man
who had himself named many BC mountains.
John Clarke: Explorer of the Coast Mountains covers this
remarkable life from beginning to end, examining Clarke through his own
words and pictures as well as through the words of his many friends. All
agree it was an honour to have known him, and readers will find it equally
inspiring to meet him through these pages.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1998526534
• ISBN13: 9781998526536
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Harbour Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages