Never Turn Back
The Life of Whitewater Pioneer Walt Blackadar

304 pages Published by: Great Rift Press Special Price.  We are sold out of new paperback copies, so we are offering the hard-bound version of the book for the paperback price ($14.95).  The hardbound is normally priced at $29.95.  You save $15.00! Price: $14.95 (New Hardbound) OR: Used Paperback Copies (Excellent Condition): $5.00

"A triumph! I couldn't put it down."      --Jerry Dixon, National Outdoor Book Award Judge NEVER TURN BACK is the gripping and compelling life story of Dr. Walt Blackadar, a physician from a small town in Idaho.  At the age of 49, he shocked the outdoor world when he made a solo kayak journey down the treacherous rapids of Turnback Canyon on the remote and wild Alsek River in Canada and Alaska.     Blackadar's accomplishment on Turnback Canyon was the river equivalent of the first ascent of Everest, and when excerpts from his Alsek journal were published in Sports Illustrated, he became an instant sensation.  He was at the top of his sport at an age when most athletes are long retired.       Then suddenly, his spectacular rise veered wildly off course when a young woman tragically died on one of his kayaking expeditions.  Heartbroken over her death and plagued with mounting physical problems, his kayaking technique began to deteriorate.      Yet he had a spirit that was irrepressible, and pitting himself in a race against his body's clock, he sought out and faced off against the world's most formidable whitewater. "A work of Art!"     --Barb Wright, World Whitewater Champion More Information Excerpts: Sample Chapters & Table of Contents Why Purchase from Us? We (Great Rift Press) are the publisher, and most importantly, we have the books in stock.  We ship as soon as we get your order.  Amazon and other on-line book dealers do not stock the books, and it may take several weeks before you receive your order.  Plus, we offer the hardbound version at the paperback price.   Plus, our shipping charges are lower than other on-line suppliers.  Plus, if you order a new book, we'll have it signed for you.  Just tell us to whom you want the book signed.  (If you don't want to use the on-line ordering method, we have other options.) "Magnificent.  Told with sparkling clarity.  Truly inspiritional."  --Willian Bushnell, Eclectic Book Review

Other Top Rated Books:

Winter Tales & Trails: Cross-country Skiing, Backcountry Skiing & Snowshoeing in Idaho, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

Kath and Ron's Guide to Idaho Paddling: Flatwater and Easy Whitewater Trips

Others: List of all Books

More Information on Never Turn Back 

This is what Books In Print (the book world's main reference work) has to say about Never Turn Back:

This fascinating and masterfully written book is considered one of the outdoor world's finest works.  The Los Angeles Daily News awarded NEVER TURN BACK their highest rating for a book:  "It's the best thing to come across this reviewer's desk in recent memory," wrote Brett Pauly of the News.
    "Bully for Watters!" said the San Francisco Chronicle about author Ron Watters' wonderfully told story.  William Bushnell of the Library Research Associates called it:  "Magnificent...told with sparkling clarity...truly inspirational."
  Never Turn Back is the unforgettable biography of whitewater sport's most famous personality Dr. Walt Blackadar.  Blackadar stunned the outdoor world when he ran the treacherous rapids of Turnback Canyon on the remote and wild Alsek River in Canada and Alaska.  What made his solo journey through Turnback Canyon even more remarkable was the fact that he was 49 years old, an age when most athletes are long retired.
    Blackadar's story is powerful and uplifting.  It is the story of the human spirit facing and overcoming great odds.
    Joining book reviewers in praise for the book are outdoor authorities such as World Whitewater Champion Barb Wright:  "A work of art!"
    Other reviews: "A triumph! I couldn't put it down." "Uncommonly well-written and well-edited." "An inspiring book."  

More Reviews

"Watters has created a book that reads more like a novel than a biography."
        --Eugene Buchanan, Editor, Paddler Magazine

"This is a rare book, intelligently and honestly written, an entertaining and thought-provoking biography of a hero."
          --Liam Guilar, Out There, Australia's Outdoor Magazine.

"The story is told brilliantly." 
        --Rocky Barker, Letters from the West 

"Watters captures a surprising tenderness and depth to Blackadar.  I guarantee you'll come away from reading this book with a lot of smiles and laughter and a contagious feeling that life is worth living to the fullest."
     --Doug Ammons, American Whitewater

OR, you may purchase it from Barnes and Noble.com.  We recommend Barnes and Noble instead of Amazon.com since B&N is much fairer in their treatment of small publishers than Amazon.  Amazon asks for deep discounts which hurt small publishers.  B&N, on the other hand, asks only for the standard publishing discount.  Moreover, a little known secret is that Barnes & Noble keeps many more books in stock than Amazon.  To purchase from Barnes and Noble, click: Never Turn Back

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