Torn between motherhood and the mountains

IN 2019, when her first son was two months old, poet and author Helen Mort heard about the death of Tom Ballard on Pakistani peak Nanga Parbat. Twenty-four years earlier, Tom’s mother Alison Hargreaves had lost her life on nearby K2.

To understand why the news of Tom’s death affected her so profoundly, Helen embarked on a new book: A Line Above the Sky: On Mountains. Part biography, part memoir, part ode to the landscapes she walks, runs and climbs in, it’s a poetic exploration of both the joy and fearfulness of sharing the mountains with your children. Hanna Lindon spoke to Helen to find out more…