Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2004, this is the compelling account of the most recent adventure of the bestselling author of "Facing Up". It started out as a carefully calculated attempt to complete the first unassisted crossing of the frozen north Atlantic in an open rigid inflatable boat, but it became a terrifying battle against storm-force winds, crashing waves and icebergs as large as cathedrals. Starting from the remote north Canadian coastline, Grylls and his crew crossed the infamous Labrador Sea, pushed on through ice-strewn waters to Greenland and then found themselves isolated in a perfect storm 400 miles from Iceland. Compelling, vivid and inspirational, "Facing the Frozen Ocean" will appeal to all Bear Grylls' many readers and win him many more. "An epic story of hardship, friendship and faith" - "Daily Telegraph". 'Riveting" - "Daily Express". "Grylls is certainly proof that the age of great explorers has not completely passed us by" - "Scotsman".

2007-09-28 Enjoyable adventure tale, maybe a little lightweight

This book is the story of Bear Grylls' attempt to cross the arctic Atlantic ocean in an open inflatable beat. Bear leads a team of five on this challenge, and he tells the story of how the trip was organised and how close it came to disaster.

I've read Bear's tale of climbing Everest (Facing Up) which is, to be honest, the better book. Facing the Frozen Ocean was an enjoyable holiday read but it didn't grip me in the same way that the Everest adventure did. Partly, I suspect that's because Bear himself loses the impetus to continue these adventures part-way through the trip; there is one appalling leg of the journey where death was very, very close. An angry Atlantic is no place to be in an open boat -- running out of fuel and left helpless in 20-foot swells. Bear questions why he is involved in this kind of escapade when he could be at home with his young family... and that sense of disengagement is obvious to the reader.

However, you also learn all about prepping for an expedition like this, and get a vivid description of what it was like. Bear's writing (or editor!) improves in this book so the text flows more easily than in Facing Up.

Overall, it's a fast-paced adventure tale -- just not one to rank among the classics.