Barry Blanchard is a Canadian alpinist who in the 80's and 90's established highly technical routes in the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya. Throughout his childhood, he faced challenges of poverty and growing up "a dark-skinned, brown-eyed, half-breed kid" in a predominantly white, affluent area. His transformation from a poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks to one of the most respected alpinists in the world is chronicled in his most recent book The Calling: A Life Rocked by the Mountains.