From the moment he was born with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck, Terence 'Banjo' Bannon was destined to be a survivor. He grew up in Northern Ireland in the midst of the Troubles, which touched his life in a very personal way during his teenage years, when a close friend was tragically killed whilst carrying a bomb for the IRA.

By the age of fourteen, he had developed an intense love for the mountains. He relished the solitude of the hills and the strength and confidence that his time in the wilds gave him. Even at that tender age, he was already dreaming of peaks far and wide and had aspirations to climb the highest mountain in the world. After the death of his friend, Banjo's resolve to live a life of adventure and achievement was cemented.

Banjo Bannon has travelled to the most remote and amazing destinations in the world, and has lived a life most others can only dream about. However, he has also lost a great deal in his pursuit of the world's highest summit, with nearly ten of his climbing companions being killed in accidents over the past five years, and he himself suffering countless personal setbacks along the way. Ascending the Dream shares the triumphs and tragedies of one man's incredible life of endurance and achievement. This is an intensely honest portrait of a life less ordinary.