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Product Description
In March 1985, Mal Duff led a new expedition to conquer Everest by the unclimbed north-east ridge. The last attempt by a Chris Bonington team had ended in failure and the tragic deaths of two great climbers, Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman. In this book, shortlisted for the Boardman-Tasker Awards, Greig chronicles not only the assault on the peak, but also the complex inter-relationships of 19 very different individuals living together, yet each of them very much alone.
About the Author
ANDREW GREIG was born and brought up in Scotland. He is the author of six acclaimed books of poetry and two books chronicling his Himalayan expeditions. He has also written four highly praised novels. His latest, That Summer has just been published by Faber
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The opening sections of this book feel like you are reading a Western. In 1985 Mal Duff finds that he can mount an expedition. The only problems are that he has no team and he has no money. He starts to recruit and he starts to fund raise. He builds his team - reliable people he has worked with before, people who have struggled in the past but he seeking a second chance, young guns (know throughout the book as "Boy Racers") who are looking to impress in places they have never been before. If you are familiar with the Magnificent Seven, you will recognize the structure, although Mal Duff ends up with a team of 19, not seven!
So a team of 19 climbers , or possible a number of teams totaling 19 climbers, attempt to climb the NE ridge of Everest. The last people to try were Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman - and they died in the attempt.
If the fact that the 19 climbers did not always work as one team is the central thrust of this very well written account, then the presence of Tasker and Boardman is the glue that holds the whole narrative together. The expedition is going "where only thoughts had trod since `82" and the knowledge that the bodies of Tasker and Boardman were still up there, somewhere, lost in the snow is a constant theme. At one stage even the "gear and hill food" that the dead men left on the "hill" are added to the calculations needed for the expedition to reach its goal.
In many ways this book challenges what the notion of success in mountaineering is. On one dies. On one losses fingers or toes. No one gets to the summit. Did the expedition fail or succeed?
The shear hard work, the repetative nature of a non-alpine style assault and the fear and doubt that fill the minds of climbers on such expeditions are wonderfully recreated. There is little glory here - only day after day of hard work. The story is hugely improved by the inclusion of sections of many of the participants diaries, written in the cold light of the expedition.
This is a first rate expedition book, free from histrionics and self glorification. This may largely be due to the fact that the author was a relative novice climber and had no reputation to maintain or forge.
Highly recommended.
So a team of 19 climbers , or possible a number of teams totaling 19 climbers, attempt to climb the NE ridge of Everest. The last people to try were Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman - and they died in the attempt.
If the fact that the 19 climbers did not always work as one team is the central thrust of this very well written account, then the presence of Tasker and Boardman is the glue that holds the whole narrative together. The expedition is going "where only thoughts had trod since `82" and the knowledge that the bodies of Tasker and Boardman were still up there, somewhere, lost in the snow is a constant theme. At one stage even the "gear and hill food" that the dead men left on the "hill" are added to the calculations needed for the expedition to reach its goal.
In many ways this book challenges what the notion of success in mountaineering is. On one dies. On one losses fingers or toes. No one gets to the summit. Did the expedition fail or succeed?
The shear hard work, the repetative nature of a non-alpine style assault and the fear and doubt that fill the minds of climbers on such expeditions are wonderfully recreated. There is little glory here - only day after day of hard work. The story is hugely improved by the inclusion of sections of many of the participants diaries, written in the cold light of the expedition.
This is a first rate expedition book, free from histrionics and self glorification. This may largely be due to the fact that the author was a relative novice climber and had no reputation to maintain or forge.
Highly recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Turning a non-success into a success
24 Jun 2000
Format:Hardcover
This is a very accessible account of a second British attempt to summit Everest via the North East ridge organized by Malcolm Duff in 1985. A previous attempt in 1982 led by Chris Bonington (see Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge by Chris Bonington for more information about that attempt) had resulted in the tragic loss of two climbers, Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman. Since the author of the book, Andrew Greig, had only recently begun climbing, we are intiated into the inner world of the British mountaineering society at almost the same time that he is being initiated. This account focuses on the inter-relations among the diverse personalities of the climbers recruited for this attempt. In addition, to the authors first hand accounts and summaries of the various stages involved in organizing an expedition of this magnitude, we are given numerous journal entries from the other participants. I feel that this is an important dimension that is not always found in other books of this type. Typically, books on mountaineering are written by a single author even though numerous individuals have been involved in the climb. In this book, we are not limited to the author's opinion of how some of the other members were affected. Rather we can understand how they responded to the demands being placed on them in their own words. Another interesting aspect deals with how this diverse group of people come together to work as a team and how they are haunted by the memory of Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman. While no one in this group summited, personal bests for highest point attained were set by most of the participants. For those that climbed into the Death Zone (see Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Death Zone by Matt Dickinson), there was the realization that they were able to function at that level without supplemental oxygen. The book is very enjoyable and accessible. The commercialization of Everest has become a much debated topic since the tragic events of 1996 (again, see Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer). This book shows us what Everest was like prior to the hand-held guided tours that seem to be so favorable today.
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