EVEREST: THE MEF AUTHORISED 50TH ANNIVERSARY VOLUME: 50 years on top of the World (Hardcover)

Review
At 23, George Band was the youngest member of the first expedition that successfully climbed Mount Everest in 1953. This is his enthralling account of the ascent, together with a history of the earlier attempts on the mountain and developments since. He pays tribute to brave climbers and describes the different routes and equipment that can be used in a way that is accessible to non-climbers, and which will help us to understand the lure and terrible beauty of this particular mountain. Everest has a special resonance for Great Britain because Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing's achievement was announced on the day of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The mountain was also named after a Briton, Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General of India. The 1850s marked the start of mountaineering as a sport in Europe, and by the turn of the century climbers were turning their attention to the Himalayas for fresh challenges. Early attempts, with insufficient clothing and inadequate oxygen supplies, are chronicled, together with the later expeditions where technical improvements have now made other routes possible (there are now 15 principal ones). George Band also describes the arrival of commercial expeditions, other 'firsts' (first British woman to reach the summit, first success without oxygen) and the ecological impact on Everest (expeditions leave rubbish), and asks what challenges remain. There are some spectacular photographs and legendary names in mountaineering abound, of all nationalities; however, with stories of tragedy, triumph and disaster, Band also reminds us that, even when successfully climbed, this is not a mountain that can ever be conquered: 'there are no victors, only survivors'. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description
Published in association with the Royal Geographic Society, Alpine Club and Everest Foundation, this is the official publication celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest in 1953. It puts the first successful ascent into context - detailing the adventures and deaths on the north face pre World War II and the planning after the war that was nearly curtailed by a Swiss expedition in 1952. Written by a member of the original Hunt team - George Band (who went on to climb the lower but much harder peak Kangchenjunga) - the book contains details, photographs and material donated by team members and the RGS.

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