‘It’s a preposterous plan. Still, if you do get up it, it’ll be the hardest thing that’s been done in the Himalaya.’ - So spoke Chris Bonington when Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker presented him with their plan to tackle the unclimbed West Wall of Changabang – the Shining Mountain – in 1976.
Tasker contributes a second voice throughout this story, which includes details of the inevitable tensions on such an expedition as well as a record of the moment of joy upon reaching the summit ridge against all odds. The Shining Mountain, is one of the outstanding works of mountaineering literature, and won the 1979 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for literature.
(Source: V Publishing & Wikipedia)
5. Round Kangchenjunga – Douglas Freshfield
This work by Douglas William Freshfield (1845-1934), enhanced by photographs of the great mountain photographer Vittorio Sella (1859-1943), is considered by many to be one of the best of the classic books on mountaineering. At the time the trip was taken, although the team had the authorization of the ruler of Sikkim, they had none by Nepal as it was then a closed kingdom. The expedition lasted seven weeks, and when they descended into Nepal, the first villagers they met...were astonished to learn that this tattered group had come down from the north. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.
Excerpt: It is of course impossible to go up and down feet without some climbing, in the popular sense of that word. But in the technical Alpine sense we had far too little mountaineering for my taste. Rope and ice-axe played but a very subordinate part in our journey. This was our mis fortune rather than our fault. The tremendous rainstorm of September 1899, after devastating Darjeeling and its tea-gardens, swept across Kangchenjunga into Tibet in the form of a premature snowfall, lowering the snow-level nearly 4000 feet and practically closing the highest region.
(Source: Forgotten Books & Google Books)
6. Nanda Devi: Exploration and Ascent - A Compilation of the Two Mountain Exploration Books, Nanda Devi & the Ascent of Nanda Devi - Eric Shipton & H.W.Tilman
Two classic mountain exploration books, Nanda Devi and The Ascent of Nanda Devi are compiled, along with further accounts by Shipton and Tilman, two of the best-known names in mountaineering.
mount nanda devi first exploration
The wide-ranging expedition of Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman in the Garhwal Himalaya in 1934 is regarded as the epitome of adventurous mountaineering. With their Sherpa companions they solved the problem of access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, crossed difficult cols, made first ascents, and explored remote, uninhabited valleys. These adventures are recounted in Shipton's wonderfully vivid Nanda Devi, one of the most inspirational mountain-travel books ever written. Once access to Nanda Devi was found, it was only a matter of time before a first ascent attempt was mounted. In 1936 Tilman joined an American and British expedition and tells the tale of their successful climb in his restrained, witty account, The Ascent of Nanda Devi. This compilation of these classic tales is concluded with further accounts by Shipton of his subsequent surveying expeditions in and around the Sanctuary, which served to mitigate his regret in missing the ascent of Nanda Devi (he was on Everest at the time.) Together, the writing of these two mountaineering legends creates a fascinating adventure tale.
(Source: Good Reads & Indian Mountaineering Foundation)
7. Everest the West Ridge - Thomas F. Hornbein
In 1963, Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Everest via the South Col route. Roughly two weeks after Whittaker's achievement, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld, fellow American mountaineers on the same expedition, became the first climbers ever to summit the world's highest peak via the dangerous and forbidding West Ridge--a route on which only a handful of climbers have since succeeded.
Hornbein’s book is devoid of overblown heroics. Everest is not "conquered." The book also avoids the overly intimate, every-rivalry-recorded style of more modern books (e.g. awful accounts of Unsoeld's subsequent expedition to Nanda Devi). In this book, climbers' interactions get discussed without psychobabble. (Source: Google Books)
“This is the story of one of the greatest achievements in American mountaineering history: Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein climbing to the top of the world from Everest's West Ridge, descending from the South Col and bivouacking at 28,000-feet. It is a great story of determination, passion and friendship.... One of my favorite things about this book is the many outstanding photographs paired with quotes about mountains”.--Katie Sauter, Library Director ‘American Alpine Club Library’
8. Annapurna South Face – Chris Bonington
In 1970 Chris Bonington and his now-legendary team of mountaineers successfully battled up a seemingly impregnable face in The Himalayas. It was a magnificient triumph for mountaineering and good teamwork. Annapurna South Face tells how it was done. 12,000 feet of steep rock and ice leading to a 26, 454-ft. summit
mount annapurna south face
Waterproof Winter Sports Gear & Alpinism ToolsAs serious armchair climbers will tell you, Annapurna South Face is better than all but a handful of equally gripping classics. One could also argue that all that has happened in the big mountains in the past 30 years has come out of this expedition and out of this book. Bonington and his team—most of whom subsequently died in the mountains—represented a kind of "greatest generation" of modern mountaineers. They pioneered a new, bolder approach to high altitude climbing, and this book is about how they hit the big time.(Source: Goodreads)
9. No Picnic on Mount Kenya- Felice Benuzzi
No Picnic on Mount Kenya (Italian: Fuga sul Kenya) by Felice Benuzzi is a mountaineering classic recounting the 1943 attempt of three escaped Italian prisoners of war to reach the summit of Mount Kenya. It was first published in 1946 in English and 1947 in Italian. The 1994 film The Ascent is based on this book. Rick Ridgeway sums it up, “This contrast of the freedom of the mountains against the oppression of man is the leitmotif of Benuzzi's book.
mount kenya
Perhaps more than any climbing story, No Picnic on Mount Kenya captures that strong underpinning of revolt common to most mountaineers. The men and women I know drawn to the hills are mavericks whose principal loyalty is to the individual's right to take his own risks and discover his own truths, and as much as anyone, Benuzzi applauds that right and condemns those who might curtail it.”(Source: Wikipedia)
'A tale worth reading ... Mr Benuzzi's paradoxical mixture of pride and self-mocking humility is attractive; his courage is amazing; his story dramatic' - New York Times.
‘More electrifying than anything a person with a nose for real adventure could hope to read’ - Piero Melati, Repubblica
‘More electrifying than anything a person with a nose for real adventure could hope to read’ - Piero Melati, Repubblica
10. The Ascent of Rum Doodle - W. E. Bowman
(Source: Publishers Weekly & Wikipedia)
If you’re looking to buy vintage edition or autographed copy of these books then 'Chessler Books' & 'Abe Books' have some rare finds. Happy reading & collecting!
The Sacred Summit of Kanchenjunga dominates the horizon in Sikkim. Avid trekker Maninder Kohli has conducted multiple treks in Sikkim spread over several years. On each trip he has felt drawn closer and closer to Kanchenjunga.
In 'Sacred Summit' Maninder will share images and highlights of each of the three treks he has led in Sikkim and also build a case on why Sikkim should be a part of the mix for a genuine believer.
night view of kanchenjunga
Kanchenjunga 8,586m, located in Sikkim, is the third highest mountain in the world and India’s highest peak. Kanchenjunga is regarded by the people of Sikkim as a sacred peak, whose presence has historically supported the security of Sikkim and to this day influences the weather in the state.
My first look at Kanchenjunga goes back to 1980 when I arrived at Darjeeling for my Basic Mountaineering Course from HMI Darjeeling. In the mid ground of this image taken at midnight Sikkim is in view. The training area of HMI is in Sikkim where I ended up climbing Dr. B.C. Roy Peak 5445m located quite close to Kanchenjunga. Since that period I strongly held the desire to trek again in Sikkim.
singalilla kanchenjunga view
