Chris Bonington

I imagine strategic thought was given to publishing this book right after the 1982 trip to Everest, but I believe this book would have greatly benefitted from having been published later, giving the authors more perspective. The narrative was compelling at times but also wildly meandering, leaving me to lose interest when the author(s) would digress into technical details (that they did not explain).

As I read this book, I really wanted to do some online research about the Northeast Ridge. I forced myself to finish the book first so as not to give myself any spoilers. I think it's worth reading, at least, the Wikipedia article on the Three Pinnacles, which gives a little bit of closure to at least one of the members of their 1982 Everest attempt.… (mehr)

This is another book I probably reviewed and certainly recorded as read on Library Thing and which has now disappeared from my library. I will probably move back to Good Reads if this keeps up. I still have a few tabs left in the book; I'll list them here; I can't create a review from scratch this long after reading the book:
p. 65 - Post-monsoon jet stream winds preclude climbing over 26,000 feet. Only Cho Oyo has been so climbed (as of publication). However, it is" little more than a very high-altitude fell walk."
p.67 - Argentian expedition of autumn 1971.
p. 69 - Unsuccessful solo attempts on Everest.
p. 70 - "Another challenge on Everest, of course, is to try to climb the mountain without oxygen. This is the only way a truly light weight expedition could succeed..."
p.100 - The Nepalis are essentially of Indian ethnic background, Hindu by religion, with delicately moulded features slightly reminiscent of those of the Malays or Burmese. Sherpas, on the other hand, are essentially Tibetan...
p. 106 - Changes in habitations in Sola Khumbu between 1961 and 1972.

p. 124 - we were under no illusions about the type of climbing we were going to have on Everest - a great deal of hard work, with comparatively little exciting climbing.

p.127 - "There is no possibility of making a safe route through the Khumbu Icefall."

p. 143-144 - Cultural difficulties dealing with Sherpa porters.… (mehr)