The Climbers: A History of Mountaineering - Hardcover

Bonington, Chris

3.54

13 ratings by Goodreads

9780563209188: The Climbers: A History of Mountaineering

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0563209186 ISBN 13: 9780563209188

Publisher: Bbc Pubns, 1994

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Mountaineering has always demanded a fine balancing act between calculated risk-taking and the basic instinct for survival. The pioneers of the Victorian golden age tested this balance as they pushed themselves further and further, first in the Alps and later in the Himalayas. Of them all, it was perhaps Mummery whose attitude to climbing is closest to that of the 1990s, and this book recreates his first ascent of the Grepon. It also traces his attempts on Nanga Parbat, where he was to lose his life. In a book which treads across the stepping stones of Alpine and Himalayan climbing history, from the backbiting that attended the first ascent of Mont Blanc to the possibility of a sponsored race up Everest, Chris Bonington explores the way climbers develop their skills in order to push back the frontiers of the possible. He draws on his first-hand experience as a climber and interviews with notable climbers from both Europe and America.

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From Publishers Weekly:

Mountain climbing meets all the requirements for spellbinding adventure with its danger and its threats to endurance and survival. Bonington (The Everest Years), a world-class climber for three decades, documents the development of this high-risk sport in the Alps and Himalayas, from Edward Whymper and A.F. Mummery to the daredevil exploits of today's climbers. He recounts the major expeditions of the 1920s and '30s, then turns to the successful ascents of the big peaks that began with Sir Edmund Hillary on Mt. Everest in 1953. During the '80s, the Himalayas were overrun with climbers; in 1986 nine expeditions attempted two new routes on K-2-27 people reached the summit and 13 died. Reinhold Messner (1986) and Jerzy Kukuczka (1987) have scaled all 14 8000-meter peaks. Today, climbing is bolder, more difficult and still competitive; climbers search for new routes, go solo and make winter ascents. These are gripping stories of men and women who pushed themselves to the outer limits of endurance. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Bonington, a leading British climber for the last three decades, offers a history of mountain climbing from 1786 to 1990. The golden age of mountaineering in the Alps, expedition siege climbing in the Himalayas, and the alpine-style small party climbs of the 1970s and 1980s are given due space, while a final chapter touches on the latest developments in championship and sport climbing. The occasional Briticism ("bloody-mindedness") distracts, but American, Eastern European, and Asian climbing achievements are given as much space as British and West European ascents. Especially interesting or useful are Bonington's comments on incidents in the ascents he describes. His book offers less detail on individual ascents than Walt Unsworth's Hold the Heights (LJ 5/15/94), yet Bonington offers wider coverage of mountaineering history. A desirable purchase for most general collections.
Paula M. Strain, Rockville, Md.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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