Reading the 20th Century discussion

Thanks to Annabel for inspiring this thread...


Annabel wrote: "Can you count mountaineering as a sport? probably not. But I found Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer incredibly gripping - it's about a series of climbing deaths on Everest in 1996 I think but sadly all the issues he pinpoints, such as overcrowding, hubris and lack of preparation, seem even more of a problem today."

I also found Into Thin Air a gripping read. Indeed it inspired me to read lots more books about the subject and lots more about that specific tragedy. Sadly I cannot remember the titles now.

The other book that really sticks in my mind is Joe Simpson's Touching the Void, another gripping book about a disaster whilst climbing mountains.

Part of my fascination is wondering what possesses people to do it.

Val wrote: "My daughter climbs (a lot more now she lives in Scotland) and she does not like a competitive element creeping into climbing (sports tend to be competitive). She thinks it encourages people to take risks."

I don't blame her Val. I suspect that is one of the major causes of accidents - along with lack of preparation

Anything by Joe Tasker is worth reading - I have a copy of The Boardman Tasker Omnibus which has two books each by him and Chris Boardman. Annapurna by Maurice Herzog is a classic of its kind, and I'd second the endorsement of Touching the Void.

On a lighter note, The Ascent Of Rum Doodle is a brilliant satire.

Thanks Hugh - some books there that I was not familiar with so I will investigate further.

I've been meaning to read The Ascent Of Rum Doodle for a while now.

I will copy these over as well then:

I had not thought of climbing or mountaineering as a sport up to now, but it contains most of the criteria I would use for a sport, so I will count it as one from now onwards.
That means I can recommend a sporting biography:
Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize.
edit: name changed to the Baillie Gifford Prize in 2016

When Mallory and Irving climbed Everest, it was a very difficult climb to attempt. Modern equipment, the installation of permanent ropes and ladders for the most difficult parts and tour companies arranging transportation, porters, etc. mean lots of people can now make the attempt. That does not mean they should, and recent tragedies and pictures would suggest placing restrictions on the number of people who do.

One of my favourites of my husband's mountaineering books was Shishapangma Expedition, and it was interesting reading the 'duelling' books byReinhold Messner and Peter Habeler, giving their different accounts of their joint Everest climbs ...

I've read that Mallory book too Val - very good it is too


Val wrote: "When Mallory and Irving climbed Everest, it was a very difficult climb to attempt. Modern equipment, the installation of permanent ropes and ladders for the most difficult parts and tour companies arranging transportation, porters, etc. mean lots of people can now make the attempt. That does not mean they should, and recent tragedies and pictures would suggest placing restrictions on the number of people who do."

I couldn't agree more. You've probably also seen photos of the queues waiting to get to the summit. Absolutely ridiculous.


Rosina wrote: "One of my favourites of my husband's mountaineering books was Shishapangma Expedition, and it was interesting reading the 'duelling' books by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler, giving their different accounts of their joint Everest climbs"

Thanks Rosina - I'm not familiar with those books. Yet more to investigate.

We have some pretty old books - someone who must have been a keen mountaineering reader had donated his collection to the charity booktable at our local station, and I bought all I could carry. Supplemented by more glossy editions from the specialist bookshop in Charing Cross Road. I am quite surprised to remember how many of them I read.

We actually met the chap who cut Joe Simpson's rope ...

Rosina wrote: "We actually met the chap who cut Joe Simpson's rope"
Simon Yates. I read one of his too - The Wild Within

Rosina wrote: "We actually met the chap who cut Joe Simpson's rope"

Like Hugh, I've read one of his books too, though can't remember which one now

Sounds like you got an amazing haul at the charity book table. Bravo.

Nigeyb wrote: "I also found Into Thin Air a gripping read. Indeed it inspired me to read lots more books about the subject and lots more about that specific tragedy. Sadly I cannot remember the ti..."

Thank you for opening this thread, Nigebyb! Like you, I read around the Everest 1996 disaster a bit after reading Into Thin Air - one of the other books I read was The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev. He was one of the specialist guides helping on the day and was criticised for some of his decisions and this book seemed to be his effort at setting the record straight. I felt sorry for him.

I don't know if you can have spoilers for a non-fiction book but just in case... (view spoiler)[It seemed to me significant that two of the people who died were the leaders of their relative expedition groups. They climbed up and down the mountain trying to help their various clients and I guess exhausted themselves. They would have been the owners of their companies and would have had their whole reputation riding on a successful season. (hide spoiler)]

Thanks Annabel. Yes, I read The Climb too. They’ve all merged in my memory now.

Another book from the same disaster - we have a copy, though I don't think I've read it - is Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest by another of the survivers, Beck Weathers.

I read those three books, too. Very enjoyable. I love the idea of climbing Everest but know my limitations. Closest I will come is seeing a photo of an old schoolmate at the base of Everest. He wasn't climbing but merely hiked to base camp.

I have yet to read :The Turquoise Mountain: Brian Blessed on Everest|6067278] by Brian Blessed, I bought this some time ago.

I didn't know about the Beck Weather's book. I will have to read it now. It's fascinating reading the sane event from different perspectives. For the same reason I read books about/by all the main protagonists of Scott's last expedition when I was in my Antarctic phase.

PS. It looks from my mobile view as though I completely messed up the spoiler html in my earlier post so apologies if so.

Oh and finally I also have a biography of Scott Fischer, one of the two expedition guises, which has been failing for months to progress from my To Be Read pile.

I read Touching The Void as well but somehow just found it suffered in comparison to ITA.

Jeffrey Archer's fictionalized account of George Mallory's Everest expedition,Paths of Glory.Not necessarily the best book,but an interesting one.