author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
In the early 1970s, the slopes of K2 were still relatively untouched. Although Italians had first set foot on the summit, American climbers considered it to be their mountain. Two expeditions in 1975 and 1978 produced a pair of expedition books that were oozing with drama and intrigue.
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In the last 35 years, Everest has entered a new era. Since 1992, the majority of Everest ascents have been made by clients and staff of commercial operators. Now, thanks to journalist Will Cockrell, this unique period has the history it deserves.
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In February 2020, a camera was found on a glacier in Argentina that revived a long-forgotten story of intrigue high on the slopes of Aconcagua. In 1973, two American climbers failed to return from an expedition to climb the Polish Glacier, and many people suspected that it was no ordinary climbing accident.
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George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappearance on Everest in 1924 is one of the most enduring myths in exploration history. If you’re new to it then Mick Conefrey’s latest book, Fallen, offers the best introduction you can find. If, like me, you think you’ve read it all, it’s a highly readable refresher offering sensible conclusions.
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I’ve lost count of the expedition accounts where the hardest route to the top is the only one worth considering, or where stronger climbers are cast as heroes and weaker ones clowns. All of these accounts were written by men, so it’s always refreshing to read a woman’s perspective.
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I’m only just starting to delve into the literature of the Black Cuillin, but I’ll be surprised if I come across a better book than this one. Erudite and poetic, yet marvellously accessible in places, this is simply a great book by a great writer.
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The two things I miss most since moving from London to the Cotswolds are live jazz and mountaineering lectures. Imagine my delight then, to learn that Kenton Cool would be giving a lecture about Everest a few fields away from where I live.
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There’s been a lot of hype about the new chatbot ChatGPT. If it can impersonate a real person, then it occurred to me that I could interview George Mallory and find out if he actually reached the summit of Everest in 1924. So I did, and here’s what happened.
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A few months ago someone recommended to me a lesser known volume in the Everest canon, written by Sherry B Ortner, an American anthropologist who spent over 30 years studying Sherpa culture, including fieldwork in the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal.
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In 1953, Jan Morris was the Times correspondent entrusted with sending the exclusive news that Everest had been climbed for the very first time. With rival journalists snooping around the Everest region, she decided to invent a secret code.
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