Chris Bonington's literary contributions delve into the profound depths of human endurance and the spirit of adventure, particularly through the lens of Himalayan mountaineering. His writing is characterized by vivid portrayals of arduous challenges and the psychological fortitude required to overcome them. Bonington masterfully captures the raw beauty and inherent dangers of extreme environments, offering readers a unique perspective into the climber's mindset. His work stands as a testament to the triumph of human determination against overwhelming odds.
An account of the Greenland expedition undertaken by Bonnington and Knox-Johnston. Travelling in the famous wooden yacht "Suhaili", they pooled their mountaineering and sailing skills to navigate to, and then climb, the peaks of the uninhabited, ice-bound East Greenland coast.
"Here [Bonington] describes his climbing beginnings as a teenager as well as successful ascents all over the world: the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Frèney, the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1962, Annapurna II in 1960 and in an unhappy expedition in 1961, Nuptse, the third peak of Everest. ..."--Back cover
In this collection of stories, Chris Bonington looks at the adventurous impulse which has driven men and women to achieve the impossible in the face of Earth's elements - crossing its oceans, deserts and poles; canoeing its rivers; climbing its mountains; and descending into its caves.
Joe Simpson, with just his partner Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000 foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured, crawling through the snowstorm in a delirium. Far from causing Joe's death, Simon had paradoxically saved his friend's life. What happened, and how they dealt with the psychological traumas that resulted when Simon was forced into the appalling decision to cut the rope, makes not only an epic of survival but a compelling testament of friendship.
The autobiography of one of the world's greatest climbers, in one volume for the first time.
Adrenaline Classics continues to bring to the fore the work of the father of modern mountaineering, the celebrated climber and writer, Sir Chris Bonington. Everest—The Unclimbed Ridge is a genuine classic of Everest literature, a book that series editor Clint Willis calls "the real climber's Into Thin Air." Bonington and coauthor Charles Clarke tell the story of Bonington's most tragic expedition—a bold attempt on the fearsome Northeast Ridge of Everest. This is the expedition that killed two of Bonington's closest friends—two young men who were part of mountaineering's greatest generation; Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman set out one morning and never made it back. With 24 black-and-white photos and spectacular, edge-of-your-seat climbing, the book offers some of the most moving and powerful moments in modern mountaineering writing. "This was an epic, groundbreaking ascent by one of the most talented teams ever to hit the Himalaya."—Stephen Venables (author of Everest: Alone at the Summit)
"The south west face of Everest has never yet been conquered. The greatest unclimbed challenge in the world remains to test the limits of man's courage, skill and audacity. In the autumn of 1972, cutting manpower and equipment to a minimum, Chris Bonington led an all-British team, including Hamish MacInnes and Dougal Haston, in an attempt to climb the south west face. After overcoming seemingly impossible conditions and circumstances, they established five camps and were almost within reach of the summit when they were forced to abandon the attempt because of the intense cold and jet-stream winds. Day-by-day tape-recorded and written diaries give a true picture of the ebb and flow of emotions and the complex interplay of problems. This is the authentic and frank record of what Lord Hunt in his foreword calls 'one of the great stories of our time'" -- Back cover.
A photographic autobiography with theme-setting essays and extended captions that depict the author's complete mountaineering career plus other adventurous exploits with which he has been associated. Blue Nile, volcano climbing in Equador, trips in the Arctic and Antarctic. As it spans a period of 30 years there are also interesting manifestations of changing styles, appearances, etc. In the essays Chris Bonington discusses the climbs in detail and the motivations that have kept him active in this dangerous pursuit for so long.
