Everest, The Unclimbed Ridge

There are numerous stories of tragedy connected with Mt. Everest. Sometimes they're coupled with triumph, but this account of the 1982 British Expedition to climb Everest's Northeast Ridge offers little in the way of solace. A small team, climbing without oxygen and packing their own gear, tackles a route that would not be successfully climbed until 1995. One team member suffers a stroke and is forced to leave the mountain altogether. Efforts to place shelters and equipment high on the mountain leave another too exhausted to continue, and the remaining two disappear on their summit bid.

That's the short version of the history. The book is more than just an account of the expedition, though. As with all good mountaineering books, it show more helps us get to know the players and feel their hopes and fears, their elation and pain as they undertake one of the toughest physical and mental challenges to which people apply themselves. Bonnington and Clarke do a good job of bringing the expedition to life. If you're interested in the subject, you can't go wrong with this title. show less

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 show more attempt. show less

A diary style account of the 1982 attempt on the as-yet unclimbed North East Ridge of Everest. This included the tragic loss of Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman, which came as such a stunning blow at the time. Typical Bonington writing, full of self doubts and all the aggravation. You feel, in a way, as though you were there witnessing it all, suffering with the team.....