London, Hutchinson, 1986, 1st edition. 249 pp, color photos. Hardcover with dust jacket. Near Fine.
Mal Duff's 1985 Everest NE Ridge expedition attempted the same route that killed Tasker and Boardman. They reached 8,000 meters, and the team included Kurt Diemberger and Julie Tullis.
The 1985 Pilkington Everest Expedition, led by Mal Duff, attempted the unclimbed treacherous North East ridge. Diemberger and Julie Tullis served as the film team for this expedition. The previous attempt, led by Chris Bonington in 1982, ended following the deaths of Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker. This route was finally climbed recently.
This is a very accessible account of a second British attempt to summit Everest via the North East ridge organized by Malcolm Duff in 1985. A previous attempt in 1982 led by Chris Bonington (see Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge by Chris Bonington for more information about that attempt) had resulted in the tragic loss of two climbers, Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman.
Since the author of the book, Andrew Greig, had only recently begun climbing, we are initiated into the inner world of the British mountaineering society at almost the same time that he is being initiated.
This account focuses on the inter-relations among the diverse personalities of the climbers recruited for this attempt. In addition, to the authors first hand accounts and summaries of the various stages involved in organizing an expedition of this magnitude, we are given numerous journal entries from the other participants.
This is an important dimension that is not always found in other books of this type. Typically, books on mountaineering are written by a single author even though numerous individuals have been involved in the climb. In this book, we are not limited to the author's opinion of how some of the other members were affected. Rather we can understand how they responded to the demands being placed on them in their own words.
Another interesting aspect deals with how this diverse group of people come together to work as a team and how they are haunted by the memory of Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman. While no one in this group summited, personal bests for highest point attained were set by most of the participants. For those that climbed into the Death Zone there was the realization that they were able to function at that level without supplemental oxygen. The book is very enjoyable and accessible. The commercialization of Everest has become a much debated topic since the tragic events of 1996. This book shows us what Everest was like prior to the hand-held guided tours that seem to be so favorable today.
