London, 1959, 1st edition. 238 pp, 19 plates. Hardcover with dust jacket. Jacked has some rubbing and minor wear on spine. Book is fine. Fine.
First ascent of this Karakoram peak by Banks and Patey in 1958. The story of the conquest of Rakaposhi, a 22.5 K foot giant of the Himalayas. Book One covers The British-American Karakoram Expedition of 1956 (failed) and Book Two The British-Pakistani Forces Himalayan Expedition of 1958 (success).
The story of the successful ascent of 22,5000 foot Radaposhi in the Himalayas in 1958. Also includes an account of his first unsuccessful attempt two years before. Both accounts told with '..crackling British wit..' On June 25th, 1958, one of the giant peaks of the world, 22,500-foot Rakaposhi, surrendered to human conquest.
The victors were two Britishers: Mike Banks, a captain in the Royal Marines, one of the first men to have explored both the Arctic regions and the Himalayas, and Tom Patey, a surgeon in the Royal Navy. Banks had challenged the summit two years earlier with another party, this book tells of both expeditions.
Rakaposhi is a mountain in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. It is situated in the Nagar Valley approximately 100 km north of the city of Gilgit. Rakaposhi means 'shining wall' in the local language. Räkaposi is notable for its exceptional rise over local terrain, almost unmatched in the world. For example, it rises 6000m in only 16.5km horizontal distance from the Hunza River.
There are magnificent views of Räkaposi from the Karakoram Highway on the route through Hunza. A tourist spot in the town of Ghulmat (located in the Nagar Valley) called 'Zero Point of Räkaposi' is the closest convenient view point of the mountain.
