London, 1976, 1st UK edition. 239 pp, 80 color photos. Hardcover with dust jacket. The book and the dust jacket are in excellent condition, both are Very Fine.
This copy is SIGNED on the reverse side of the front enpaper (FEP). The endpapers have excellent aerial photos of the South West Face of Everest, so Peter SIGNED on the first blank page. Rather than have his signature face a blank page, the book has a two sided color image on the frontispiece.
Of the four climbers who summited on this, the last major Everest expedition led by Chris Bonington, Pertemba is the only one still alive as of summer 2024. Wikipedia has a nice entry on him. It goes without saying that Boardman and Tasker, despite writing two wonderful books each, were always in the Himalaya when the books were published, so both their signatures are exceedingly rare.
Peter Boardman was 25 years old on Everest, and 32 when he died with Joe Tasker in 1982, again on an Alpine style Everest climb with Chris Bonington. They died two years before I became a bookseller, and eight years before I started collecting signatures of authors and climbers. Had they lived I am sure I would have hunted them down to sign the books they wrote, and much else.
This was the first ascent of Everest by a Briton, after many expeditions dating back to Mallory's day. The team saw success on SW Face of Everest by Dougal Haston and Doug Scott; Mick Burke summited and died. Two days later, on September 29, 1975, Peter Boardman and Pertemba also reached the summit. It was the first time that Englishmen reached Everest's summit.
When Chris Bonington and his team set out to climb the South West face of Everest they were attempting the ultimate challenge of mountaineering - to conquer the steepest and highest face in the world. This text provides an account of their experiences during the climb.
When Chris Bonington and his team set out in August 1975 to climb the South West face of Everest they were attempting the ultimate challenge of mountaineering - to conquer the steepest and highest face in the world.Two months later, overcoming daunting physical conditions and massive psychological pressures, the lead climbers scaled 1000 sheer feet of the previously unconquered Rock Band to reach the summit - the hard way.
Drawing on first-hand accounts of his fellow climbers, Chris Bonington portrays the tensions, emotions and, on one occasion, bitter personal tragedy behind one of the most spectacular ascents in the history of climbing. A second chance; it's the South West face; picking the team; the approach march (2 August - 16 August); from Khumde to Base Camp (17 August - 25 August); the ice fall (22 August - 27 August); the Western Cwm (28 August - 1 September); avalanches and debate (2 September - 6 September); a new site for Camp 4 (7 September - 10 September); up the Great Central Gully (10 September - 15 September); Camp 5 (15 September - 19 September); through the Rock Band (20 September); poised for the top (21 September - 22 September); the summit (23 September - 25 September); success and tragedy (25 September - 26 September); clearing the mountain (27 September - 30 September).
