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London, 1969, 1st UK edition. 286 pp, 16 ills. Hardcover, DJ, Fine. This copy is SIGNED by Eric Shipton on the title page. ERIC SHIPTON 1907 - 1977 This is Eric Shipton's autobiography; it is his only major book not included in the 6 book collection. Eric Shipton is unquestionably one of the greatest mountain explorers of the twentieth century, and was the first to develop the concept of lightweight, self-reliant expeditions, so important to mountaineering today. Shipton is perhaps best-known for his part in five Everest expeditions, and it is his legacy to have paved the way for the historic 1953 ascent. Many of the regions in which he travelled - Everest, Garhwal Himalaya, the Karakorams and Chilean Patagonia - still remain remote challenges today.
Having honed his skills in the Alps as a young man, Shipton made the second ascent of Mount Kenya in 1929 and began his famous partnership with Bill Tilman in the first traverse of that massif in 1930. These climbs set a new benchmark in unsupported mountain travel. A year later he took part in the first ascent of Kamet, and in 1933 was a member of the Everest expedition in which he made one of the highest ascents to date with Frank Smythe. These were large heavyweight expeditions, and Shipton quickly realised that huge mountain areas were still to be explored and that much could be achieved at negligible cost. It was this vision that took him and Tilman to the Garhwal Himalaya, where, in 1934, they were the first people ever to enter the enigmatic Nanda Devi Sanctuary, in a six-month, wide-ranging expedition that cost a mere £200.
This achievement inspired the Mount Everest Committee, then with limited funds at its disposal, to appoint Shipton to lead the 1935 Everest expedition. Shipton was keen to demonstrate how much could be done with one-tenth the budget of the previous 1933 mission and just a fraction of the disruption caused to the local countryside. The 1935 expedition will stand as simply one of the greatest mountain explorations of all time, reaching the North Col for a late season reconnaissance and then climbing twenty six peaks over 20,000ft around the northern perimeter of Everest in an unsurpassed extravaganza of peak bagging. On more than one occasion they looked over the watershed into Nepal and onto the Western Cwm, which sixteen years later Shipton showed was the final route to the top of Everest. All this was achieved with a party of seven westerners and a group of Sherpas, who included his three companions in Nanda Devi, and the young Tenzing Norgay on his first Everest climb. As well as Shipton himself and Tilman, the team of seven westerners included the New Zealand ice expert, Dan Bryant. Shipton's liking for Bryant led him to accept Hillary and his fellow Kiwis onto his 1951 reconnaissance.
Shipton went on to take part in both the 1936 and 1938 Everest attempts, and make his great Karakoram journeys in 1937 and 1939. Having spent much of the war in Kashgar in Central Asia as a diplomat, he used this position to make remarkable journeys in the mountains of this remote region, many with his old companion Tilman. In 1950-51 he led an attempt on Cho Oyu, and the reconnaissance of Everest from the South. The small party, which included the young Hillary, discovered the route to the summit, and mirrored the 1935 expedition in the enormous amount of new country explored. One of Shipton's many journeys uncovered the now notorious yeti's footprint photographed next to an ice axe. This team, and the expedition he led to Cho Oyu the following year, were the foundation for the 1953 team, but it was Shipton's fate to be unwelcome for that historic year.
Shipton's later explorations took him to new ground in the then unexplored regions of Southern Chile. Amongst many other achievements, he made the first traverses of the Patagonian ice cap, and the first ascent of several peaks in Tierra del Fuego, including the highest, now called Monte Shipton. His adventures carried on almost to the day he died in 1977, the same year that Tilman disappeared at sea. Ths Shipton Biography above is from the website: everest2006.co.uk Eric Shipton's Mountaineering highlights 1922–1973 from Wikipedia Some of the minor expeditions that Shipton made, often with Tilman, are covered in his two books Upon That Mountain and That Untravelled World. Neither one was reprinted in the Six Volume collection. 1922: Visited Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees with his family 1924: Mountain walking in the Jotunheimen (Norway) with Gustav Sommerfelt 1924 December: Guided ascent of the Gross Lohner and the Tschingelochtighorn above Adelboden 1925: Guided up Monte Disgrazia & first Alpine season in the Dauphiné guided by Elie Richard 1926: Second season with Elie Richard 1927: Climbed in French ranges then completed several major climbs including Zmutt Ridge 1928: Traversed Matterhorn, climbed major peaks in Alps 1929: Explored Mount Kenya then made first ascent of Nelion by east face and several other climbs 1930: Climbed on Kilimanjaro with Bill Tilman 1930: Climbed again making first ascents on Mount Kenya during which Tilman fell and had to be lowered unconscious from the face. 1931: First ascent of Kamet with Frank Smythe, then Shipton took part in 8 more first ascents in the Arwa Valley region 1932: Climbed Mount Speke, Mount Baker, and Mount Stanley in the Ruwenzori with Bill Tilman 1933: Joined Hugh Ruttledge's unsuccessful Mount Everest expedition after which several nearby peaks were climbed 1933 July: Attempted crossing the Lasher Plain to Sikkim, climbed Lhonak Peak. 1934: With Tilman were the first to gain access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, the party then explored the Badrinath range, then returned to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary where they made the first ascent of Maiktoli before leaving via the Sunderdhunga Col. 1935: Led the Everest Reconnaissance Expedition which included Bill Tilman who was unable to acclimatise although the party made the first ascent of twenty 20,000 ft. peaks in the Everest region. Shipton gave a 19 year old Tenzing his first opportunity as a 'porter' when he was taken on in Darjeeling. This expedition finally got as proper book in 2005. 1936: Joined a second Ruttledge-led attempt on Everest then returned to survey the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, then climbed in the region of the Rhamini Glacier crossing the Bagini Pass 1937: Joined Tilman on the Shaksgam Expedition, exploring and mapping the northern approaches to K2. ''Blank on the Map'' expedition. 1938: Another abortive attempt on Everest with Tilman as leader. Tilman's book was delayed until 1948 by WW2. 1939: Led The Karakoram Survey Expedition 1941: Climbed in the Kashgar Range 1942: Climbed and explored Bogdo Ola Group 1947: Explored Tushuk Tash and discovered Shipton's Arch, attempted Muztagh Ata with Tilman? 1948: Explored Bogdo Ola Group, attempted Chakar Aghil 1951: Led the Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition of that year, making a first attempt from Nepal, in the party for the first time was the young Ed Hillary 1952: Led the unsuccessful Cho Oyu Expedition, after which eleven Mountains were climbed to the west of Nangpa La 1957: Led the Imperial College Karakoram Expedition, surveying five glaciers in the process 1958: Explored at the heads of Lago Viedma & Lake Argentino; climbed peak above Onelli Glacier in Argentine Patagonia 1959: Expedition up the O'Higgins Glacier to the foot of Cerro Lautaro 1960: Crossed the Southern Patagonia Ice Field in 52 days 1962: Crossed the Cordillera Darwin making the first ascents of Cerro Yagán and Mount Darwin's three peaks; Unsuccessful attempt on Monte Burney 1963: Second abortive attempt on Monte Burney, then ascended Monte Bove and Pico Francés 1964/5 Starting from the San Rafael Glacier crossed the Northern Patagonia Ice Field to the Cochrane River, making the first ascent of Cerro Arco in the process. 1966: Unsuccessful attempt on the East Ridge of Mount Russell in Alaska 1973: Made first ascent of Monte Burney Via West Spur
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