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At dusk on 24 September 1975, Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to reach the summit of Everest as lead climbers on Chris Bonington's epic expedition to the mountain's immense south-west face. As darkness fell, Scott and Haston scraped a small cave in the snow 100 metres below the summit and survived the highest bivouac ever - without bottled oxygen, sleeping bags and, as it turned out, frostbite.
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On 30 January, 1981 Joe Tasker and Ade Burgess stood at 24,000 feet on the west ridge of Mount Everest. Below them were their companions, some exhausted, some crippled by illness, all virtually incapacitated. Further progress seemed impossible. Everest the Cruel Way is Joe Tasker's story of an attempt to climb the highest mountain on earth - an attempt which pushed a group of Britain's finest mountaineers to their limits. The goal had been to climb Mount Everest at its hardest: via the infamous west ridge, without supplementary oxygen and in winter.
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"It’s a preposterous plan. Still, if you do get up it, it’ll be the hardest thing that’s been done in the Himalayas." Thus spoke Chris Bonington when Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker presented him with their plan to tackle the unscaled West Wall of Changabang - the Shining Mountain - in 1976. Bonington’s was one of the more positive responses; most felt the climb impossibly hard, especially for a two-man, lightweight expedition.
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Excellent
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In early May 2006, a young British climber named David Sharp lay dying near the top of Mount Everest while forty other climbers walked past him on their way to the summit. A week later, Lincoln Hall, a seasoned Australian climber, was left for dead near the same spot. Hall's death was reported around the world, but the next day he was found alive after spending the night on the upper mountain with no food and no shelter.
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Utterly full of journo speak
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The Climb is a true, gripping, and thought-provoking account of the worst disaster in the history of Mt. Everest: On May 10, 1996, two commercial expeditions headed by experienced leaders attempted to climb the highest mountain in the world, but things went terribly wrong...
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One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. This is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.
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Exceeded expectations
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Penguin Audio presents The Push by Tommy Caldwell, read by Johnathan McClain. A dramatic, inspiring memoir by legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell, the first person to free climb the Dawn Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan. On January 14, 2015, Tommy Caldwell, along with his partner, Kevin Jorgeson, summited what is widely regarded as the hardest climb in history Yosemite's nearly vertical 3,000 foot Dawn Wall, after 19 days on the route. Caldwell's odds-defying feat was the culmination of an entire lifetime of pushing himself to his limits as an athlete.
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The Push by Tommy Caldwell
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Touching the Void
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Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
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Fantastic listen/read
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Above the Clouds
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The most accomplished mountain runner of all time contemplates his record-breaking climbs of Mount Everest in this profound memoir - an intellectual and spiritual journey that moves from the earth’s highest peak to the soul’s deepest reaches.
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Good book but maybe not the best audiobook
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Summary
Hear Sir Chris Bonington's extraordinary story, read by Gordon Griffin.
His memoir, Ascent, charts not only his many triumphs in the climbing world - such as the Eiger and the Himalayas - but also the struggles he has faced in his life bringing up a family and maintaining a successful and loving marriage over the decades of travelling the world to conquer mountains.
He has undertaken 19 Himalayan expeditions, including four to Mount Everest, which he climbed in 1985 at the age of 50, and has made many first ascents in the Alps and greater ranges of the world. Along the way his many adventures have included meeting the mercurial Dougal Haston, the legendary-tough Don Whillans, the philosopher of the rock Stephen Venables and the enigmatic Doug Scott, plus many more.
Ascent is a memoir like no other - a timely and uplifting narrative for anyone who has ever dreamed of adventure.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-12-17
Ascent
I've read about a number of Sir Chris Bonington's mountaineering expeditions but this book offers so much more than an account of such trips. Indeed, to write this book he must have experienced an intense adventure into his own soul. No stone is left unturned as Sir Chris writes about moments of great joy, fear, love and loss. It really is an incredible life which has been led but he does not hold back when considering the impact upon his family, accepting that ultimately the life of a serial adventurer must be a selfish one. Also for someone who is considered a kind of action hero it is perhaps reassuring to find that he has often lacked confidence and felt insecure, both as a young boy and later in life. The journey from extreme mountaineering to struggling to look after his Wife during her illness is sobering and make it very clear that his true loyalties were always closer to home. The narration was very good being soft and easy to listen to. I didn't find it difficult to picture the great man as I listened to it on my drive into work. I have always believed that Sir Chris' life has inspired millions around the world to seek joy in the natural environment and the company of friends. I am sure that this great book will continue to do this.
5 people found this helpful
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- C. Hart
- 17-01-18
Disappointing
I finished this book unconvinced that Bonnington had actually tried give an honest account of his character. The public persona of a nice chap, and his constant reference to the great love and friendship of those around him seem to be at odds with the way in which all of these were ditched immediately when the next opportunity for a jolly came along. And this is where this fails as an autobiography. I moved between admiration of someone not taking a conventional route in life, but then lost this as no recognition was apparent that he was only able to do this as he is from a privileged background. Bach to admiration of someone who managed to turn his hobby into a way of avoiding work in the real world, which of course those not born into such privilege dream of, but without a real understanding of how lucky he had been. A man who wanted the freedom to follow his own path, but also wanted the conventional things such as wife and family but no real care for the impact this freedom had on them. I therefore finished without clear understanding of the man, which is surely the point of an autobiography.
11 people found this helpful
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- WayneB
- 29-11-18
Life lived to the extreme!!
Very much enjoyed reading - fascinating life full of extreme challenges, successes, failures & tragedies. Extraordinary person's life story honestly told.
2 people found this helpful
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- Georgia Henderson
- 31-10-18
Really brilliant autobiography
Really interesting and well written and narrated, I wouldn’t even say you have to be a massive mountaineering buff to enjoy this.
2 people found this helpful
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- Meatball
- 15-06-18
Moving and uplifting
I have read just about everything the author has written, this throws a poignant sidelight on these earlier writings. An uplifting book with a fascinating twist at the end.
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-05-18
A journey from the heart
I started this book a few weeks ago after 5 minutes I turned it off... thinking I'd made a mistake in my purchase as it just wasn't gripping me... I was bored 1 night so tried the book again and I'm so pleased I did... it is a full on emotional rollercoaster filled with full detailed accounts of the adventures of Chris's life... the highs the lows the happiness and of course the sadness.. 10/10
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-04-18
Fantastic account of a life lived
Chris Bonington is not only a brilliant climber , expedition leader and explorer but also a fantastic writer. A true tale of life , love and loss . Nobody could ever say Chris didn’t live to the full . A real kick up the backside for the negative.
2 people found this helpful
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- Nigel Moffet
- 05-04-18
Adventure all the way through.
This book is well written, descriptive and a easy listening. Puts you on the rock faces and you feel the cold. A gentleman with a soft heart, soul and morals. Fantastic.
1 person found this helpful
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- Marbo
- 04-01-18
A joy
At first I didn’t like the reader, expecting to hear the familiar Bonington voice. But Gordon Griffin does a masterful job, sensitively and convincingly. Bonington retells the same old tales with a wonderful freshness then goes on to surpass the heights of the mountains he has climbed, telling a story of youthful vigour and aging frailty and love. An inspiration.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jonesey
- 12-11-17
What a man... truly inspirational.
As a non climber I found this biography of an incredible man inspirational. Very well narrated.
1 person found this helpful