Stephen Venables

I am surprised that Stephen Venables is able to make a living as a moutaineer/writer if "A Slender Thread: Escaping disaster in the Himalaya" is a good example of his work. I just really didn't like his writing style, which made what should be a compelling and interesting story terribly boring. I couldn't get through this book, so maybe it improved by the time it got to the latter half.

Venables book is mostly about a giant fall he took while climbing in the Himalaya. (I just put this book down a few hours ago and I honestly can't even remember where this fall took place.) He talks about a gazillion other climbs along the way and is a huge name dropper -- this is a book that will appeal to someone who dwells in climbing circles, I think, but not to an arm chair adventurer.

I've read a lot of excellent books by mountaineers who also happened to be talented writers, and this book just really paled in comparison.… (más)

This large book records the history of the mountain from the 18th century to the successful first recorded climb to the summit in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hilary. It's widely accepted that George Mallory (although not surprisingly, not in this book) probably reached the summit in 1924, but as he did not make it back the climb is not counted as a success. His body was found, perfectly preserved, at 26800 ft in 1999, minus the items he took to place on the summit.

The best part of this book is the abundance of photographs from the Royal Geographical Society's vast Everest Archives. The Society joined forces with the Alpine Club in 1920 and were able to preserve most of the early photos. A list of climbers who have reached the summit is included. Unfortunately an index was not included, it would have been useful. But the photos, old and new, are stunning.… (más)

In To the Top: The Story of Everest, Steve Venables talks about the attempts different people, including himself, have made to summit Mt. Everest. In the introduction, the author provides a sneak preview of his own summit attempt, but before letting us in on the rest of the story, he tells us about other people who have also tried to climb Everest.

Venables writes about the various people who explored the area around Everest in the 1920’s. One of these explorers was George Mallory, a British climber and a schoolteacher, who tried to climb Everest in 1924. On June 6, Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, set out to reach the top but they never returned. Very little is known about what happened (it isn’t even known if they summitted) but in 1999 Mallory’s body was found, almost perfectly preserved. By looking at his bones, it is clear that he died in a horrible fall.

Steve Venables also tells the stories of other people who tried to make it to the top of Mt. Everest, including Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Venables shares their exciting adventure to become the first known people to summit Everest. There are also accounts of other Everest “firsts”: the first Americans to climb Everest, the first woman to climb to the top, the first people to climb Everest from different approaches, the first balloon crossing of Everest, etc.

Near the end of the book, the author returns to his own Everest attempt in 1988. He pioneered a new route to the top and in the process, he ended up being stranded on the mountain, at 28,000 feet, with no shelter. He survived but he lost three and a half toes to frostbite.

I’ve always been interested in mountaineering stories. Climbing to the top of Everest has no appeal to me, but I enjoy hearing other’s stories. To the Top: The Story of Everest gives a glimpse of what it must have been like for these climbers. I appreciate that Venables doesn’t just focus on himself, but he draws our attention to the victories that others have had on Everest. He also gives a good overview of the climbing history of this fascinating mountain. He includes many stunning photographs, as well as a map showing the various routes to the top, which really add to the text. Venables explains things well, but the photos really help to imagine what it might have really been like.… (más)