author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
There’s been some controversy in mountaineering circles about the noble gas xenon after mountaineering operator Furtenbach Adventures announced that they’ll be offering it to their Everest clients. It’s entirely appropriate that somebody has got around to using a noble gas to aid in mountaineering, for reasons I will explain.
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Which of us hasn’t spent at least one night of our lives at a party sucking helium from a balloon in the hope of talking like Mickey Mouse? We marvelled how those balloons, containing a gas lighter than air, rose to the ceiling. What we didn’t realise was that what works for a balloon also works for people.
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I was sad to learn of the death of legendary photographer John Cleare in October this year. He was one of the best known and most respected climbing and mountaineering photographers of the last 50 years. Much to my surprise, he was a reader of this blog for over 10 years.
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In the last 35 years, Everest has entered a new era. Since 1992, the majority of Everest ascents have been made by clients and staff of commercial operators. Now, thanks to journalist Will Cockrell, this unique period has the history it deserves.
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George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappearance on Everest in 1924 is one of the most enduring myths in exploration history. If you’re new to it then Mick Conefrey’s latest book, Fallen, offers the best introduction you can find. If, like me, you think you’ve read it all, it’s a highly readable refresher offering sensible conclusions.
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You may be wondering why I’ve never written this blog post before. Now is as good a time as any. The universe of Everest literature is forever expanding and it’s not possible to reach its end. However, I’ve now travelled far enough to be confident of these eight books’ place in the celestial Everest pantheon.
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I’m happy to say that the next instalment of my diaries, The Everest Politics Show, is now available on Audible, Amazon and Apple Books, and will be available on other outlets such as Spotify very soon.
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I’ve recently been reading The Everest Years by Chris Bonington, during which he states that he was the 7th Brit to climb Everest. So who were the 7 and what were their stories?
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The title of Hamish MacInnes’s book Look Behind the Ranges is taken from Rudyard Kipling’s poem The Explorer about a man who is urged to cross the mountains behind his home by an inner voice. But what would Kipling’s explorer have made of Hamish MacInnes?
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The two things I miss most since moving from London to the Cotswolds are live jazz and mountaineering lectures. Imagine my delight then, to learn that Kenton Cool would be giving a lecture about Everest a few fields away from where I live.
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