WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING GENERAL SPORTS WRITING AWARD, BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS WINNER OF THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE MOUNTAIN & WILDERNESS PRIZE, BANFF FESTIVAL WINNER OF THE TONY LOTHIAN AWARD, BIOGRAPHERS’ CLUB For the first time, drawing upon previously unseen diaries and letters, rare archive material and interviews, Everest – The First Ascent tells the remarkable story of Griffith Pugh, the forgotten team member whose scientific breakthroughs ensured the world’s highest mountain could be climbed. A doctor and physiologist, Griffith Pugh revolutionised almost every aspect of British high-altitude mountaineering, transforming the climbers’ attitude to oxygen, the clothes they wore, their equipment, fluid intake and acclimatisation. Yet, far from receiving the acclaim he was due, he was met with suspicion and ridicule. His scientific contributions were, quite simply, at odds with old-fashioned notions of derring-do and the gentlemanly amateurism that dogged the sport. Later in his career, his impact in helping athletes enhance their performance lasts to this day in the fields of cycling, swimming and running. This insightful biography shows Pugh to be troubled, abrasive, yet brilliant. Eight years in the writing, closely researched, and told with unflinching honesty by Pugh’s daughter, Harriet Tuckey, Everest – The First Ascent is the compelling portrait of an unlikely hero.

By the author of the New York Times bestselling Everest: Mountain Without Mercy, this chronicle of the iconic first American expedition to Mt. Everest in May 1963 – published to coincide with the climb's 50th anniversary­ – combines riveting adventure, a perceptive analysis of its dark and terrifying historical context, and revelations about a secret mission that followed. In the midst of the Cold War, against the backdrop of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the space race with the Soviet Union, and the quagmire of the Vietnam War, a band of iconoclastic, independent-minded American mountaineers set off for Mt. Everest, aiming to restore America's confidence and optimism. Their objective is to reach the summit while conducting scientific research, but which route will they take? Might the Chinese, in a public relations coup, have reached the top ahead of them? And what about another American team, led by the grandson of a President, that nearly bagged the peak in a bootleg attempt a year earlier? The Vast Unknown is, on one level, a harrowing, character-driven account of the climb itself and its legendary team of alternately inspiring, troubled, and tragic climbers who suffered injuries, a near mutiny, and death on the mountain. It is also an examination of the profound sway the expedition had over the American consciousness and sense of identity during a time when the country was floundering. And it is an investigation of the expedition's little-known outcome: the selection of a team to plant a CIA surveillance device on the Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi, to spy into China where Defense Intelligence learned that nuclear missile testing was underway. From the Hardcover edition.

Account of the 1984 Indian expedition which included Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb the Everest.

Celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the first ascent to Mount Everest's peak, photographs from the climber's personal collection display the landscapes and difficulties faced by the team before finally reaching the summit.

CLICK HERE to download a sample from Everest 1953 In the only book to tell the real story of Everest 1953, Mick Conefrey reveals that what has gone down in history as a supremely well-planned attempt was in fact beset by crises -- both on and off the mountain. To succeed, team leader Colonel John Hunt and his team had to draw on unimaginable skill and determination, as well as sheer British ingenuity. Everest 1953 is not only a gripping true story of courage and adventure, but a fascinating window into the media contest to cover this seminal event in coronation year. The Times had exclusive access to the team, but the Daily Mail and other papers used subterfuge and shenanigans to get their scoops. Revealing the answers to long-enduring controversies -- did Tenzing or Hillary actually reach the top first? -- and exploring the legacy of this great ascent, it is the perfect way to commemorate a year of British sporting triumph.

The author describes his solo climb of the world's highest mountain and briefly discusses the history of past expeditions

Everest, The Mountaineers Anthology Series, Volume 4 contains extraordinary insights into the early attempts, successes, disasters, and noteworthy moments including accounts from Tom Hornbein, Jim Whittaker, Frank Smythe, Eric Simonson, Reinhold Messner, and many other legendary climbers. The authors give their personal accounts of the challenges and traumas that await all those who would climb to the top of the world. Offers a great introduction to the history of Everest.

"What transformed pure physical delight into something deeper was the fact that no-one had been here before..." Discover the fascinating stories of the men and women who have scaled the world's highest peaks. Featuring accounts of some of the world's most treacherous mountain climbs, this amazing collection covers the ascent of Mont Blanc in the 1780s, the golden age of alpine climbing which saw the Matterhorn and the Bietschhorn conquered, as well as the climbing of the great summits of the Americas and the Himalayan peaks, Everest and Annapurna. First Ascent is a unique survey of human achievement and a tribute to the adventurous spirit of mountaineers past and present.

Soaring in height to 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level, Mount Everest is a geographical giant. Ever since it was established that the mountain is indeed the tallest in the world humans have tried to tame it. The terrain is treacherous, the weather unpredictable, and the atmospheric conditions extreme; danger of injury, illness, delirium, and even death is ever present. Despite this, over the last 90 years, hundreds of men and women have attempted this perilous journey to the peak, and many have lived not only to tell the tale, but bask in the warm glory of the fame that this achievement naturally brings with it. But it is more than a quest for fame that drives ordinary people to undertake this most extraordinary challenge of all. For people like George Leigh Mallory and the men of his generation the challenge was not just personal, they were attempting to scale the mountain on behalf of humanity. It was 29 years after Mallory?s disappearance in 1924 that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to stand on the peak of Mount Everest. The mountain, it seemed, could be tamed. Those who came after were driven by a variety of reasons, but whatever their motivation, each of the climbers included in this book overcame extraordinary odds to reach the top of the world?s tallest mountain. In the process not only did they create history, they also shattered stereotypes to redefine the limits of possibility.

Published in association with the Royal Geographic Society, Alpine Club and Everest Foundation, this is the official publication celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest in 1953. It puts the first successful ascent into context - detailing the adventures and deaths on the north face pre World War II and the planning after the war that was nearly curtailed by a Swiss expedition in 1952. Written by a member of the original Hunt team - George Band (who went on to climb the lower but much harder peak Kangchenjunga) - the book contains details, photographs and material donated by team members and the RGS.