Sacred Summits: Kangchenjunga, the Carstensz Pyramid, and Gauri Sankar
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Mountaintops have long been seen as sacred places, home to gods and dreams. In one climbing year Peter Boardman visited three very different sacred mountains. He began on the South Face of the Carstensz Pyramid in New Guinea. This is the highest point between the Andes and the Himalaya, and one of the most inaccessible, rising above thick jungle inhabited by warring Stone Age tribes.
During the spring Boardman made a four-man, oxygen-free attempt on the world's third highest peak, Kangchenjunga. Hurricane-force winds beat back their first two bids on the unclimbed North Ridge, but they eventually stood within feet of the summit – leaving the final few yards untrodden in deference to the inhabiting deity. In October, he climbed the mountain most sacred to the Sherpas: the twin-summited Gauri Sankar. Renowned for its technical difficulty and spectacular profile, it is aptly dubbed the Eiger of the Himalaya and Boardman's first ascent took a gruelling twenty-three days.
Three sacred mountains, three very different expeditions, all superbly captured by Boardman in Sacred Summits, his second book, first published shortly after his death in 1982. Combining the excitement of extreme climbing with acute observation of life in the mountains, this is an amusing, dramatic, poignant and thought-provoking book.
Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker died on Everest in 1982, whilst attempting a new and unclimbed line. Both men were superb mountaineers and talented writers. Their literary legacy lives on through the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, established by family and friends in 1983 and presented annually to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature.
Peter Boardman
Peter Boardman was born on Christmas Day in 1950 and became one of Britain’s most-respected high altitude mountaineers. He was a mountaineering instructor at Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms, and National Officer of the British Mountaineering Council before being appointed Director of the International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland. He was part of Chris Bonington’s 1975 Everest expedition, made an almost impossibly difficult ascent of Changabang with Joe Tasker in 1976 and went on to climb Kangchenjunga and to attempt to summit K2, being beaten back by poor weather and exhaustion. Mount Kongur followed in 1981 and, in March 1982, in a small expedition with Chris Bonington, Joe Tasker and Dick Renshaw, he attempted the previously unclimbed and highly difficult North East Ridge of Everest, where he and Joe Tasker tragically lost their lives. Peter and Joe left two legacies. One was their great endeavour, their climbs on high peaks with bold, lightweight innovative methods, the second and more lasting achievement is the books they wrote and left behind. Peter's talent for writing emerged through his climbing career. The success of his first book The Shining Mountain was immediate in the climbing world and won him wider acclaim with the John Llewelyn Rhys Memorial Prize for literature in 1979. Sacred Summits, published shortly after his death, described the climbing year of 1979, the trips to New Guinea, Kangchenjunga and Gaurisankar. The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature was established in Pete and Joes’ honour, and is presented annually to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. For more information about the Boardman Tasker Prize, visit: www.boardmantasker.com
Read more from Peter Boardman
The Shining Mountain: The first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sacred Summits: Kangchenjunga, the Carstensz Pyramid, and Gauri Sankar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Sacred Summits
Related ebooks
Ascent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Call of Everest: The History, Science, and Future of the World's Tallest Peak Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fatal Mountaineer: The High-Altitude Life and Death of Willi Unsoeld, American Himalayan Legend Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Savage Arena: K2, Changabang and the North Face of the Eiger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kingdoms of Experience: Everest, the Unclimbed Ridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bold and Cold: A History of 25 Classic Climbs in the Canadian Rockies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreaking Trail: A Climbing Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Hours on Everest: The gripping story of Mallory and Irvine’s fatal ascent Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mountain Madness:: Scott Fischer, Mount Everest, and a Life Lived on High Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last Great Mountain: The First Ascent of Kangchenjunga Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Everest & Conquest in the Himalaya: Science and Courage on the World's Highest Mountain Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To The Top of Denali: Climbing Adventures on North America's Highest Peak Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yosemite In the Sixties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ghosts of K2: The Race for the Summit of the World's Most Deadly Mountain Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Beckoning Silence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Man's Climb: A Journey of Trauma, Tragedy and Triumph on K2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everest 1951: The Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everest the Cruel Way: The audacious winter attempt of the West Ridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEverest: Alone at the Summit: The first British ascent without oxygen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life Lived Wild: Adventures at the Edge of the Map Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In Some Lost Place: The first ascent of Nanga Parbats Mazeno Ridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Climbing Mt. Whitney Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ascent of Nanda Devi: I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmong Secret Beauties: A Memoir of Mountaineering in New Zealand and Himalayas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ogre: Biography of a mountain and the dramatic story of the first ascent Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage: The great mountaineering classic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wild Within Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Outdoors For You
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Survive Off the Grid: From Backyard Homesteads to Bunkers (and Everything in Between) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/552 Prepper Projects: A Project a Week to Help You Prepare for the Unpredictable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bushcraft Illustrated: A Visual Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Survival Hacks: Over 200 Ways to Use Everyday Items for Wilderness Survival Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bushcraft First Aid: A Field Guide to Wilderness Emergency Care Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles: Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sailing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Birth of The Endless Summer: A Surf Odyssey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nuclear War Survival Skills: Lifesaving Nuclear Facts and Self-Help Instructions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pocket Guide to Essential Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Most Important Knots for Everyone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUltimate Survival Hacks Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Survive Anything: From Animal Attacks to the End of the World (and Everything in Between) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emergency Survival Manual: 294 Life-Saving Skills Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pocket Guide to Prepping Supplies: More Than 200 Items You Can?t Be Without Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Sacred Summits
4 ratings0 reviews