Everest: Reflections From the Top

by Christine Gee (Editor), Garry Weare (Editor)

On 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first ever to set foot on the highest point on earth: the summit of Everest. It was a magical moment, news of which flashed round the globe. Since then many men and women have striven to reach the top of this awesome mountain, which can be at once beautiful and mystical, unpredictable and highly dangerous, never straightforward and always incredibly tough. In this timely and remarkable book, published to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the original ascent, mountaineers from all round the world tell what motivated them to make their own summit bids. They highlight how it felt to reach the top of Everest and the impact it made on them, ranging from practical comments to personal spiritual reflections, to philosophical statements on the future of our planet, including thought-provoking contributions from climbers such as:Chris Bonington Alan Hinkes Eric Simonson Michael Groom Reinhold Messner Jamling Tenzing Norgay Bear Grylls Greg Mortimer Junko Tabei Peter Hillary Doug Scott Stepohen VenablesNot only is this a fascinating and insightful collection to mark half a century of the highest adventure, it is also an inspiration to any one of us when we contemplate heroic achievements of our own - whatever they may be.

Genres: Travel

164 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed that some of the reflections were not actually from the top; including my favourite mountaineer Stephen Venables. Poor work editors. Also there were only about five illustrations and they were repeated a lot in the book. It was interesting to see that some people thought of practicalities only and some had much more spiritual experiences. There were overall many more moving and emotional reflections than mundane ones. also reading the book in 2020 means it's 13 years out of date and while it was good to have a 50th anniversary book it now sounds very outdated as it often reports figures of how many people have ascended or died.

[Leesa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, lovely, inspiring and interesting read. Only down fall is I would have preferred it to be in date order.

[Ravi :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could hear and feel the sheer pleasure of climing, being with the mountains and the happiness, the joy, the pleasure, the pain of sitting on top of the world for few mins, few ehours...
RESPECT!! The Nature, God, Almighty... and the inspirations one derive to be on the top and which made them a different person.. a different human being, a few who made to the top..!!

[Fareeha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational ~!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘you do not conquer mountains, but sneak up and down when nature has her back turned’
- Bronco Lane

[Blaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humbling

[Gareth Culshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Pocket size. Perfect for when your mind is troubled by something. Keep everything in perspective. Brilliant. Some fantastic points of view by people who have walked up this beast.