Kanchenjunga Challenge

by Paul Bauer

An account of two unsuccessful German expeditions to Kanchenjunga [Kangchenjunga] in 1929 and 1931. A third expedition in 1936 made the first ascent of Siniolchu, near Kangchenjunga. This post-war German book may have been published to capture the newly aroused interest in reading about mountaineering, after Annapurna and Ascent of Everest, just as after Krakauer's Into Thin Air there was a flurry of mountaineering books about expeditions that may not have found an audience in less aroused times. There is also a chapter on climbing in the Alps of Bavaria, and in the Caucasus. Hardcover, DJ spine faded, else, Near Fine.

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Bauer was born at Kusel in the Palatinate region of Germany. As a schoolboy, he first visited the Alps on a cycling tour through the Dolomites via Bolzano and Merano to Lake Constance.

His interest in climbing continued as he studied law in Munich. Travelling on a tight budget with friends he tackled many of the classic climbs in central Europe. In 1928 he visited the Caucasus with three friends, where they climbed to the summit of Dykh-Tau - second highest peak in Europe. In 1929 he led a team of nine German Mountaineers in a first attempt on Kangchenjunga.

In 1932 Bauer won a gold medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Am Kangehenzonga", an account of his 1931 attempt to climb the Himalayan peak Kangchenjunga. Following two failed attempts Bauer found it difficult to raise funds for a third attempt; the German public's attention now turned to Nanga Parbat. After the disastrous 1934 expedition, Bauer headed up a training climb in 1936 which found success on Siniolchu.