Tents in the Clouds: The First Women's Himalayan Expedition

by Monica Jackson, Elizabeth Stark

One of the few regions of the earth's surface hitherto unexplored is the Jugal Himal -a far-flung section of the Nepal Himalaya. Recently three women -a London housewife, a Lanarkshire speech therapist and a doctor from near Glasgow -pooled their resources, flew to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, and investigated this remote and romantic region. Their modest expedition made headline news, for not only was the work they undertook considerable scientific value, but their expedition was the first composed only of women to venture into the Himalayas. This book, written by two of the three member team is the record of a tremendous adventure.

In the course of their travels , the authors made the first ascent of an unknown peak of over 22,000 feet, subsequently named by them Gyalgen. They planned, and achieved, an ambitious programme including several trips over passes, up valleys, investigating the flora and fauna the most inaccessible area in the world. Their dealings with the Sherpas who accompanied them are described with humour and zest....

Genres: Womens, Travel, Mountaineering, Sports, Nonfiction

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Donna Nincic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. While the climbing passages were a bit beyond me sometimes (I don't climb) I loved their matter-of-fact, modest and often wry, self-deprecating and humorous (and very British!) descriptions of their journey. Cold, discomfort and hardship fade with a cup of tea and there is no denying their joy and wonder at the beauty of the mountains. There is no agonized inward-obsessed personal journey or self-discovery in these pages; no gloating at a successful "1st" - just very good adventure from three women who did something wonderful and managed not to take themselves too seriously along the way.

[Kara Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

While other readers complained about the pace of the book being too slow, I absolutely loved that pace. This book is rich in describing day-to-day what mountaineering was like in the 1950s in Nepal and what it was like to be woman mountaineers commanding an expedition supported by Sherpas. Mountain climbing isn't all about non-stop excitement, it's often slow and reflective, something this book captures perfectly. It's an anthropological study as much as it is a mountaineering book and an excellent historic read.

[Siffy Torkildson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman's mountaineering expedition in 1956. Three impressive mountaineers travel to an unknown region of the Himalaya and explore, map and climb this region of the Jugal Himal, up to over 21,000 feet, with several Sherpas. Told from the perspective of two of the climbers. Everyone gets along well and the women are inspiring still today, over sixty years later!

[Corey D Harrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about the first all-woman expedition in the Himalayas. At the end of the book there is a listing of 253 drugs,first aid equipment, and medical instruments taken on the expedition I found really interesting.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sharply written adventure!

[Katieroses · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book. I love mountains and who couldn't resist a book about women climbing, especially before women really were acknowledged as explorers.

I rated this book so low because it was really quite...boring! I struggled to pick it up and read through the pages. The book was written in a way that read like someone's day-to-day diary. You heard what it was like at camp, and what the sherpas did, and what they ate, etc. But I never got a great sense of what it was like to be out exploring, to be the first one to a place, to name glaciers, correct maps and be among mountains. The writing was not poetic or inspiring.
They mention photographs throughout the entire expedition, but hardly show any of these.

I wish I could have rated it higher, but it was a great thing these women accomplished. I admire their efforts and wise decisions they encountered with no males telling them what to do.

[lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incrdibly inspiring as these women accomplish the first all woman expedition in the Himalayas. I was inspired to read this after hearing a woman tell their tail 50 years later as she was raising the funds to repeat their journey.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous British understatements at their best and an interesting look at the 1955 all-woman expedition.

[Anyrock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gelezen in het nl. Aanvankelijk kon ik er niet goed inkomen, maar uiteindelijk was het net een spannend jongensboek. Het idee dat ze deze beklimming al in 1955 ondernemen...

[William Stites · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding. Great writing. Sense of humor in an adventure book!