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The Hunt for Mount Everest
"This book would be enjoyed by those seeking knowledge of Everest beyond the
climbing narratives, as well as those who appreciate the details of navigation and exploration."
— Booklist
The height of Mt. Everest was first measured in 1850, but the closest any westerner got to Everest during the next 71 years, until 1921, was 40 miles. The Hunt for Mt. Everest tells the story of the 71-year quest to find the world's highest mountain. It's a tale of high drama, of larger-than-life characters-George Everest, Francis Younghusband, George Mallory, Lord Curzon, Edward Whymper-and a few quiet heroes: Alexander Kellas, the 13th Dalai Lama, Charles Bell.
A story that traverses the Alps, the Himalayas, Nepal and Tibet, the British Empire (especially British India and the Raj), the Anglo-Russian rivalry known as The Great Game, the disastrous First Afghan War, and the phenomenal Survey of India - it is far bigger than simply the tallest mountain in the world. Encountering spies, war, political intrigues, and hundreds of mules, camels, bullocks, yaks, and two zebrules, Craig Storti uncovers the fascinating and still largely overlooked saga of all that led up to that moment in late June of 1921 when two English climbers, George Mallory and Guy Bullock, became the first westerners-and almost certainly the first human beings-to set foot on Mt. Everest and thereby claimed the last remaining major prize in the history of exploration.
With 2021 bringing the 100th anniversary of that year, most Everest chronicles have dealt with the climbing history of the mountain, with all that happened after 1921. The Hunt for Mt. Everest is the seldom-told story of all that happened before.
climbing narratives, as well as those who appreciate the details of navigation and exploration."
— Booklist
The height of Mt. Everest was first measured in 1850, but the closest any westerner got to Everest during the next 71 years, until 1921, was 40 miles. The Hunt for Mt. Everest tells the story of the 71-year quest to find the world's highest mountain. It's a tale of high drama, of larger-than-life characters-George Everest, Francis Younghusband, George Mallory, Lord Curzon, Edward Whymper-and a few quiet heroes: Alexander Kellas, the 13th Dalai Lama, Charles Bell.
A story that traverses the Alps, the Himalayas, Nepal and Tibet, the British Empire (especially British India and the Raj), the Anglo-Russian rivalry known as The Great Game, the disastrous First Afghan War, and the phenomenal Survey of India - it is far bigger than simply the tallest mountain in the world. Encountering spies, war, political intrigues, and hundreds of mules, camels, bullocks, yaks, and two zebrules, Craig Storti uncovers the fascinating and still largely overlooked saga of all that led up to that moment in late June of 1921 when two English climbers, George Mallory and Guy Bullock, became the first westerners-and almost certainly the first human beings-to set foot on Mt. Everest and thereby claimed the last remaining major prize in the history of exploration.
With 2021 bringing the 100th anniversary of that year, most Everest chronicles have dealt with the climbing history of the mountain, with all that happened after 1921. The Hunt for Mt. Everest is the seldom-told story of all that happened before.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 26, 2023
A new take on Everest, which I truly enjoyed.
The book, unlike others, begins years before the first expedition and ends in 1921. A history of all that came before the first expedition to the mountain. There is the story of the men who first saw the mountain as they surveyed India. The political upheaval, for and against, an expedition. The introduction of the scientist and mountaineers. Also included is a great introduction to the world inside Nepal and Tibet before it was open to the world. The last 1/3 of the book covers the first trek the led to discovering where the mountain actually was.
Before the mountain can be climbed, it must be found
The only person, that I know of, celebrated for this feat is Mallory. This book tells of everyone who has involved in this discovery-from the surveyor who first glimpsed the top of Everest during the the first survey of India, to all the men who actually took part and the politicians who fought for and against the expedition.
A short informative book that I can recommend to those who enjoy adventure and history.
The book, unlike others, begins years before the first expedition and ends in 1921. A history of all that came before the first expedition to the mountain. There is the story of the men who first saw the mountain as they surveyed India. The political upheaval, for and against, an expedition. The introduction of the scientist and mountaineers. Also included is a great introduction to the world inside Nepal and Tibet before it was open to the world. The last 1/3 of the book covers the first trek the led to discovering where the mountain actually was.
Before the mountain can be climbed, it must be found
The only person, that I know of, celebrated for this feat is Mallory. This book tells of everyone who has involved in this discovery-from the surveyor who first glimpsed the top of Everest during the the first survey of India, to all the men who actually took part and the politicians who fought for and against the expedition.
A short informative book that I can recommend to those who enjoy adventure and history.
February 28, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover on this one!
Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of the early explorers of Mt. Everest was limited. After reading this book, I feel like I have climbed mountains along with these "characters". This author did such an amazing job of making the history of Everest and its early explorers come alive. I was engaged throughout and often couldn't wait to pick up the book and dive back into the story. The only disappointment for me was that there were no photos in my review copy. I assume there will be in the final copy, just a bit of a bummer for us ARC readers. 🤷🏻♀️
**ARC Via NetGalley**
May 5, 2025
This was interesting. A little too much info at times and I skipped a couple chapters that focused on the various wars.
March 22, 2021
This history of Mount Everest's early years in the public imagination is nonfiction at its finest!
The average reader may know a little about the 20th/21st century story of Everest... the summit conquered, the lives claimed, the burgeoning waste and crowding problems. A reader may know about George Mallory, one of the first and most famous climbers who lost his life on the mountain in the 1920's. Most histories of Everest would begin with him.
But in a fascinating rewind, this book treats Mallory as the end of the story, a story decades in the making, in which Everest is all but invisible to human eyes.
And it all begins with math. For decades, no Westerner could approach the mountain closer than about 100 miles due to the political restrictions enforced by Nepal and Tibet. And it's so remote that very few Easterners had ever gotten close to it either. From Darjeeling, India, on a clear day, the tip of Mount Everest could be seen, although it looks lower from there than other mountains due to the curvature of the earth. This book describes the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, a British project that took most of the 19th century to complete.
The calculations that led to the discovery, the frustrating attempts to get closer, the clandestine forays into Tibet, the fights and bloodshed that changed the political landscape, the countless feats of human strength and derring-do, and the humanizing of those early explorers all make for absolutely compelling reading. (I still want to know how close Alexander Kellas got in 1913!) The Googling kept me up late at night.
The book focuses mostly on the all-consuming goal of getting to the mountain, with all the bravery and persistence that required. But it also drops in a few thought-provoking observations about why these men were so driven to reach it. The spirit of exploration ("we climb it because it's there") was at its zenith, but there were some darker philosophies at work too. The author notes that it was "imperial hubris" that supported the British in their attitude that they must be the finders, climbers, and conquerors of the mountain. And one of the most ardent explorers described it as an effort to dispel "the ridiculous idea of the littleness of man." Yes, there's much to think about here.
I could have done with a little condensing of the political context, but this book was well written and gripping throughout. Easily one of the best works of nonfiction I've read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US for this advance review copy!
The average reader may know a little about the 20th/21st century story of Everest... the summit conquered, the lives claimed, the burgeoning waste and crowding problems. A reader may know about George Mallory, one of the first and most famous climbers who lost his life on the mountain in the 1920's. Most histories of Everest would begin with him.
But in a fascinating rewind, this book treats Mallory as the end of the story, a story decades in the making, in which Everest is all but invisible to human eyes.
And it all begins with math. For decades, no Westerner could approach the mountain closer than about 100 miles due to the political restrictions enforced by Nepal and Tibet. And it's so remote that very few Easterners had ever gotten close to it either. From Darjeeling, India, on a clear day, the tip of Mount Everest could be seen, although it looks lower from there than other mountains due to the curvature of the earth. This book describes the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, a British project that took most of the 19th century to complete.
The calculations that led to the discovery, the frustrating attempts to get closer, the clandestine forays into Tibet, the fights and bloodshed that changed the political landscape, the countless feats of human strength and derring-do, and the humanizing of those early explorers all make for absolutely compelling reading. (I still want to know how close Alexander Kellas got in 1913!) The Googling kept me up late at night.
The book focuses mostly on the all-consuming goal of getting to the mountain, with all the bravery and persistence that required. But it also drops in a few thought-provoking observations about why these men were so driven to reach it. The spirit of exploration ("we climb it because it's there") was at its zenith, but there were some darker philosophies at work too. The author notes that it was "imperial hubris" that supported the British in their attitude that they must be the finders, climbers, and conquerors of the mountain. And one of the most ardent explorers described it as an effort to dispel "the ridiculous idea of the littleness of man." Yes, there's much to think about here.
I could have done with a little condensing of the political context, but this book was well written and gripping throughout. Easily one of the best works of nonfiction I've read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US for this advance review copy!
October 11, 2021
One of my dirtiest secrets is that I love to read books about white dudes doin' an explore. I mean, most of the time I prefer to read about the ones that go horribly wrong, true (see my recent review of Madhouse at the End of the Earth), but that miasma of adventure and exploration that wafts off of the Victorian and Edwardian eras will sometimes just lodge itself into my brain and stick there. One of the most enjoyable things about this dirty secret, however, is that recently, there have been a glorious spate of books about all this - let's face it - colonialism that have been told with a wink and a nod, openly calling out all the horrible shit these dudes did and allowing themselves to be each their own lesson on why it is, in fact, a bad look to march into someone else's home and ask, "But do you have a flag?" They tell the undeniably interesting stories and histories from a more aware perspective, which, in my opinion, only makes those tales of adventure all the more riveting. And kind of funny. Schadenfreude is a bitch.
This was not one of those books.
Normally, these types of books fall into two categories: the one I mentioned above, the modern, culturally-aware kind that manages to sneak in a couple of laughs; or, of course, the Good Old Boys, the stories that glorify all the pillaging the British Empire and its questionable mustaches did. The Hunt for Mount Everest was... neither. It seemed to come from a modern point of view where obviously the starchy invasion of countries where the people were just fine without your so-called civilizing influence is a bad thing. But it also seemed to come from a place of almost willful naiveté when it came to the impact that the Raj and indeed the whole idea of "exploring exotic lands" might have had on the Himalayan region. The best example I can give is that, in a section about naming (or, more accurately, ignoring the well-established Tibetan name of Chomolunga that the British definitely knew about but were just racist enough to pretend that they were doing the local people some kind of favor when they renamed) Mount Everest, Craig Storti presents first-hand sources and accounts of contemporary research into the name of the mountain, and then explains how the British were kind of just like, "Yeah, but nah," without making a single comment about this colonial pattern of behavior. No opinion, no investigation, no nothing. Just, as they say, the facts, ma'am.
You can't write a book like this... like that. What that says to me is that you're trying to avoid what you, the author, feel might be a political landmine, or might alienate some readers, or you're genuinely not well-informed enough to have an opinion about. If that's the case, then you really don't have any business, in the year of sweet lord 2021, writing a book about Mount Everest. First of all, it's been done. Second of all, if aversion to inflammatory topics is your excuse, then you're complicit, and if it's because you aren't well-informed enough on the topic, it is literally your job to ask. You're literally writing a book on the topic.
So yeah. This definitely didn't sit right with me and when I realized I was half of the way in and it was still reading like an introduction, I came to the conclusion that the problem was more integral than the plot itself was. Two stars because the historical facts are, indeed, very thorough. It just rings more than a little hollow, man.
This was not one of those books.
Normally, these types of books fall into two categories: the one I mentioned above, the modern, culturally-aware kind that manages to sneak in a couple of laughs; or, of course, the Good Old Boys, the stories that glorify all the pillaging the British Empire and its questionable mustaches did. The Hunt for Mount Everest was... neither. It seemed to come from a modern point of view where obviously the starchy invasion of countries where the people were just fine without your so-called civilizing influence is a bad thing. But it also seemed to come from a place of almost willful naiveté when it came to the impact that the Raj and indeed the whole idea of "exploring exotic lands" might have had on the Himalayan region. The best example I can give is that, in a section about naming (or, more accurately, ignoring the well-established Tibetan name of Chomolunga that the British definitely knew about but were just racist enough to pretend that they were doing the local people some kind of favor when they renamed) Mount Everest, Craig Storti presents first-hand sources and accounts of contemporary research into the name of the mountain, and then explains how the British were kind of just like, "Yeah, but nah," without making a single comment about this colonial pattern of behavior. No opinion, no investigation, no nothing. Just, as they say, the facts, ma'am.
You can't write a book like this... like that. What that says to me is that you're trying to avoid what you, the author, feel might be a political landmine, or might alienate some readers, or you're genuinely not well-informed enough to have an opinion about. If that's the case, then you really don't have any business, in the year of sweet lord 2021, writing a book about Mount Everest. First of all, it's been done. Second of all, if aversion to inflammatory topics is your excuse, then you're complicit, and if it's because you aren't well-informed enough on the topic, it is literally your job to ask. You're literally writing a book on the topic.
So yeah. This definitely didn't sit right with me and when I realized I was half of the way in and it was still reading like an introduction, I came to the conclusion that the problem was more integral than the plot itself was. Two stars because the historical facts are, indeed, very thorough. It just rings more than a little hollow, man.
July 28, 2021
An engaging and comprehensive overview of early English attempts to scout and climb Everest. Any good historical nonfiction must make history come alive, and Storti succeeds by showing both the deeds and personalities of the principal actors. The history concludes with the British 1921 expedition--I would have happily kept reading had the book covered the subsequent expeditions. Small nitpicks are that I'm not sure about calling Younghusband a "hero" or using the masculine pronoun for Jan Morris even in a historical context. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
April 28, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If you're interested in the history of mountaineering, exploration, or Mount Everest, this is definitely a book for you. It takes a narrower view than I was expecting - it focuses on the time period between when Everest was first measured in 1850, to when the first westerner expedition actually reached the mountain in 1921. Everest wasn't actually summited until 1953, so if you're expecting to see names like Hillary and Norgay in this book, they're not within the focus.
I definitely learned a lot - I had zero knowledge of this topic before reading this, so everything was new information for me. Some of the historical figures were really interesting, especially Francis Younghusband and Alexander Kellas - I would seek out further books on them in the future. The hubris and imperialism of the time are on full display, of course.
In terms of writing, this was matter-of-fact and dry - the author wastes no time and dives right into the subject matter, and it's presented in a very straightforward manner. I do think that having a pre-existing interest in the subject would make this a more entertaining read, instead of just an educational one.
If you're interested in the history of mountaineering, exploration, or Mount Everest, this is definitely a book for you. It takes a narrower view than I was expecting - it focuses on the time period between when Everest was first measured in 1850, to when the first westerner expedition actually reached the mountain in 1921. Everest wasn't actually summited until 1953, so if you're expecting to see names like Hillary and Norgay in this book, they're not within the focus.
I definitely learned a lot - I had zero knowledge of this topic before reading this, so everything was new information for me. Some of the historical figures were really interesting, especially Francis Younghusband and Alexander Kellas - I would seek out further books on them in the future. The hubris and imperialism of the time are on full display, of course.
In terms of writing, this was matter-of-fact and dry - the author wastes no time and dives right into the subject matter, and it's presented in a very straightforward manner. I do think that having a pre-existing interest in the subject would make this a more entertaining read, instead of just an educational one.
March 26, 2024
I had written this review originally for NetGalley, at https://www.netgalley.com/book/217770...
Standing tall—taller than everything else on the planet—and aloof, there was a mountain, mighty and majestic, unknown to the humans for the best part of their history. It still stands tall—in fact a bit taller than before—but is no longer left alone; besieged by thousands of people willing to risk their lives just to set foot on its summit, Mount Everest is the most famous mountain on earth today. The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti tells the story of this transformation from obscurity to renown, from the moment when some British surveyors on the hills near Darjeeling in British India trained their theodolites on this blotch on the horizon a hundred-odd miles away, up to the day seventy-one years later when a group of mountaineers and explorers stood at the foot of this colossus.
Situated on the Tibet-Nepal border, Mount Everest was inaccessible to the western explorers—particularly to the British rulers of the neighbouring India—due to political considerations. But that did not deter some enterprising individuals, drawn by the irresistible allure of the mountain, from doing all that was possible to find it, reach it and climb it. The account of these efforts is full of absorbing drama, political intrigue and espionage, wars and treaties, acts of cleverness and foolishness, feats of determination and endurance, and a lot of breath-taking adventure. Spanning across several decades and featuring an eclectic cast of characters—some well-known, like Sir Francis Younghusband, Lord Curzon and George Mallory, and some unsung, like Alexander Kellas, Sir Charles Bell and Guy Bullock—The Hunt for Mount Everest is a magnificent picture set on the immense canvass of the Himalayas.
While much has been written about Mount Everest and the attempts to climb it, beginning with the first attempt in 1921, there is little publicised information about the decades prior to that, and this book fills that void pretty nicely. In addition to telling the Everest story, the author generously touches upon the history of mountaineering itself—beginning with alpine climbing in late eighteenth century—providing a detailed background to the core of this book.
Backed by meticulous research and written in an appealing prose, The Hunt for Mount Everest is an essential read for all those who love mountains, mountaineering and adventure in general. My heartfelt thanks to Craig Storti, Nicholas Brealy Publishing and NetGalley, for the privilege to read and review the e-ARC of this engaging and enlightening work.
Standing tall—taller than everything else on the planet—and aloof, there was a mountain, mighty and majestic, unknown to the humans for the best part of their history. It still stands tall—in fact a bit taller than before—but is no longer left alone; besieged by thousands of people willing to risk their lives just to set foot on its summit, Mount Everest is the most famous mountain on earth today. The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti tells the story of this transformation from obscurity to renown, from the moment when some British surveyors on the hills near Darjeeling in British India trained their theodolites on this blotch on the horizon a hundred-odd miles away, up to the day seventy-one years later when a group of mountaineers and explorers stood at the foot of this colossus.
Situated on the Tibet-Nepal border, Mount Everest was inaccessible to the western explorers—particularly to the British rulers of the neighbouring India—due to political considerations. But that did not deter some enterprising individuals, drawn by the irresistible allure of the mountain, from doing all that was possible to find it, reach it and climb it. The account of these efforts is full of absorbing drama, political intrigue and espionage, wars and treaties, acts of cleverness and foolishness, feats of determination and endurance, and a lot of breath-taking adventure. Spanning across several decades and featuring an eclectic cast of characters—some well-known, like Sir Francis Younghusband, Lord Curzon and George Mallory, and some unsung, like Alexander Kellas, Sir Charles Bell and Guy Bullock—The Hunt for Mount Everest is a magnificent picture set on the immense canvass of the Himalayas.
While much has been written about Mount Everest and the attempts to climb it, beginning with the first attempt in 1921, there is little publicised information about the decades prior to that, and this book fills that void pretty nicely. In addition to telling the Everest story, the author generously touches upon the history of mountaineering itself—beginning with alpine climbing in late eighteenth century—providing a detailed background to the core of this book.
Backed by meticulous research and written in an appealing prose, The Hunt for Mount Everest is an essential read for all those who love mountains, mountaineering and adventure in general. My heartfelt thanks to Craig Storti, Nicholas Brealy Publishing and NetGalley, for the privilege to read and review the e-ARC of this engaging and enlightening work.
October 27, 2021
This book really, really caught my imagination. It is also quite amazing, that at least some of the very first people to attempt an exploration and ascent of Everest also had a way with words.
The descriptions that they have left us, when they first set their eyes on the majestic mountain - from as far back as Darjeeling (when it is merely a distant blur on the horizon) , right down to standing at the foot of the mountain - are so evocative , that I couldn’t but help create a picture in my mind too.
One can only speculate how it must have really felt like, to those who actually experienced it for the first time, in flesh and blood.
The descriptions that they have left us, when they first set their eyes on the majestic mountain - from as far back as Darjeeling (when it is merely a distant blur on the horizon) , right down to standing at the foot of the mountain - are so evocative , that I couldn’t but help create a picture in my mind too.
One can only speculate how it must have really felt like, to those who actually experienced it for the first time, in flesh and blood.
Want to read
September 23, 2022Thanks to Net Gallery for the Amazing Book.
Something exhilarating about this wonderful book-
Something you have always taken for granted is cast in a new light -
How did they ever even find the path onto the summit of Everest?
For someone who knew absolutely nothing about the history of the discovery of Everest this book was rich in detail and nuance with fascinating history - it’s also beautifully written so a joy to read and rather like going up a mountain as we finally get to meet Mallory the trail picks up new zest and after the early foothills one suddenly just can’t put the book down - and once I’d read it once I went straight back and reread it - it was so good - enjoy!
Something exhilarating about this wonderful book-
Something you have always taken for granted is cast in a new light -
How did they ever even find the path onto the summit of Everest?
For someone who knew absolutely nothing about the history of the discovery of Everest this book was rich in detail and nuance with fascinating history - it’s also beautifully written so a joy to read and rather like going up a mountain as we finally get to meet Mallory the trail picks up new zest and after the early foothills one suddenly just can’t put the book down - and once I’d read it once I went straight back and reread it - it was so good - enjoy!
June 30, 2022
The Hunt for Mount Everest documents the 70 year history from the measurement of Mt. Everest in 1850 to the expedition in 1921, when westerners came closest to Mt. Everest, about 40 miles. It would be another 30 years until George Mallory and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest.
After the 1921 expedition, explorer Francis Youngblood wrote:
Out of all the passages in The Hunt for Mount Everett, this one affected me most.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer documents the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. After a surprise snowstorm, six climbers didn’t make it back to their camp. When the storm finally passed, five of them were dead and the sixth climber was so badly frostbitten that his right hand had to be amputated.
In the epilogue, Krakauer quoted a Sherpa orphan who lost his parents on climbing expeditions:
Both these passages refer to doom, but while Younghusband views doom positively in terms of man’s growing “wisdom and stature,” the Sherpa orphan views it negatively in terms of desecrating ‘Sagarmatha.’
After the 1921 expedition, explorer Francis Youngblood wrote:
The doom of Everest is sealed, for the simple and obvious reason that man grows in wisdom and stature, but the span of mountains is fixed … This doom can be seen to be relentlessly closing in on Everest.
Out of all the passages in The Hunt for Mount Everett, this one affected me most.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer documents the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. After a surprise snowstorm, six climbers didn’t make it back to their camp. When the storm finally passed, five of them were dead and the sixth climber was so badly frostbitten that his right hand had to be amputated.
In the epilogue, Krakauer quoted a Sherpa orphan who lost his parents on climbing expeditions:
I never have gone back to my homeland because I feel it is cursed. My ancestors arrived in the Solo-Khumbu region fleeing from persecution in the lowlands. There they found sanctuary in the shadow of 'Sagarmathaji' [aka Mt. Everest, literally “mother of the oceans”] …In return they were expected to protect that goddesses’ sanctuary from outsiders. …
But my people went the other way. They helped outsiders find their way into the sanctuary and violate every limb of her body by standing on top of her, crowing in victory, and dirtying and polluting her bosom. … even the Sherpas are to blame for the tragedy of 1996 on 'Sagarmatha.' I have no regrets of not going back, for I know the people of the area are doomed, and so are those rich, arrogant outsiders who feel they can conquer the world."
Both these passages refer to doom, but while Younghusband views doom positively in terms of man’s growing “wisdom and stature,” the Sherpa orphan views it negatively in terms of desecrating ‘Sagarmatha.’
June 30, 2023
This book begins where all the other Everest books inevitably began. The book ends with the story of its first expedition in 1921 and George Mallory, one of the first and most famous climbers to lose his life on the mountain. And the history of all that came before the first expedition to the mountain
November 22, 2024
The book vividly covers the story behind the exploration of the giant mountain. It covers holistically the contributions of individuals who strived to know the unknown and make it known for the public.
November 16, 2023
“It’s likewise worth remembering, as more than one colonial wag put it, that the reason the sun never set on the British Empire is because God didn’t trust the British in the dark.”
March 15, 2024
Print, borrowed, BDL
This was such a fascinating read! It was a great addition to my pile of Mt Everest books and fed my current obsession perfectly. What I loved about this story was that it focused very little on the actual first climbs of the great mountain. Instead, it was all about the various people who were involved in locating it in the first place. The highest peak in the Himalayas was “discovered” (of course the Tibetans and Nepalis had always known of it’s existence) from a post in India in 1852, but it was another 70 years before anyone set eyes on its base.
Not only did I learn a lot about the Himalayas, but this book also stoked my curiosity about the colonization of India and nearby regions. I had never heard of the Great Game between the Russians and the British, so that was also fascinating to me.
I wish there would have been maps included and maybe a timeline/list of “characters”. I definitely wouldn’t pass a quiz if you asked me exactly who did what during this adventure. All in all, a great read.
This was such a fascinating read! It was a great addition to my pile of Mt Everest books and fed my current obsession perfectly. What I loved about this story was that it focused very little on the actual first climbs of the great mountain. Instead, it was all about the various people who were involved in locating it in the first place. The highest peak in the Himalayas was “discovered” (of course the Tibetans and Nepalis had always known of it’s existence) from a post in India in 1852, but it was another 70 years before anyone set eyes on its base.
Not only did I learn a lot about the Himalayas, but this book also stoked my curiosity about the colonization of India and nearby regions. I had never heard of the Great Game between the Russians and the British, so that was also fascinating to me.
I wish there would have been maps included and maybe a timeline/list of “characters”. I definitely wouldn’t pass a quiz if you asked me exactly who did what during this adventure. All in all, a great read.
January 27, 2022
A book to keep in your collection. Well researched, well organized and and superbly narrated. Even the thesis of the book which ends in 1921, "where all other Everest books begin" is well chosen and unique.
December 7, 2024
I find mountaineering pointless, and never seek out books about it, to the extent that when I can't get sleep, I start reading one of my husband’s many Jon Krakauers:I find them so boring that I drift off in minutes. I stayed up till 1 am to finish this book, and as you can see from the 5 star rating, that would be even higher if that were possible, this book has changed my mind about writing on mountaineering! It's even changed my mind about mountaineering as a sport- I still think it's pointless but I'm less inclined to scoff at those who don't think that!
Storti traces the start of people's interest in mountaineering, with colonialists reaching ever more isolated parts of the globe. He brings out the state of mind of so-called empire builders, who wanted to show the extent of dominion over the most far flung parts of their conquered territories, mountains being an integral part of them. It didn’t really begin that way-the Industrial Revolution saw an increase in interest in people going to the countryside on walks specifically on weekends, to get some fresh air away from the smoke and dust of industrial towns, and mountaineering ended up being an extension of that. This wasn’t a difficult hobby and attracted men of all classes-in the beginning at least. Storti frames this activity in terms of erasing class distinctions, that it was interesting to read of, and his accounts of Edward Whymper and that catastrophic ascent of the Matterhorn are well written. Having given you a short history of mountaineering, what motivates these men and the formation of the Royal Geographic Society, Storti shifts to the scene of the action-India. As the reach of the British East India Company grew in the early 19th Century, they needed to know the extents of their borders, and territories, leading to the Survey of India with its hundreds of indefatigable surveyors and mappers, armed with their theodolites and Victorian instruments ( and potted biographies of interesting people involved, such as George Everest). They started mapping the heights as well, and one particular smudge on the horizon at Darjeeling warranted a closer look, just because it seemed to be more than cloud, but also seemed impossibly high. Storti details the painstaking observations and measurements taken, and the calculations done by the team of computers led by Radhenath Sikdar, headquartered at Calcutta, who had to use hundreds of observations to compute their measurements ( I now understand the entire point of what we used to call a compass box at school, and all those fiddly instruments like set squares, protractors and the entire point of trigonometry-our school syllabi having been decided by what was useful for Victorians and never updated, nor explained to us-if my maths teacher had said that the point of learning sine and cosine was to be able to map the extent of the Deccan Plateau, or the height of K2, I would have been a lot more engaged). Over a period of 4 years, they checked and re-checked their calculations, and there it was-the highest part of the world. Now all they had to do was actually figure out where it was and how to get there. Storti even makes the way it was named interesting-among the only peaks in the world to not be known by its local name, because nobody could get close enough to it to find out what the locals called it!
It seems obvious now, but before Everest could be climbed, it had to be mapped, and before it could be classified, other mountains had to be measured. And even before that, you had to actually see these mountains. My idea of a mountain range before reading this book, was rather like a child’s drawing of a landscape, with a plain and a triangular mountain leaping out of it. Cataclysmic changes in geology don’t happen that way, and the crashing of the Indian subcontinent into Asia, that happened over hundreds of millions of years, flung up huge parts of land, in a series of towering ranges. These were hard to access and given their stupendous heights, hard to even see ( anyone who’s been taken as a child to Darjeeling’s Tiger Hill at the crack of dawn, with the promise of seeing the sun rise over Kanchenjunga, only to see a mass of clouds will attest to this). These were known of, right from the time of Marco Polo, and an 18th century map by a French geographer, based on a Qing dynasty atlas presented to Louis XV, also made mention of a very tall mountain called Tchomour Langma. Tibet and Nepal, by the 18th Century, had sealed off from foreigners, coinciding with the boom (such as it was) in exploration and mountaineering, so the places from where these peaks could be seen the most clearly were out of limits to explorers. Not to colonialists though, or people who said they were acting in interests of national defence. Here’s where the next set of people are introduced, including Younghusband, and the Great Game. To quote from Hopkirk’s ‘The Great Game’, when the encounter began, the frontiers of Russia and British India lay some 2000 miles apart. By the end, the gap had shrunk in places to 20 miles. Both Britain and Russia wanted buffer states between their respective territories, with unfortunate consequences for regions in their path, and in the case of Afghanistan, unfortunate consequences for the British who tried to attack them! Tibet and Nepal’s policies infuriated the British-how could these regions bordering India refuse to passively acquiesce to British control? A cassus belli had to be found, which was a minor brawl among Tibetan shepherds on the border -surely an act of aggression against the Indian subcontinent. What follows is a harrowing account of the British invasion of Tibet-a well-equipped modern army fighting against a sparsely populated country that had shut itself to the modern world and believed in the power of amulets blessed by the Dalai Lama for victory in war. The victory of the British meant that a treaty was forced on Tibet, by Younghusband, who included an innocuous-seeming clause that allowed the British to map the farthest reaches of Tibet. The route to mapping Everest had now been secured.
The next section of the book is about the expedition to map the route surrounding Everest, and the mountaineers who were going to attempt to climb it. The writing is deeply objective-Tibet isn’t portrayed as an ideal society, but the injustices of colonialism and the complete lack of respect for territorial boundaries by the colonisers are not elided either. Finally, the last section is about the first attempt at finding a way to Mt.Everest, so enter Mallory. This book was illuminating about the deep association the mountain with Mallory, though he wasn’t the first to successfully summit. To quote from the book about their associations with the peak
“Hillary became a celebrity. Mallory became a myth.”
Apart from Mallory though, an influential mountaineer who laid a lot of the groundwork for the expedition and conducted pioneering research on the use of oxygen for mountaineering ( apart from taking the help of the Sherpa people for mountaineering, and naming them in all his accounts of his travels-a obvious thing to do but not so obvious to early 20th Century explorers) was Alexander Kellas, and Storti writes movingly of this self-effacing, dedicated man who’s been overshadowed by the larger than life personalities associated with the peak. Storti explores the obsessive focus on the ascent of Mt.Everest for a nation devastated by war, and desperate to prove their success at some astounding feat of exploration, the Poles having slipped away from their gasp.
I started this book warily, as I’ve mentioned, I find mountaineering of no value. I finished it wanting to read every single book in the bibliography hes mentioned, including the ones on mountaineering! This book to me represents the best of travel writing- a keen sense of history and interest in the geography of the places being written about, which can sometimes get lost when writers are more focussed on the travails of the explorers being written of, a sense of what drove these men, the venial politics behind the decisions of colonial administrators, with enough of adventure and derring-do for the vicarious adrenaline junkie within all of us.
Storti traces the start of people's interest in mountaineering, with colonialists reaching ever more isolated parts of the globe. He brings out the state of mind of so-called empire builders, who wanted to show the extent of dominion over the most far flung parts of their conquered territories, mountains being an integral part of them. It didn’t really begin that way-the Industrial Revolution saw an increase in interest in people going to the countryside on walks specifically on weekends, to get some fresh air away from the smoke and dust of industrial towns, and mountaineering ended up being an extension of that. This wasn’t a difficult hobby and attracted men of all classes-in the beginning at least. Storti frames this activity in terms of erasing class distinctions, that it was interesting to read of, and his accounts of Edward Whymper and that catastrophic ascent of the Matterhorn are well written. Having given you a short history of mountaineering, what motivates these men and the formation of the Royal Geographic Society, Storti shifts to the scene of the action-India. As the reach of the British East India Company grew in the early 19th Century, they needed to know the extents of their borders, and territories, leading to the Survey of India with its hundreds of indefatigable surveyors and mappers, armed with their theodolites and Victorian instruments ( and potted biographies of interesting people involved, such as George Everest). They started mapping the heights as well, and one particular smudge on the horizon at Darjeeling warranted a closer look, just because it seemed to be more than cloud, but also seemed impossibly high. Storti details the painstaking observations and measurements taken, and the calculations done by the team of computers led by Radhenath Sikdar, headquartered at Calcutta, who had to use hundreds of observations to compute their measurements ( I now understand the entire point of what we used to call a compass box at school, and all those fiddly instruments like set squares, protractors and the entire point of trigonometry-our school syllabi having been decided by what was useful for Victorians and never updated, nor explained to us-if my maths teacher had said that the point of learning sine and cosine was to be able to map the extent of the Deccan Plateau, or the height of K2, I would have been a lot more engaged). Over a period of 4 years, they checked and re-checked their calculations, and there it was-the highest part of the world. Now all they had to do was actually figure out where it was and how to get there. Storti even makes the way it was named interesting-among the only peaks in the world to not be known by its local name, because nobody could get close enough to it to find out what the locals called it!
It seems obvious now, but before Everest could be climbed, it had to be mapped, and before it could be classified, other mountains had to be measured. And even before that, you had to actually see these mountains. My idea of a mountain range before reading this book, was rather like a child’s drawing of a landscape, with a plain and a triangular mountain leaping out of it. Cataclysmic changes in geology don’t happen that way, and the crashing of the Indian subcontinent into Asia, that happened over hundreds of millions of years, flung up huge parts of land, in a series of towering ranges. These were hard to access and given their stupendous heights, hard to even see ( anyone who’s been taken as a child to Darjeeling’s Tiger Hill at the crack of dawn, with the promise of seeing the sun rise over Kanchenjunga, only to see a mass of clouds will attest to this). These were known of, right from the time of Marco Polo, and an 18th century map by a French geographer, based on a Qing dynasty atlas presented to Louis XV, also made mention of a very tall mountain called Tchomour Langma. Tibet and Nepal, by the 18th Century, had sealed off from foreigners, coinciding with the boom (such as it was) in exploration and mountaineering, so the places from where these peaks could be seen the most clearly were out of limits to explorers. Not to colonialists though, or people who said they were acting in interests of national defence. Here’s where the next set of people are introduced, including Younghusband, and the Great Game. To quote from Hopkirk’s ‘The Great Game’, when the encounter began, the frontiers of Russia and British India lay some 2000 miles apart. By the end, the gap had shrunk in places to 20 miles. Both Britain and Russia wanted buffer states between their respective territories, with unfortunate consequences for regions in their path, and in the case of Afghanistan, unfortunate consequences for the British who tried to attack them! Tibet and Nepal’s policies infuriated the British-how could these regions bordering India refuse to passively acquiesce to British control? A cassus belli had to be found, which was a minor brawl among Tibetan shepherds on the border -surely an act of aggression against the Indian subcontinent. What follows is a harrowing account of the British invasion of Tibet-a well-equipped modern army fighting against a sparsely populated country that had shut itself to the modern world and believed in the power of amulets blessed by the Dalai Lama for victory in war. The victory of the British meant that a treaty was forced on Tibet, by Younghusband, who included an innocuous-seeming clause that allowed the British to map the farthest reaches of Tibet. The route to mapping Everest had now been secured.
The next section of the book is about the expedition to map the route surrounding Everest, and the mountaineers who were going to attempt to climb it. The writing is deeply objective-Tibet isn’t portrayed as an ideal society, but the injustices of colonialism and the complete lack of respect for territorial boundaries by the colonisers are not elided either. Finally, the last section is about the first attempt at finding a way to Mt.Everest, so enter Mallory. This book was illuminating about the deep association the mountain with Mallory, though he wasn’t the first to successfully summit. To quote from the book about their associations with the peak
“Hillary became a celebrity. Mallory became a myth.”
Apart from Mallory though, an influential mountaineer who laid a lot of the groundwork for the expedition and conducted pioneering research on the use of oxygen for mountaineering ( apart from taking the help of the Sherpa people for mountaineering, and naming them in all his accounts of his travels-a obvious thing to do but not so obvious to early 20th Century explorers) was Alexander Kellas, and Storti writes movingly of this self-effacing, dedicated man who’s been overshadowed by the larger than life personalities associated with the peak. Storti explores the obsessive focus on the ascent of Mt.Everest for a nation devastated by war, and desperate to prove their success at some astounding feat of exploration, the Poles having slipped away from their gasp.
I started this book warily, as I’ve mentioned, I find mountaineering of no value. I finished it wanting to read every single book in the bibliography hes mentioned, including the ones on mountaineering! This book to me represents the best of travel writing- a keen sense of history and interest in the geography of the places being written about, which can sometimes get lost when writers are more focussed on the travails of the explorers being written of, a sense of what drove these men, the venial politics behind the decisions of colonial administrators, with enough of adventure and derring-do for the vicarious adrenaline junkie within all of us.
June 25, 2021
Questa è la storia della caccia al monte Everest. Questo è, per usare le parole del libro, “il racconto di come una metafora si trasformò in una montagna”.
Un racconto appassionante, istruttivo e a tratti divertente, pieno di personaggi straordinari e coraggiosi che non sfigurerebbero in un romanzo d’avventura. Ed è con tale spirito che si legge questo saggio, ricco di aneddoti, stralci di lettere, descrizioni poetiche diventate iconiche e vaste ricerche bibliografiche. Il carattere dei suoi protagonisti si intreccia strettamente agli eventi storici, così come ai dati geografici e scientifici.
Come spiega lo stesso autore, è stato scritto molto sulla conquista dell’Everest, ma molto meno su come si arrivò a quella conquista, su come un puntino bianco e lucente a quasi duecento chilometri dall’ultimo avamposto britannico in India si trasformò in un sogno, o un’ossessione, per molti. La storia dell’Everest è lunga e affascinante, dal suo primo avvistamento, a metà ‘800, fino al momento epico in cui la montagna fu effettivamente trovata e in parte risalita, nel 1921.
Ma la storia raccontata non riguarda solo una singola montagna, quanto la nascita della passione per l’alpinismo, e prende avvio molto tempo prima, quando le montagne da “pustole sulla pelle della Terra” o “serpentine e irritanti sagome e ammassi informi di granito”— come le definì impietosamente Goethe — divennero di colpo luoghi avventurosi e ricchi di fascino.
La svolta avvenne nella seconda metà del ‘700, quando con gli albori del romanticismo venne coniato il concetto di “sublime”, secondo cui i paesaggi naturali potevano suscitare le emozioni più profonde, soprattutto quelli grandiosi e drammatici, come appunto le vette montane.
“Una volta diventate sicure, spettacolari e fonte d’ispirazione, fu solo una questione di tempo prima che qualcuno iniziasse a desiderare di scalarle.”
Dalle prime ascese sulle Alpi, come la conquista del Monte Bianco e del Cervino, si passa alla storia dell’Impero britannico in India, e alla decisione — un po’ per necessità e un po’ per orgoglio patriottico — di mappare e misurare quanto più territorio possibile.
Il Nepal e il Tibet erano Paesi chiusi agli occidentali, ma per la Gran Bretagna e la Russia erano scacchiere del cosiddetto Grande Gioco: un gara per la supremazia in Asia centrale fatta di spionaggio, di mosse e contromosse, di tentativi più o meno scoperti e più o meno diplomatici di estendere la propria influenza su quei territori. Il Grande Gioco — di cui parlò anche Kipling nel suo romanzo più famoso, Kim — durò per tutto il XIX secolo, e portò a parecchi fraintendimenti, paranoie e azioni sconsiderate basate su semplici voci.
Una di queste fu l’invasione britannica del Tibet nel 1904, con la scusa di un Comitato per la tutela dei confini, ma in realtà in seguito alle voci secondo cui i lama, notoriamente xenofobi, stessero intrattenendo rapporti amichevoli con i russi.
A capo della spedizione c’era Francis Younghusband, ufficiale britannico con grinta e coraggio da vendere, nonché la tendenza a ignorare o interpretare a suo modo gli ordini. Fu grazie a lui — che in seguito divenne presidente della Royal Geographical Society — che le prime spedizioni per cercare l’Everest divennero possibili. Il suo carattere audace e anticonformista può essere riassunto da un paio di sue citazioni:
“quando le vere difficoltà sembrano cingerti d’assedio, il tuo spirito si rianima.”
e
“se non avessi mai commesso un errore, non avrei mai ottenuto un successo.”
Ma c’è anche un altro aneddoto che riguarda Younghusband e mostra il suo lato pratico e ironico:
“Una volta un gentiluomo di scienza mi domandò quale fosse l’effetto principale di stare per lungo tempo ad altitudini elevate, e gli dissi che l’effetto principale era un desiderio di scendere a un’altitudine inferiore il prima possibile.”
I primi contatti con la cultura tibetana erano stati stabiliti — anche se per fare ciò si dovette fare ricorso a mezzi discutibili — e sarebbero tornati utili negli anni seguenti, specie agli alpinisti che sognavano la mitica montagna a cui, pareva, si poteva accedere solo dal Tibet, sempre che un accesso esistesse.
Quella montagna, in modo poco ortodosso e molto discusso, aveva preso il nome da George Everest, un topografo che arrivò a capo del Survey of India e che fu il primo a fare delle misurazioni precise delle imponenti vette dell’Himalaya. Il nome fu scelto dal suo successore, per riconoscenza verso un grande maestro, e contravveniva alla regola di cercare il nome con cui i locali chiamavano un luogo. Data la posizione impervia e la difficoltà di comunicazione con nepalesi e tibetani, il nome quasi impronunciabile che questi ultimi davano alla montagna fu scoperto solo durante la spedizione del 1921, quando ormai da sessant’anni gli europei lo conoscevano come Mount Everest. E alla fine il nome rimase.
L’Alpine Club e la Royal Geographical Society progettavano da tempo una spedizione, ma la parentesi della Prima guerra mondiale costrinse a rinviare qualunque programma. Fu quindi solo nel 1921 che, con la benedizione del Dalai Lama, che si era in qualche modo abituato alla presenza inglese e anzi la vedeva come una difesa contro la prepotenza cinese, la spedizione poté partire.
Ne facevano parte grandi alpinisti e geografi, ma su tutti spicca il nome di George Mallory, la cui figura ha acquisito un fascino leggendario. Era uno che fin da piccolo, secondo la sorella, “si arrampicava su tutto quello su cui era possibile arrampicarsi”, un giovane insegnante che aveva la passione per la montagna, anche se fino a quel momento si era limitato alle Alpi. Mallory è forse il personaggio più affascinante nella grande epopea dell’Everest. Giovane — nel 1921 aveva 35 anni — di bell’aspetto, ma soprattutto pieno di un’energia e una fame di vita e di emozioni da far impallidire qualunque altra persona al suo fianco. Emotivo, gentile e carismatico, nonché uno dei migliori alpinisti britannici della sua generazione, metteva in ombra chiunque gli si trovasse accanto. Non era mai stato sull’Himalaya, ma la sua mentalità aperta e curiosa fece sì che gli bastasse scorgere la montagna da lontano per esserne ammaliato per sempre. Aveva anche una vena poetica, e sue sono le descrizioni più belle e iconiche.
“All’improvviso, ci fu il miracolo. Scorgemmo il bagliore della neve dietro la grigia foschia. Un’intera catena montuosa iniziò a palesarsi in giganteschi frammenti. [...] finché, più alta nel cielo di quanto si osasse immaginare, apparve la bianca vetta dell’Everest.”
Era decisamente un anticonformista, e il lavoro di insegnante gli stava stretto, tanto che scrisse a un amico, riguardo al dover spiegare il Paradiso Perduto di Milton:
“Immaginami mentre spiego ai bambini più piccoli la caduta dell’uomo! Cosa diavolo si dovrebbe dire? Era una questione completamente ammirevole, e Dio si comportò così male...”
Un altro protagonista, spesso ingiustamente trascurato, fu Alexander Kellas. Era un medico e un naturalista, oltre che un alpinista, e le sue ricerche si focalizzarono sui problemi fisici dovuti all’altitudine e alla mancanza di ossigeno. Cercava di stabilire fino a quale quota un essere umano potesse arrivare senza subire danni. Nonostante l’aspetto modesto da professore e il carattere schivo, possedeva una grande energia e tutti quelli che arrivavano a conoscerlo lo amavano. Aveva, come Mallory, una mente aperta e sensibile, cercava di capire le culture straniere (aveva molti amici tra gli sherpa che l’avevano accompagnato nelle sue spedizioni scientifiche) e amava la natura in tutte le sue forme. Qui ci viene presentato per la prima volta attraverso un aneddoto che ce lo rende immediatamente simpatico.
“Alexander Kellas era a caccia di un record.[...]Al momento, tuttavia, nel suo accampamento sulle pendici basse del Pauhunri, era più preoccupato di due piccole allodole che sembravano essere state abbandonate dai genitori.”
Le ricerche e le fotografie di Kellas furono fondamentali per trovare l’Everest e scalarlo, ma il suo nome rimase in ombra, perché fu molto sfortunato e morì prima di poter vedere i risultati. Solo negli ultimi decenni la sua importanza è stata rivalutata, anche grazie alla scoperta che il Pauhunri (7128 metri), una montagna da lui scalata nel 1911, era in realtà più alta di nove metri rispetto al record di allora, e quindi, senza saperlo, aveva detenuto il primato della cima più alta mai raggiunta per ben diciannove anni, fino al 1930.
Molti altri nomi costellano questa grandiosa epopea umana (dopo il Polo Nord e il Polo Sud, raggiunti rispettivamente nel 1908 e nel 1911, l’Everest era considerato il terzo polo), alcuni notevoli per spirito e capacità, ma quelli che a me sono rimasti più impressi sono Kellas, e la sua preoccupazione di aver disturbato un nido di allodole, e Mallory, con la sua smania di salire sempre più in alto, fino a sparire tra le nuvole ed entrare per sempre nella leggenda.
“Ma adesso la vista della montagna fece svanire ogni pensiero. [...] Senza fare domande né commenti, restammo lì a guardare.”
Di tanto in tanto ho bisogno di una lettura diversa, che possa farmi staccare ma al tempo stesso coinvolgere e ispirare. Questo libro è senz’altro perfetto, perché pieno di informazioni che non conoscevo e di dettagli storico/geografici molto interessanti, così come di vicende umane fuori dall’ordinario, in grado di farci sorridere, emozionare, ma soprattutto sognare, con la loro tenacia nell’andare sempre avanti, quali che siano gli ostacoli.
Una lettura insolita e molto bella, che consiglio anche a chi non è particolarmente amante della montagna, perché questo libro potrebbe farvi cambiare idea, e guardare le cime rocciose e innevate con altri occhi.
Un racconto appassionante, istruttivo e a tratti divertente, pieno di personaggi straordinari e coraggiosi che non sfigurerebbero in un romanzo d’avventura. Ed è con tale spirito che si legge questo saggio, ricco di aneddoti, stralci di lettere, descrizioni poetiche diventate iconiche e vaste ricerche bibliografiche. Il carattere dei suoi protagonisti si intreccia strettamente agli eventi storici, così come ai dati geografici e scientifici.
Come spiega lo stesso autore, è stato scritto molto sulla conquista dell’Everest, ma molto meno su come si arrivò a quella conquista, su come un puntino bianco e lucente a quasi duecento chilometri dall’ultimo avamposto britannico in India si trasformò in un sogno, o un’ossessione, per molti. La storia dell’Everest è lunga e affascinante, dal suo primo avvistamento, a metà ‘800, fino al momento epico in cui la montagna fu effettivamente trovata e in parte risalita, nel 1921.
Ma la storia raccontata non riguarda solo una singola montagna, quanto la nascita della passione per l’alpinismo, e prende avvio molto tempo prima, quando le montagne da “pustole sulla pelle della Terra” o “serpentine e irritanti sagome e ammassi informi di granito”— come le definì impietosamente Goethe — divennero di colpo luoghi avventurosi e ricchi di fascino.
La svolta avvenne nella seconda metà del ‘700, quando con gli albori del romanticismo venne coniato il concetto di “sublime”, secondo cui i paesaggi naturali potevano suscitare le emozioni più profonde, soprattutto quelli grandiosi e drammatici, come appunto le vette montane.
“Una volta diventate sicure, spettacolari e fonte d’ispirazione, fu solo una questione di tempo prima che qualcuno iniziasse a desiderare di scalarle.”
Dalle prime ascese sulle Alpi, come la conquista del Monte Bianco e del Cervino, si passa alla storia dell’Impero britannico in India, e alla decisione — un po’ per necessità e un po’ per orgoglio patriottico — di mappare e misurare quanto più territorio possibile.
Il Nepal e il Tibet erano Paesi chiusi agli occidentali, ma per la Gran Bretagna e la Russia erano scacchiere del cosiddetto Grande Gioco: un gara per la supremazia in Asia centrale fatta di spionaggio, di mosse e contromosse, di tentativi più o meno scoperti e più o meno diplomatici di estendere la propria influenza su quei territori. Il Grande Gioco — di cui parlò anche Kipling nel suo romanzo più famoso, Kim — durò per tutto il XIX secolo, e portò a parecchi fraintendimenti, paranoie e azioni sconsiderate basate su semplici voci.
Una di queste fu l’invasione britannica del Tibet nel 1904, con la scusa di un Comitato per la tutela dei confini, ma in realtà in seguito alle voci secondo cui i lama, notoriamente xenofobi, stessero intrattenendo rapporti amichevoli con i russi.
A capo della spedizione c’era Francis Younghusband, ufficiale britannico con grinta e coraggio da vendere, nonché la tendenza a ignorare o interpretare a suo modo gli ordini. Fu grazie a lui — che in seguito divenne presidente della Royal Geographical Society — che le prime spedizioni per cercare l’Everest divennero possibili. Il suo carattere audace e anticonformista può essere riassunto da un paio di sue citazioni:
“quando le vere difficoltà sembrano cingerti d’assedio, il tuo spirito si rianima.”
e
“se non avessi mai commesso un errore, non avrei mai ottenuto un successo.”
Ma c’è anche un altro aneddoto che riguarda Younghusband e mostra il suo lato pratico e ironico:
“Una volta un gentiluomo di scienza mi domandò quale fosse l’effetto principale di stare per lungo tempo ad altitudini elevate, e gli dissi che l’effetto principale era un desiderio di scendere a un’altitudine inferiore il prima possibile.”
I primi contatti con la cultura tibetana erano stati stabiliti — anche se per fare ciò si dovette fare ricorso a mezzi discutibili — e sarebbero tornati utili negli anni seguenti, specie agli alpinisti che sognavano la mitica montagna a cui, pareva, si poteva accedere solo dal Tibet, sempre che un accesso esistesse.
Quella montagna, in modo poco ortodosso e molto discusso, aveva preso il nome da George Everest, un topografo che arrivò a capo del Survey of India e che fu il primo a fare delle misurazioni precise delle imponenti vette dell’Himalaya. Il nome fu scelto dal suo successore, per riconoscenza verso un grande maestro, e contravveniva alla regola di cercare il nome con cui i locali chiamavano un luogo. Data la posizione impervia e la difficoltà di comunicazione con nepalesi e tibetani, il nome quasi impronunciabile che questi ultimi davano alla montagna fu scoperto solo durante la spedizione del 1921, quando ormai da sessant’anni gli europei lo conoscevano come Mount Everest. E alla fine il nome rimase.
L’Alpine Club e la Royal Geographical Society progettavano da tempo una spedizione, ma la parentesi della Prima guerra mondiale costrinse a rinviare qualunque programma. Fu quindi solo nel 1921 che, con la benedizione del Dalai Lama, che si era in qualche modo abituato alla presenza inglese e anzi la vedeva come una difesa contro la prepotenza cinese, la spedizione poté partire.
Ne facevano parte grandi alpinisti e geografi, ma su tutti spicca il nome di George Mallory, la cui figura ha acquisito un fascino leggendario. Era uno che fin da piccolo, secondo la sorella, “si arrampicava su tutto quello su cui era possibile arrampicarsi”, un giovane insegnante che aveva la passione per la montagna, anche se fino a quel momento si era limitato alle Alpi. Mallory è forse il personaggio più affascinante nella grande epopea dell’Everest. Giovane — nel 1921 aveva 35 anni — di bell’aspetto, ma soprattutto pieno di un’energia e una fame di vita e di emozioni da far impallidire qualunque altra persona al suo fianco. Emotivo, gentile e carismatico, nonché uno dei migliori alpinisti britannici della sua generazione, metteva in ombra chiunque gli si trovasse accanto. Non era mai stato sull’Himalaya, ma la sua mentalità aperta e curiosa fece sì che gli bastasse scorgere la montagna da lontano per esserne ammaliato per sempre. Aveva anche una vena poetica, e sue sono le descrizioni più belle e iconiche.
“All’improvviso, ci fu il miracolo. Scorgemmo il bagliore della neve dietro la grigia foschia. Un’intera catena montuosa iniziò a palesarsi in giganteschi frammenti. [...] finché, più alta nel cielo di quanto si osasse immaginare, apparve la bianca vetta dell’Everest.”
Era decisamente un anticonformista, e il lavoro di insegnante gli stava stretto, tanto che scrisse a un amico, riguardo al dover spiegare il Paradiso Perduto di Milton:
“Immaginami mentre spiego ai bambini più piccoli la caduta dell’uomo! Cosa diavolo si dovrebbe dire? Era una questione completamente ammirevole, e Dio si comportò così male...”
Un altro protagonista, spesso ingiustamente trascurato, fu Alexander Kellas. Era un medico e un naturalista, oltre che un alpinista, e le sue ricerche si focalizzarono sui problemi fisici dovuti all’altitudine e alla mancanza di ossigeno. Cercava di stabilire fino a quale quota un essere umano potesse arrivare senza subire danni. Nonostante l’aspetto modesto da professore e il carattere schivo, possedeva una grande energia e tutti quelli che arrivavano a conoscerlo lo amavano. Aveva, come Mallory, una mente aperta e sensibile, cercava di capire le culture straniere (aveva molti amici tra gli sherpa che l’avevano accompagnato nelle sue spedizioni scientifiche) e amava la natura in tutte le sue forme. Qui ci viene presentato per la prima volta attraverso un aneddoto che ce lo rende immediatamente simpatico.
“Alexander Kellas era a caccia di un record.[...]Al momento, tuttavia, nel suo accampamento sulle pendici basse del Pauhunri, era più preoccupato di due piccole allodole che sembravano essere state abbandonate dai genitori.”
Le ricerche e le fotografie di Kellas furono fondamentali per trovare l’Everest e scalarlo, ma il suo nome rimase in ombra, perché fu molto sfortunato e morì prima di poter vedere i risultati. Solo negli ultimi decenni la sua importanza è stata rivalutata, anche grazie alla scoperta che il Pauhunri (7128 metri), una montagna da lui scalata nel 1911, era in realtà più alta di nove metri rispetto al record di allora, e quindi, senza saperlo, aveva detenuto il primato della cima più alta mai raggiunta per ben diciannove anni, fino al 1930.
Molti altri nomi costellano questa grandiosa epopea umana (dopo il Polo Nord e il Polo Sud, raggiunti rispettivamente nel 1908 e nel 1911, l’Everest era considerato il terzo polo), alcuni notevoli per spirito e capacità, ma quelli che a me sono rimasti più impressi sono Kellas, e la sua preoccupazione di aver disturbato un nido di allodole, e Mallory, con la sua smania di salire sempre più in alto, fino a sparire tra le nuvole ed entrare per sempre nella leggenda.
“Ma adesso la vista della montagna fece svanire ogni pensiero. [...] Senza fare domande né commenti, restammo lì a guardare.”
Di tanto in tanto ho bisogno di una lettura diversa, che possa farmi staccare ma al tempo stesso coinvolgere e ispirare. Questo libro è senz’altro perfetto, perché pieno di informazioni che non conoscevo e di dettagli storico/geografici molto interessanti, così come di vicende umane fuori dall’ordinario, in grado di farci sorridere, emozionare, ma soprattutto sognare, con la loro tenacia nell’andare sempre avanti, quali che siano gli ostacoli.
Una lettura insolita e molto bella, che consiglio anche a chi non è particolarmente amante della montagna, perché questo libro potrebbe farvi cambiare idea, e guardare le cime rocciose e innevate con altri occhi.
January 24, 2022
The existence of Mount Everest (in Tibetan Chomolungma) was discovered by the West in 1850, a smudge on the horizon, setting off a 71 year hunt to find the peak on the roof of the world. One of the last big geographical prizes, with the North and South poles. By 1911 only Everest remained unconquered and, apparently, unreachable- Tibet and Nepal had completely closed borders.
Interestingly, we think of mountains as having always been there for climbing and mountaineering, a normal and noble pastime. Yet this only became true in the Romantic age. Before then they were inhospitable, barriers to travel (though they also offered protection), sheltering brigands and outlaws. Conquering Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn ushered a Golden Age of Alpine Climbing, dominated by the British whose experience on our wee rocky mountains turned out to be perfect preparation. Experience, advances in equipment, techniques, clothing etc made Everest a realistic target for conquest. Getting there, however, was the challenge, finding the mountain and determining how it could be climbed.
Reading the book it is striking how little known are some of those early pioneers who paved the way for famous expeditions later. Alexander Kellas from Aberdeen for eg, scientist and mountaineer who became an expert on the effects of altitude and oxygen deprivation.
When the 1921 Expedition became the first to set out for Everest, they did not know where they were going: 'The position of the mountain had been fixed from a distance in 1849, its height established in 1852. But...no Englishman had been anywhere near [Everest] or had any precise idea how to reach it.' Storti explains how they got there in great detail.
There are notable exploits of daring and bravery, grand adventures, or cavalier breaches of the sovereignty of Tibet and Nepal, as a result of efforts to explore and map the Himalayas and their approaches. Rivalries, jealousies, personality clashes and bad behaviour too. When it came to naming the newly discovered highest peak a 60 year precedent to use local names for mountains and geographical features was not followed, to honour George Everest. The decision was challenged from the outset.
George Mallory from the Rongbuk ('valley of precipices') glacier leading to the foot of Everest: 'We paused here in sheer astonishment. Perhaps we had half expected to see Mount Everest at this moment. In the back of my mind were a host of questions about it clamouring for answer. But the sight of it now banished every thought...We asked no questions and made no comment, but simply looked.'
For Mallory, Everest became an obsession.
The 1921 expedition uncomfortably combined reconnaissance and climbing. By the time they were in a position to contemplate a summit attempt, they simply weren't up to it. Confused and bewildered by the landscape, overwhelmed, exhausted. They had ran out of time, and luck, however the groundwork had been done, and they now had a route. They would return in 1922, and again in 1924. There is now a paved road built by the Chinese, the Everest Highway, leading to base camp on the Tibetan side. What would Mallory and his companions think?
This is a pretty dense book, not an easy read. I spent a lot of time on Google, looking at maps, photos, etc. Absolutely fascinating stuff! I would love to go on a trek to base camp, profoundly grateful for modern comforts and conveniences, in awe of those early explorers and mountaineers who had the privilege, and the pain, to experience the Himalayas largely untouched and unknown. For anyone interested in mountaineering and epic adventure stories, willing to put in a bit of effort of concentration, this book is a terrific read. I now want to read more about Mallory and those other pioneers.
Interestingly, we think of mountains as having always been there for climbing and mountaineering, a normal and noble pastime. Yet this only became true in the Romantic age. Before then they were inhospitable, barriers to travel (though they also offered protection), sheltering brigands and outlaws. Conquering Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn ushered a Golden Age of Alpine Climbing, dominated by the British whose experience on our wee rocky mountains turned out to be perfect preparation. Experience, advances in equipment, techniques, clothing etc made Everest a realistic target for conquest. Getting there, however, was the challenge, finding the mountain and determining how it could be climbed.
Reading the book it is striking how little known are some of those early pioneers who paved the way for famous expeditions later. Alexander Kellas from Aberdeen for eg, scientist and mountaineer who became an expert on the effects of altitude and oxygen deprivation.
When the 1921 Expedition became the first to set out for Everest, they did not know where they were going: 'The position of the mountain had been fixed from a distance in 1849, its height established in 1852. But...no Englishman had been anywhere near [Everest] or had any precise idea how to reach it.' Storti explains how they got there in great detail.
There are notable exploits of daring and bravery, grand adventures, or cavalier breaches of the sovereignty of Tibet and Nepal, as a result of efforts to explore and map the Himalayas and their approaches. Rivalries, jealousies, personality clashes and bad behaviour too. When it came to naming the newly discovered highest peak a 60 year precedent to use local names for mountains and geographical features was not followed, to honour George Everest. The decision was challenged from the outset.
George Mallory from the Rongbuk ('valley of precipices') glacier leading to the foot of Everest: 'We paused here in sheer astonishment. Perhaps we had half expected to see Mount Everest at this moment. In the back of my mind were a host of questions about it clamouring for answer. But the sight of it now banished every thought...We asked no questions and made no comment, but simply looked.'
For Mallory, Everest became an obsession.
The 1921 expedition uncomfortably combined reconnaissance and climbing. By the time they were in a position to contemplate a summit attempt, they simply weren't up to it. Confused and bewildered by the landscape, overwhelmed, exhausted. They had ran out of time, and luck, however the groundwork had been done, and they now had a route. They would return in 1922, and again in 1924. There is now a paved road built by the Chinese, the Everest Highway, leading to base camp on the Tibetan side. What would Mallory and his companions think?
This is a pretty dense book, not an easy read. I spent a lot of time on Google, looking at maps, photos, etc. Absolutely fascinating stuff! I would love to go on a trek to base camp, profoundly grateful for modern comforts and conveniences, in awe of those early explorers and mountaineers who had the privilege, and the pain, to experience the Himalayas largely untouched and unknown. For anyone interested in mountaineering and epic adventure stories, willing to put in a bit of effort of concentration, this book is a terrific read. I now want to read more about Mallory and those other pioneers.
December 14, 2021
This fascinating book tells the story of the early days of the exploration of Everest. Whilst most books focus on the 1953 summit of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary & Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, or tales of subsequent adventures, this book starts many years earlier & culminates in 1921, where most other narratives start!
The story starts when the English Empire was at its height, and tells the story of the struggle to find the mountain and a way to its base, which of course had to be done before it could be climbed! I had naively assumed that the mountain was not conquered sooner due to lack of gear (clothing, oxygen etc) or similar, but in fact whilst surveyors could see the high peak from some distance away and assumed that it may be the world's tallest, they couldn't actually get to it because the countries it borders, Tibet and Nepal, were closed to foreigners. Today, most ascents of Everest use the Nepalese southern side of the mountain, however in the early 20th century, Nepal was completely closed to foreigners. This left the Tibetan North side, and a friendship between the 13th Dalai Lama & Charles Bell, who had spent many years working for the Viceroy of India in Lhasa, resulted in an entry pass being granted for the expedition.
The book follows the rather ramshackle group as they map & survey the hitherto unexplored area, and translated the skills they had gained in the Alps to the very different terrain and altitude of Himalayan climbing. Along the way there are unexpected moments of politics, imperialism and upper-class privilege mixed in with the adventure, and this brought some slightly uneasy moments that wouldn’t happen today when we have a better understanding of other cultures & respect all people as equals. We also see the very real perils of such adventures as various members of the group become ill or injured, and how a mistake with fitting camera plates resulted in 2 “lost days” where they had to retrace their steps to retake key images rather than continuing to explore that unusual little stream (which could well have resulted in the discovery of the East Rongbuk Glacier and a way to the summit sooner!)
However, George Mallory and Guy Bullock became the first westerners, and likely the first humans, to set foot on Mount Everest, and their explorations & challenging climbs resulted in discovery of a potential route to the summit via the North-East Ridge, paving the way for future adventures and of course the famous summit in 1953. 100 years on from this initial discovery/exploration of Everest, it’s time that some of the names of those who did the initial, and very critical, exploratory work are remembered as widely as those of Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay!
It did take me a couple of attempts to get into the book, but once I did, I just wanted to keep reading! It’s not so much a pick up & put down type book but one to read a chunk at a time as there are a lots of dates, names & facts to absorb but the excellent research is what makes it such an absorbing & interesting book.
Overall, an absolutely fascinating read that covers history that I have never encountered before, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in 20th Century history, the British Empire, mountaineering, and much more.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#TheHuntforMountEverest #NetGalley.
The story starts when the English Empire was at its height, and tells the story of the struggle to find the mountain and a way to its base, which of course had to be done before it could be climbed! I had naively assumed that the mountain was not conquered sooner due to lack of gear (clothing, oxygen etc) or similar, but in fact whilst surveyors could see the high peak from some distance away and assumed that it may be the world's tallest, they couldn't actually get to it because the countries it borders, Tibet and Nepal, were closed to foreigners. Today, most ascents of Everest use the Nepalese southern side of the mountain, however in the early 20th century, Nepal was completely closed to foreigners. This left the Tibetan North side, and a friendship between the 13th Dalai Lama & Charles Bell, who had spent many years working for the Viceroy of India in Lhasa, resulted in an entry pass being granted for the expedition.
The book follows the rather ramshackle group as they map & survey the hitherto unexplored area, and translated the skills they had gained in the Alps to the very different terrain and altitude of Himalayan climbing. Along the way there are unexpected moments of politics, imperialism and upper-class privilege mixed in with the adventure, and this brought some slightly uneasy moments that wouldn’t happen today when we have a better understanding of other cultures & respect all people as equals. We also see the very real perils of such adventures as various members of the group become ill or injured, and how a mistake with fitting camera plates resulted in 2 “lost days” where they had to retrace their steps to retake key images rather than continuing to explore that unusual little stream (which could well have resulted in the discovery of the East Rongbuk Glacier and a way to the summit sooner!)
However, George Mallory and Guy Bullock became the first westerners, and likely the first humans, to set foot on Mount Everest, and their explorations & challenging climbs resulted in discovery of a potential route to the summit via the North-East Ridge, paving the way for future adventures and of course the famous summit in 1953. 100 years on from this initial discovery/exploration of Everest, it’s time that some of the names of those who did the initial, and very critical, exploratory work are remembered as widely as those of Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay!
It did take me a couple of attempts to get into the book, but once I did, I just wanted to keep reading! It’s not so much a pick up & put down type book but one to read a chunk at a time as there are a lots of dates, names & facts to absorb but the excellent research is what makes it such an absorbing & interesting book.
Overall, an absolutely fascinating read that covers history that I have never encountered before, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in 20th Century history, the British Empire, mountaineering, and much more.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the author & publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#TheHuntforMountEverest #NetGalley.
April 24, 2021
I received this as a review copy via NetGalley.
I am not a mountaineering or climbing person. I am, though, fascinated by tales of 'discovery' and history in general and finding out about bits I know nothing of.
'Discovery' in quotes because, of course, while this story is about the hunt for "Mt Everest", it's not like the mountain was unknown to the people of Tibet or Nepal or, I imagine, people in China or (what is now) India. And thankfully Storti makes this clear fairly often - that this is discovery only for westerners and, in particular, the British. Storti is under no illusions that some of the things done by the British in both India and Tibet were despicable, and I think he keeps an even hand in explaining the contemporary reasoning (I learned more about "the Great Game" of Britain v Russia in this one book than ever before; the 19th century is so not my period), while simultaneously not excusing or approving of, for instance, sending spies into Tibet when it was explicitly closed to foreigners.
So: the book! The overall point is the discovery that what the British decided to call Mt Everest turns out to be the highest peak in the world. (Yes, there's a section on why it's called Mt Everest, and the fact that didn't even match contemporary expectations of using local names.) There's a digression into the 'discovery' of mountains as beautiful - until the early 19th century they were generally dismissed as being a waste of space and just getting in the way; and also about the development of mountaineering as a hobby, and people climbing in the Alps. Also a whole bit about the great trigonometric survey of India, which was fascinating and absolutely relevant and also bonkers as an undertaking. Within all of that is the colonial attitude towards India, and towards Tibet in particular - the fact that Tibetans didn't want the British within their borders and what some men did in contravention of that (Mr Younghouse, I'm looking at you, arrogant bastard). And eventually, there's the expedition in 1921 that finally means westerners got a look at Mt Everest from close up.
Storti writes a really engaging narrative, explains issues clearly, and balances storytelling with historicity. As someone on the outside of mountaineering I'm unconvinced that George Mallory is more important than Edmund Hillary in the whole Everest saga, but I'll allow him to champion the man now I know a bit more about him (interesting to read about, probably a right pain in the bum to actually spend time with).
I am not a mountaineering or climbing person. I am, though, fascinated by tales of 'discovery' and history in general and finding out about bits I know nothing of.
'Discovery' in quotes because, of course, while this story is about the hunt for "Mt Everest", it's not like the mountain was unknown to the people of Tibet or Nepal or, I imagine, people in China or (what is now) India. And thankfully Storti makes this clear fairly often - that this is discovery only for westerners and, in particular, the British. Storti is under no illusions that some of the things done by the British in both India and Tibet were despicable, and I think he keeps an even hand in explaining the contemporary reasoning (I learned more about "the Great Game" of Britain v Russia in this one book than ever before; the 19th century is so not my period), while simultaneously not excusing or approving of, for instance, sending spies into Tibet when it was explicitly closed to foreigners.
So: the book! The overall point is the discovery that what the British decided to call Mt Everest turns out to be the highest peak in the world. (Yes, there's a section on why it's called Mt Everest, and the fact that didn't even match contemporary expectations of using local names.) There's a digression into the 'discovery' of mountains as beautiful - until the early 19th century they were generally dismissed as being a waste of space and just getting in the way; and also about the development of mountaineering as a hobby, and people climbing in the Alps. Also a whole bit about the great trigonometric survey of India, which was fascinating and absolutely relevant and also bonkers as an undertaking. Within all of that is the colonial attitude towards India, and towards Tibet in particular - the fact that Tibetans didn't want the British within their borders and what some men did in contravention of that (Mr Younghouse, I'm looking at you, arrogant bastard). And eventually, there's the expedition in 1921 that finally means westerners got a look at Mt Everest from close up.
Storti writes a really engaging narrative, explains issues clearly, and balances storytelling with historicity. As someone on the outside of mountaineering I'm unconvinced that George Mallory is more important than Edmund Hillary in the whole Everest saga, but I'll allow him to champion the man now I know a bit more about him (interesting to read about, probably a right pain in the bum to actually spend time with).
October 21, 2021
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The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti tells the history of how Everest got its name, it’s title as the “tallest mountain in the world”, and how the English got the rights to climb it. Mr. Storti is a published author, and a businessman specializing in “intercultural communications and cross-cultural adaptation”.
This is not the standard book about Mt. Everest. The story starts when the English Empire was at its height, and ends before the famous 1953 expedition when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit.
The history of this most famous mountain is fascinating, and includes a whole bunch of colorful characters. In 1850 explorers already realized that the mountain might be the tallest in the world, but the closes they ever got to it was 40 miles away, for the next 71 years.
There were names I heard of like that of George Mallory, the 13th Dalai Lama, and George Everest. However, there were many I didn’t hear of such as Lord Curzon, Edward Whymper, Charles Bell, and to my surprise Francis Younghusband who contributed much to history.
The author doesn’t spend time on trivialities, but does tell the relevant parts of the story. A huge task when it comes to history, where sometimes a little, nuanced, action has large consequences.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that has a pull to Mt. Everest. This can be seen by the list of books about it – along with mountaineering. This one, however, is an important book for those of us who want to more than just climbing adventures. These men who traversed continents and suffered hardships have interesting tales. Egos aside, they helped shape history, and the world as we know it.
Even though this book is from a European centric viewpoint, Mr. Storti does honor to the local population. He tells how they viewed the English, and of course, how the English mostly ignored their wishes or cultures.
The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti is a very enjoyable book, as it gives an interesting overview and history to the 1953 historic climb. While Hillary and Norgay get much deserved credit and fame, none of it would have happened if it the people in this book didn’t pave the way.
The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti tells the history of how Everest got its name, it’s title as the “tallest mountain in the world”, and how the English got the rights to climb it. Mr. Storti is a published author, and a businessman specializing in “intercultural communications and cross-cultural adaptation”.
This is not the standard book about Mt. Everest. The story starts when the English Empire was at its height, and ends before the famous 1953 expedition when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit.
The history of this most famous mountain is fascinating, and includes a whole bunch of colorful characters. In 1850 explorers already realized that the mountain might be the tallest in the world, but the closes they ever got to it was 40 miles away, for the next 71 years.
There were names I heard of like that of George Mallory, the 13th Dalai Lama, and George Everest. However, there were many I didn’t hear of such as Lord Curzon, Edward Whymper, Charles Bell, and to my surprise Francis Younghusband who contributed much to history.
The author doesn’t spend time on trivialities, but does tell the relevant parts of the story. A huge task when it comes to history, where sometimes a little, nuanced, action has large consequences.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that has a pull to Mt. Everest. This can be seen by the list of books about it – along with mountaineering. This one, however, is an important book for those of us who want to more than just climbing adventures. These men who traversed continents and suffered hardships have interesting tales. Egos aside, they helped shape history, and the world as we know it.
Even though this book is from a European centric viewpoint, Mr. Storti does honor to the local population. He tells how they viewed the English, and of course, how the English mostly ignored their wishes or cultures.
The Hunt for Mount Everest by Craig Storti is a very enjoyable book, as it gives an interesting overview and history to the 1953 historic climb. While Hillary and Norgay get much deserved credit and fame, none of it would have happened if it the people in this book didn’t pave the way.
December 19, 2022
Much like how the 1969 Apollo mission put an end to a curiosity much of mankind had developed about outer space, the 1953 Mount Everest expedition which put humans on top of the world and saw them come back down alive ended a long, arduous tussle between man and nature over whether the former could make it to the extremes of the latter whilst battling the elements. What's a smidgen more interesting, to me at least, than the Norgay-Hillary story, or the Armstrong-Aldrin-Collins achievement, is what went into making it happen.
Craig Storti's The Hunt for Mount Everest traces the beginning of the great imperial quest for this mountain, which began in the mid-19th century with the first official measurement of the peak and culminated decades later in the 1921 expedition which located a route to and reached the base of Everest.
Storti does an excellent job of tracing the roots of the mysticism that surrounds Everest, and sifts through the rigorously documented history with swiftness, introducing the reader to personalities aplenty: from George Everest, the man for whom the mountain was named in the West, to that great traveller Francis Younghusband, to Alexander Kellas, the unsung hero of the titular "Hunt", and George Mallory, who is as famous as the mountain herself.
The narrative is fast-paced without sacrificing on detail, and is vividly descriptive of India and Tibet. It's often easy to forget that the approach to Everest Storti is writing about is no longer the conventional one - Chinese occupation of Tibet for seven decades means few climbers approach it from that side, preferring to scale the Nepalese face of the mountain. More than anything else, the book is approachable (unlike the mountain) to a layperson, and is as much an account of history that seems almost quaint a century on as it is about an obsessive hunger to know more about the planet we reside on.
The one quibble I had with the book was a portion where Storti accorded Tenzing Norgay secondary status to Edmund Hillary, an unforgivable error for just how important the former is to mountaineering history.
Thank you, NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US, for an ARC of the book.
Craig Storti's The Hunt for Mount Everest traces the beginning of the great imperial quest for this mountain, which began in the mid-19th century with the first official measurement of the peak and culminated decades later in the 1921 expedition which located a route to and reached the base of Everest.
Storti does an excellent job of tracing the roots of the mysticism that surrounds Everest, and sifts through the rigorously documented history with swiftness, introducing the reader to personalities aplenty: from George Everest, the man for whom the mountain was named in the West, to that great traveller Francis Younghusband, to Alexander Kellas, the unsung hero of the titular "Hunt", and George Mallory, who is as famous as the mountain herself.
The narrative is fast-paced without sacrificing on detail, and is vividly descriptive of India and Tibet. It's often easy to forget that the approach to Everest Storti is writing about is no longer the conventional one - Chinese occupation of Tibet for seven decades means few climbers approach it from that side, preferring to scale the Nepalese face of the mountain. More than anything else, the book is approachable (unlike the mountain) to a layperson, and is as much an account of history that seems almost quaint a century on as it is about an obsessive hunger to know more about the planet we reside on.
The one quibble I had with the book was a portion where Storti accorded Tenzing Norgay secondary status to Edmund Hillary, an unforgivable error for just how important the former is to mountaineering history.
Thank you, NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US, for an ARC of the book.
May 29, 2021
I am not a Mountineer & neither have I climbed anything much for a huge number of years , last thing being Great Gable in the Lake District with my husband & children. But I have always admired those who have a passion no mater how crazy it may seem to the rest of us.
I have learnt so new Historical & Geographical facts while reading this Book.
I did find the start rather long winded & drawn out , but soon became enthralled in it. "It would be necessary in the first place to find the Mountain"" George Mallory !
In fact the Mountain already existed but was known on either side of the 1,000 mile Himalayan range by other names. , the first Westener's to encounter these majestic & magnificent Mountain Boarders were the Soldiers of Alexander the Great in 326BC. These Peaks but especially Everest tower above the Earth looking down on Mankind to show just how tiny & insignificant we truly are in Mother Nature's Eyes ,to her we are like tiny Ants trying to scale the tallest Cathedral,
I was shocked & horrified by some of Western man's predacious, domineering of the native Asian peoples, they seemed to believe it was their `GOD' given right to domineer,& also the horrific atrocities carried out by all parties during these years of Empire !
Also it proves that mankind still hasn't learned her lessons , maybe that's why men ( plus women now ) may climb Mountains & reach the Summit but they can never truly conquer them ,as the Mountain always has some surprise in store , which is why sadly since 1927 so many have lost their lives in their attempts to do just that.
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I have learnt so new Historical & Geographical facts while reading this Book.
I did find the start rather long winded & drawn out , but soon became enthralled in it. "It would be necessary in the first place to find the Mountain"" George Mallory !
In fact the Mountain already existed but was known on either side of the 1,000 mile Himalayan range by other names. , the first Westener's to encounter these majestic & magnificent Mountain Boarders were the Soldiers of Alexander the Great in 326BC. These Peaks but especially Everest tower above the Earth looking down on Mankind to show just how tiny & insignificant we truly are in Mother Nature's Eyes ,to her we are like tiny Ants trying to scale the tallest Cathedral,
I was shocked & horrified by some of Western man's predacious, domineering of the native Asian peoples, they seemed to believe it was their `GOD' given right to domineer,& also the horrific atrocities carried out by all parties during these years of Empire !
Also it proves that mankind still hasn't learned her lessons , maybe that's why men ( plus women now ) may climb Mountains & reach the Summit but they can never truly conquer them ,as the Mountain always has some surprise in store , which is why sadly since 1927 so many have lost their lives in their attempts to do just that.
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, #, #, #FB, #Instagram,#GoodReads, #NetGalley, #Amazon.co.uk.August 21, 2021
In 1921 George Mallory and Guy Bullock set foot on Mount Everest. They were probably the first people ever to do so. Many books have been written about what happened next, providing detailed accounts of the climbing history of the mountain. However, to celebrate the centenary of this memorable event, this book looks at what came before 1921. It is a detailed account of the 71 year quest to find the mountain itself, complete with spy missions, massacres and political intrigues, all set against the backdrop of British India and the Raj, the Anglo-Russian rivalry known as the Great Game and so much more. Exploration was very important in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with mapping of the globe still a long way from being complete. Once Mount Everest had been measured from a distance in 1850 and speculation became rife that it may be the highest mountain on earth, the race to find Mount Everest began.
This is a fascinating story and a very interesting book. Whilst not necessarily an easy read because it is very detailed, there is plenty of intrigue and quite a lot of very bad behaviour, all of which contribute to providing a compelling narrative. A lot of money was thrown at the project through the Survey of India, but there were plenty of individual and unsanctioned sorties into the area, all of which contributed to the overall picture. A large amount of determination, a huge number of personnel (not to mention the accompanying pack animals) and a lot of absorbing stories later and the search for Everest was about to reach its conclusion. I learnt a lot about the historical and political situations that prevailed at the time, areas in which I had pretty much no prior knowledge.
On the downside, this book is quite a dense read. Due to my lack of knowledge I had to invest a lot of concentration in order to understand the ins and outs of the political environment. I’m sure it was good for me, but it was definitely hard work at times.
Despite the fact that I really have no interest in this subject whatsoever, I was fairly riveted by this book. For that reason I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a challenging, but fascinating read.
This is a fascinating story and a very interesting book. Whilst not necessarily an easy read because it is very detailed, there is plenty of intrigue and quite a lot of very bad behaviour, all of which contribute to providing a compelling narrative. A lot of money was thrown at the project through the Survey of India, but there were plenty of individual and unsanctioned sorties into the area, all of which contributed to the overall picture. A large amount of determination, a huge number of personnel (not to mention the accompanying pack animals) and a lot of absorbing stories later and the search for Everest was about to reach its conclusion. I learnt a lot about the historical and political situations that prevailed at the time, areas in which I had pretty much no prior knowledge.
On the downside, this book is quite a dense read. Due to my lack of knowledge I had to invest a lot of concentration in order to understand the ins and outs of the political environment. I’m sure it was good for me, but it was definitely hard work at times.
Despite the fact that I really have no interest in this subject whatsoever, I was fairly riveted by this book. For that reason I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a challenging, but fascinating read.
March 14, 2024
The history of mountaineering seems to be marked by jealousy and petty rivalries, nationalist showing off and colonial attitudes that ignored the knowledge of locals or even other Western exploration and mapping. It’s a story of pride, often coming before a fall, of bravery and stupidity and sheer bloody-mindedness.
Craig Storti’s book brings together a wealth of information about the history of mapping, exploring and finding Mount Everest. The mistakes that were made along the way, the false starts and unsung heroes. It’s all fascinating stuff. Storti brings it all together in this book. This is not the usual story of the people who climbed to the top of the tallest thing ‘because it’s there’, this is the tale of how they knew it was there in the first place, with several false starts along the way.
First observed by westerners in 1850
North Pole reached in 1909
South Pole reached in 1911
Matterhorn first ascent 1865
Everest, ‘the Third Pole’ climbed nearly 50 years later, in 1953, not for want of trying before that time.
“It is a tale of high drama, of larger-than-life characters – George Everest, Francis Younghusband, Lords Curzon and Kitchener, George Mallory – and a few quiet heroes: Radanath Sickdhar, Alexander Kellas, the 13th Dalai Lama, Sir Charles Bell. It is a tale of spies, intrigue and beheadings; of war (two wars, in fact) and massacre; of breath-taking political, diplomatic and military bungling; of derring-do, hair-raising escapes and genuine bravery. The wind is a powerful presence, as are the rain and the mud, along with rhododendrons and orchids, leeches and butterflies, mosquitoes, gnats and sandflies. Hundreds of bullocks, yaks and mules are featured, as are thousands of camels, numerous elephants and at least two zebrules (they were not a success). And its setting is some of the most spectacular geography on earth.”
Sadly, I didn’t quite finish this before it was archived, as I was reading a digital ARC via NetGalley. I apologise for taking a year to post my review. This is definitely a book I would consider buying for our own collection of mountain books.
Craig Storti’s book brings together a wealth of information about the history of mapping, exploring and finding Mount Everest. The mistakes that were made along the way, the false starts and unsung heroes. It’s all fascinating stuff. Storti brings it all together in this book. This is not the usual story of the people who climbed to the top of the tallest thing ‘because it’s there’, this is the tale of how they knew it was there in the first place, with several false starts along the way.
First observed by westerners in 1850
North Pole reached in 1909
South Pole reached in 1911
Matterhorn first ascent 1865
Everest, ‘the Third Pole’ climbed nearly 50 years later, in 1953, not for want of trying before that time.
“It is a tale of high drama, of larger-than-life characters – George Everest, Francis Younghusband, Lords Curzon and Kitchener, George Mallory – and a few quiet heroes: Radanath Sickdhar, Alexander Kellas, the 13th Dalai Lama, Sir Charles Bell. It is a tale of spies, intrigue and beheadings; of war (two wars, in fact) and massacre; of breath-taking political, diplomatic and military bungling; of derring-do, hair-raising escapes and genuine bravery. The wind is a powerful presence, as are the rain and the mud, along with rhododendrons and orchids, leeches and butterflies, mosquitoes, gnats and sandflies. Hundreds of bullocks, yaks and mules are featured, as are thousands of camels, numerous elephants and at least two zebrules (they were not a success). And its setting is some of the most spectacular geography on earth.”
Sadly, I didn’t quite finish this before it was archived, as I was reading a digital ARC via NetGalley. I apologise for taking a year to post my review. This is definitely a book I would consider buying for our own collection of mountain books.
May 24, 2021
A fascinating book, exploring the history surrounding British attempts to locate and conquer the world's highest mountain. For many years, Everest was undiscovered and inaccessible, mainly due to the known access being via Tibet, a country that was reluctant to allow entry to the British.
The stubbornness and determination of a number of individuals finally led to permission being granted for an expedition in 1921, among the members of which was George Mallory who disappeared near the summit three years later. Mallory was a natural climber, a charismatic and driven man - he and Guy Bullock were possibly the first Westerners to set foot on the mountain. Although the route to the summit was initially missed due to a misunderstanding of local geology, this was later corrected by another member of the party, but the harsh winds on the upper slopes prevented an attempt on the summit at that time.
The mountain was finally conquered in 1953, news of the feat reaching London on the eve of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Craig Storti lays out in great detail the diplomacy - sometimes chaotic, but never dull - that led to the 1921 expedition, and the characters who came together to make the first foray into the Himalayas that revealed the majestic splendour of Everest, recalled in evocative prose by Mallory. Tibet emerges as a country full of natural wonders, but also difficult weather conditions that proved almost as much of a challenge as the mountains.
There were names here I had never heard of but became fascinated by, not least Alexander Kellas, a Scottish chemist and ardent mountaineer, who sadly died on the 1921 expedition.
There weren't any photographs to enhance the visual aspect, but these may have been left out of the ARC. The maps at the beginning were useful and I liked the use of quotations before each of the chapters.
I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Nicholas Brealey US, in return for an honest appraisal.
The stubbornness and determination of a number of individuals finally led to permission being granted for an expedition in 1921, among the members of which was George Mallory who disappeared near the summit three years later. Mallory was a natural climber, a charismatic and driven man - he and Guy Bullock were possibly the first Westerners to set foot on the mountain. Although the route to the summit was initially missed due to a misunderstanding of local geology, this was later corrected by another member of the party, but the harsh winds on the upper slopes prevented an attempt on the summit at that time.
The mountain was finally conquered in 1953, news of the feat reaching London on the eve of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Craig Storti lays out in great detail the diplomacy - sometimes chaotic, but never dull - that led to the 1921 expedition, and the characters who came together to make the first foray into the Himalayas that revealed the majestic splendour of Everest, recalled in evocative prose by Mallory. Tibet emerges as a country full of natural wonders, but also difficult weather conditions that proved almost as much of a challenge as the mountains.
There were names here I had never heard of but became fascinated by, not least Alexander Kellas, a Scottish chemist and ardent mountaineer, who sadly died on the 1921 expedition.
There weren't any photographs to enhance the visual aspect, but these may have been left out of the ARC. The maps at the beginning were useful and I liked the use of quotations before each of the chapters.
I was sent an advance review copy of this book by Nicholas Brealey US, in return for an honest appraisal.
May 10, 2023
“…Da Chobuk, superata la valle attraverso pianure rocciose, poi verso sud e al punto di confluenza dei torrenti di nuovo quasi in direzione sud.
Alla fine la valle svolta leggermente a est, e l’Everest appare all’estremità in tutto il suo splendore… con niente in mezzo."
Era il 25 Giugno 1925 e con queste parole Guy Bullock, assieme a George Mallory festeggiarono la scoperta ufficiale del Monte Everest, luogo mai raggiunto da nessun occidentale, un traguardo tagliato che peró portava con se una lunga storia iniziata un lontano giorno del 1850 quando per la prima volta l’Everest venne misurato.
"Alla conquista del monte Everest: la vera storia dell’impresa di George Mallory e Guy Bullock", scritto da Craig Storti e pubblicato nel 2021, è un’avvincente epopea che finisce dove tutti gli altri libri sul tema iniziano, se infatti molti trattano delle eroiche scalate a questo colosso di ghiaccio, pochi sanno come si è arrivati a scoprirlo.
Con una narrazione fluida e soprattutto ben documentata, l’autore traccia la storia, ricca di aneddoti, che ha portato all’assalto della montagna più alta del mondo, il lettore si troverà spesso immerso in situazioni che se non fossero accadute parrebbero quasi uscite da un romanzo di fantasia, fra intrighi politici, guerre, spie ma anche menti illuminate e personaggi, rimasti nella storia, come George Mallory, Lord Curzon, Guy Bullock, Francis Younghusband o lo stesso George Everest, “padre” della montagna.
Un saggio, questo di Storti, incredibilmente ben scritto e curato, adatto anche a chi di montagna sa poco ma è incuriosito da una storia davvero poco narrata, in favore della parte molto più celebrata, quella delle scalate, ma altrettanto avvincente.
Da leggere tutto d’un fiato.
Alla fine la valle svolta leggermente a est, e l’Everest appare all’estremità in tutto il suo splendore… con niente in mezzo."
Era il 25 Giugno 1925 e con queste parole Guy Bullock, assieme a George Mallory festeggiarono la scoperta ufficiale del Monte Everest, luogo mai raggiunto da nessun occidentale, un traguardo tagliato che peró portava con se una lunga storia iniziata un lontano giorno del 1850 quando per la prima volta l’Everest venne misurato.
"Alla conquista del monte Everest: la vera storia dell’impresa di George Mallory e Guy Bullock", scritto da Craig Storti e pubblicato nel 2021, è un’avvincente epopea che finisce dove tutti gli altri libri sul tema iniziano, se infatti molti trattano delle eroiche scalate a questo colosso di ghiaccio, pochi sanno come si è arrivati a scoprirlo.
Con una narrazione fluida e soprattutto ben documentata, l’autore traccia la storia, ricca di aneddoti, che ha portato all’assalto della montagna più alta del mondo, il lettore si troverà spesso immerso in situazioni che se non fossero accadute parrebbero quasi uscite da un romanzo di fantasia, fra intrighi politici, guerre, spie ma anche menti illuminate e personaggi, rimasti nella storia, come George Mallory, Lord Curzon, Guy Bullock, Francis Younghusband o lo stesso George Everest, “padre” della montagna.
Un saggio, questo di Storti, incredibilmente ben scritto e curato, adatto anche a chi di montagna sa poco ma è incuriosito da una storia davvero poco narrata, in favore della parte molto più celebrata, quella delle scalate, ma altrettanto avvincente.
Da leggere tutto d’un fiato.
August 30, 2021
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Nicholas Brealey US for an advanced copy of this new historical tome.
Before anyone could climb Mount Everest they, meaning the British, first had to find it. Qomolangma or Chomolungma as the Tibetans called the mountain, had been an obsession for quite a long time, after the first estimates of its height were made. In The Hunt for Mount Everest, Craig Storti has written a very engaging history on the history of Everest quests and why so many people were driven to make this adventure.
Mr. Storti's book covers the growth of Alpine climbing, its techniques and allure to the British and a biography on many of the major names in climbing history. The book also covers the British in India, the Great Game, an early cold war with Russia over control of the Indian subcontinent and the opening of Tibet, which I didn't know much about, and the massive amount of casualties that entailed. I learned quite a lot from this book about many diverse subjects, even before the English explorers made it finally to Everest.
The book is very interesting with clear concise explanations of many different subjects from politics, to the use Indian computers, trained mathematicians used to figure height and distance, and the mathematics branch of geometry. The cast of characters is eclectic and odd, as most British explorers tended to be. The derring-do is exciting, and the elation you feel reading about finally getting close to their great white mountain is elating. A fascinating book for armchair explorers and climbers, or for people who enjoy well written histories and love to learn new things.
Before anyone could climb Mount Everest they, meaning the British, first had to find it. Qomolangma or Chomolungma as the Tibetans called the mountain, had been an obsession for quite a long time, after the first estimates of its height were made. In The Hunt for Mount Everest, Craig Storti has written a very engaging history on the history of Everest quests and why so many people were driven to make this adventure.
Mr. Storti's book covers the growth of Alpine climbing, its techniques and allure to the British and a biography on many of the major names in climbing history. The book also covers the British in India, the Great Game, an early cold war with Russia over control of the Indian subcontinent and the opening of Tibet, which I didn't know much about, and the massive amount of casualties that entailed. I learned quite a lot from this book about many diverse subjects, even before the English explorers made it finally to Everest.
The book is very interesting with clear concise explanations of many different subjects from politics, to the use Indian computers, trained mathematicians used to figure height and distance, and the mathematics branch of geometry. The cast of characters is eclectic and odd, as most British explorers tended to be. The derring-do is exciting, and the elation you feel reading about finally getting close to their great white mountain is elating. A fascinating book for armchair explorers and climbers, or for people who enjoy well written histories and love to learn new things.
November 13, 2021
Many books have been written about the attempts to climb Everest. However, this book takes us back to basics, to the struggle to even find the mountain and a route up it. We begin with a history of gaining access, as Tibet and Nepal refused foreign visitors for decades. We learn about the British Government's attempts, via India, to gain access for mapping and surveys, and the brave men who developed the skills they had gained in the Alps to the very different terrain and altitude of Himalayan climbing.
I was left saddened that the names of men like Alexander Kellas have disappeared from history, despite having done an incredible amount of work to survey the area and being so committed to the Himalaya. His death before he could even assist Mallory in the 1921 expedition was incredibly sad, but it was fitting he was buried in sight of the mountain he never climbed. Equally, the mountain should really have been named after George Mallory and not the surveyor George Everest, who, along with another forgotten climber Guy Bullock, was the first to set foot on the mountain itself.
Occasionally the chapter structure leaps around rather oddly, but over all it is a thorough and interesting account of how determined men were to climb the world's highest peak.
Thank you to NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was left saddened that the names of men like Alexander Kellas have disappeared from history, despite having done an incredible amount of work to survey the area and being so committed to the Himalaya. His death before he could even assist Mallory in the 1921 expedition was incredibly sad, but it was fitting he was buried in sight of the mountain he never climbed. Equally, the mountain should really have been named after George Mallory and not the surveyor George Everest, who, along with another forgotten climber Guy Bullock, was the first to set foot on the mountain itself.
Occasionally the chapter structure leaps around rather oddly, but over all it is a thorough and interesting account of how determined men were to climb the world's highest peak.
Thank you to NetGalley and Nicholas Brealey US for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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