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la montaña resplandeciente
Describes the adventures of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker on their expedition to climb a mountain in the Himalayas.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 1985
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703 people want to read
About the author
Peter Boardman
11 books1 followerBoardman was a British climber and mountaineer with an impressive list of successful climbs in the Alps, the Himalaya and elsewhere. These included a 1975 ascent of Everest via the South West face, and a 1976 ascent of the West Wall of Changabang. His account of the Changabang climb, The Shining Mountain, is widely regarded as one of the classics of the mountaineering genre.
Following his death on the North East ridge of Everest in 1982, together with his long term climbing partner and fellow author Joe Tasker, Boardman's contribution to climbing literature was acknowledged with the instigation of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.
Following his death on the North East ridge of Everest in 1982, together with his long term climbing partner and fellow author Joe Tasker, Boardman's contribution to climbing literature was acknowledged with the instigation of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.
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September 4, 2022
Enjoyable recounting of a couple of northern lads climbing Changabang. Its a bit too drawn out and technical on the mountaineering elements for me. The down-to-earth banter and how the very small things in life 'get the brew on' become immensely important under such harsh conditions are what keep this interesting. I think climbers would really enjoy this one.
December 28, 2018
A thoroughly enjoyable read about a two man expedition up the west wall of Changabang in the Himalayas in 1976. This gem of a book is a gripping account of the planning and execution of a thrilling and death-defying mountaineering expedition by two young climbers, Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker. What makes it outstanding is the brilliant writing of Pete Boardman, an English scholar as well as a mountaineer whose razor sharp observations and precise descriptions of each experience, thought and human interaction, convey every nuance of this trip perfectly to the reader. I was particularly delighted to discover that I went to the same school as Pete Boardman and to remember that I had accompanied my parents to a lecture he had given around the time that this book came out in 1979.
June 26, 2021
2.5 stars. While I like mountain climbing books in general this didn't not work for me. The climbing part was kinda ok to listen to but didn't really enjoy the people in it.
March 1, 2022
太喜歡了。
作者的文筆很有感染力，尤其很誠懇，寫景寫人的手法看似白描，卻又很瑰麗。
厲害了。
對我來說這就是一本會一直一直記得的書。
作者的文筆很有感染力，尤其很誠懇，寫景寫人的手法看似白描，卻又很瑰麗。
厲害了。
對我來說這就是一本會一直一直記得的書。
June 12, 2020
Peter Boardman is an exceptional mountaineer, but a poor human being at best.
Compared to the accounts of Shipton, Herzog, and Hillary, all written a few decades earlier, this account does little more than talk about what the author did on a summit attempt.
Perhaps the author is the result of the '70s rock and roll era: young, selfish and brash, or probably because by the time this book was written ‘exploration’ had truly lost its charm and mountaineering was slowly being reduced to nothing more than an ultra-competitive sport where both the mountain and your partner are your enemies.
That being said, the author writes an amazing personal journal on the technical climb, recounting each and every detail to the point where one can imagine the complexity of approach and the dangers the duo faced on the West Wall. While Mt. Changabhang in itself is lost in history (being neither an 8-thousander nor one of the celebrated peaks like Nanda Devi), this book truly does justice to the human feat of endurance displayed by the duo in Alpine-style attempt.
However, I was appalled and saddened by the moral and ideological high ground assumed by the author when talking about everyone else but himself. It might have been the colonial hangover, as to him the Indian porters are baksheesh seeking greedy lesser being, pilgrims are indiscriminate betel spitters, and the expedition officer a bungling fool. To him the history of the Nanda Devi region goes as far back as the writings of Shipton. He looks at the map as an aggregation of peaks to be climbed, and at the residents of the region as nothing more than porters one can cheaply procure.
This book deserves a 3 for the feat alone.
Compared to the accounts of Shipton, Herzog, and Hillary, all written a few decades earlier, this account does little more than talk about what the author did on a summit attempt.
Perhaps the author is the result of the '70s rock and roll era: young, selfish and brash, or probably because by the time this book was written ‘exploration’ had truly lost its charm and mountaineering was slowly being reduced to nothing more than an ultra-competitive sport where both the mountain and your partner are your enemies.
That being said, the author writes an amazing personal journal on the technical climb, recounting each and every detail to the point where one can imagine the complexity of approach and the dangers the duo faced on the West Wall. While Mt. Changabhang in itself is lost in history (being neither an 8-thousander nor one of the celebrated peaks like Nanda Devi), this book truly does justice to the human feat of endurance displayed by the duo in Alpine-style attempt.
However, I was appalled and saddened by the moral and ideological high ground assumed by the author when talking about everyone else but himself. It might have been the colonial hangover, as to him the Indian porters are baksheesh seeking greedy lesser being, pilgrims are indiscriminate betel spitters, and the expedition officer a bungling fool. To him the history of the Nanda Devi region goes as far back as the writings of Shipton. He looks at the map as an aggregation of peaks to be climbed, and at the residents of the region as nothing more than porters one can cheaply procure.
This book deserves a 3 for the feat alone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2023
It’s about the journey.
These guys were all about the ultimate line. The sheer impossible, but beautiful ascent. Standing on top of a mountain is not enough. Even if it is Mount Everest. As Joe Tasker describes it: “I don’t think the Everest climb was impressive as a climbing feat but as an organisational one.” That is the opposite Peter really craves: small two-man expeditions, flexible and “adventurous uncertainty and they generate a greater feeling of indispensability and self-containment.” He needed this climb to get back his self-respect: ”My experience on Everest had left an emotional gap that needed to be filled.”
I liked the detailed descriptions of the climb. Tiny footholds, pitches, pitons, belay, jumaring up, all the technical details of going up almost vertical walls. Al interspersed with his thoughts and emotions about climbing and his interactions with Joe.
I couldn’t wait till they were on the mountain. It reminded me of The Mountain of My Fear from David Roberts. Also a tale of a legendary climb via an “unclimbable” route. What drives these people? It makes for exciting reading!
After a long preparation (chaper 1 thru 3), they are finally at the foot of the maintain. Setting up base camp one, at 18,000ft. Seeing the west wall up close. Joe wonders if ”we hadn’t taken on too much.”
Chapter 4. The Barrier.
21st-27 September.
The climbing begins.
The book contains a detailed map of the route. With pictures. It’s a great help to visualize what these guys are doing. Crazy stuff of course. One has to be in amazing shape to pull of such sustained climbing for nearly three weeks.
As they go up Peter contemplates about the dangers of climbing and the safety of their equipment. How vulnerable they are. Ropes can break. A peg can come loose. They are heavily loaded with climbing equipment. Pitches have to be secured. Higher bivouac and camp two established. But: ”I was a prisoner of my own ambition, and persisted on up the ropes.” They were planning on establishing fixed ropes until the icefield, on top if which, at 20,000ft they would establish camp two. So pitch after pitch they ventured higher. Each day returning to camp one. Leaving gear where they stopped for the day.
All the while they sort of surpressed their emotions. Knowing that if tempers flare it would bring their expedition in danger. They needed to keep a level head. Their lives were dependant on it. They needed each other.
Chapter 5. Survival.
28 September- 2 October.
The Barrier conquered. Now further. I was amazed about the heavy loads they still needed to carry each time. Over steep difficult terrain. 60 pounds! Food, 2 sleeping bags each, fuel, hammocks and the remaining hardware.
It’s not going quick and when night falls they decide to stay on the wall and sleep in their hammocks. It was an arduous endeaver to install, get in them, and make ready to sleep. I can’t imagine doing that. Dangling from a rope. On a steep wall. 2000ft exposure below!
Making food. It took ca. 3 hours before they were settled. One has to be incredible persistent.
Also cooking is not easy. They have to eat. Melt snow. Usually this takes 2 hours. All the while standing. A second hammoc bivouac follows. They were miserable, cold, tired. They had to go down to recuperate. So via the fixed ropes they went down to Advance Camp.
Chapter 6. Recovery.
3rd-8th October.
A much needed rest. Preparation for the final push. Repairing gear. Reading.
Lots of contemplation going on. He questions them climbing, while so many people struggle in life. p.105: “It was because I was involved in the bleak world of strong contrasts, between fear and exultation, danger and security, between life and death, that the finer balances of hopes and fears of people living hard-working lives began to take on new meaning.” Their adventure was a pampered luxury, self-indulgence. Their struggle for survival was a deliberate choice, not force of circumstance. He is well aware of his privilege. He quotes Geoffrey Winthrop Young (mountain writer) that there is “no rational or moral justification” for these ”self- sought perils to summit a superfluous rock.”
Chapter 7. The Upper Tower.
9th-13 October.
Up they go. Pitch after pitch. Returning each day to camp 2. Going back up the next day via the fixed ropes. I was amazed at the many risks the lead made to get higher. Sometimes being beyond exhaustion. One has to be in an amazing shape to pull such feats off! All the while being on a near vertical wall. Peter keeps on having thoughts of rope snapping when jumaring up pitches (8mm terylene rope) Joe had left. One is totally dependant on ones climbing mate.
Chaper 8. Beyond the Line.
14th-15th October.
The summit push! A final effort and they are there: ”The memories of a month’s struggle on the West Wall lay beneath my feet and the summit was the distillation of all my hopes.” Peter feels elated, but Joe does not show signs of happiness or emotion. He always wonders what Joe feels. Over the last month he often contemplated about that and most of the time he thought that this was for the best. They could not afford to get emotional. They needed all their wits. Their life depended om it.
They still needed to get down.
They stayed for half an hour and then the first snow flakes began to fall. The storm that was threatening the whole day had arrived.
Chaper 9. Descent to Tragedy.
15th - 19th October.
Coming back to camp 2 they can finally relax. Joe too. ”our minds unwinding the elation of success.”
Once back in Base Camp they find that the American expedition on Dunagiri met with catastrophe. 4 members of that expedition died and Peter and Joe decided to help to give the bodies a proper mountain burial. It places their success in stark perspective.
That night in their tent they are able to get closer to each other and talk about all they had endured the last month.
And that was it. A wonderful journey to read about. Eloquently written.
Both Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker disappeared in 1982 on the then unclimbed North-East Ridge of Everest at 27,000ft,
These guys were all about the ultimate line. The sheer impossible, but beautiful ascent. Standing on top of a mountain is not enough. Even if it is Mount Everest. As Joe Tasker describes it: “I don’t think the Everest climb was impressive as a climbing feat but as an organisational one.” That is the opposite Peter really craves: small two-man expeditions, flexible and “adventurous uncertainty and they generate a greater feeling of indispensability and self-containment.” He needed this climb to get back his self-respect: ”My experience on Everest had left an emotional gap that needed to be filled.”
I liked the detailed descriptions of the climb. Tiny footholds, pitches, pitons, belay, jumaring up, all the technical details of going up almost vertical walls. Al interspersed with his thoughts and emotions about climbing and his interactions with Joe.
I couldn’t wait till they were on the mountain. It reminded me of The Mountain of My Fear from David Roberts. Also a tale of a legendary climb via an “unclimbable” route. What drives these people? It makes for exciting reading!
After a long preparation (chaper 1 thru 3), they are finally at the foot of the maintain. Setting up base camp one, at 18,000ft. Seeing the west wall up close. Joe wonders if ”we hadn’t taken on too much.”
Chapter 4. The Barrier.
21st-27 September.
The climbing begins.
The book contains a detailed map of the route. With pictures. It’s a great help to visualize what these guys are doing. Crazy stuff of course. One has to be in amazing shape to pull of such sustained climbing for nearly three weeks.
As they go up Peter contemplates about the dangers of climbing and the safety of their equipment. How vulnerable they are. Ropes can break. A peg can come loose. They are heavily loaded with climbing equipment. Pitches have to be secured. Higher bivouac and camp two established. But: ”I was a prisoner of my own ambition, and persisted on up the ropes.” They were planning on establishing fixed ropes until the icefield, on top if which, at 20,000ft they would establish camp two. So pitch after pitch they ventured higher. Each day returning to camp one. Leaving gear where they stopped for the day.
All the while they sort of surpressed their emotions. Knowing that if tempers flare it would bring their expedition in danger. They needed to keep a level head. Their lives were dependant on it. They needed each other.
Chapter 5. Survival.
28 September- 2 October.
The Barrier conquered. Now further. I was amazed about the heavy loads they still needed to carry each time. Over steep difficult terrain. 60 pounds! Food, 2 sleeping bags each, fuel, hammocks and the remaining hardware.
It’s not going quick and when night falls they decide to stay on the wall and sleep in their hammocks. It was an arduous endeaver to install, get in them, and make ready to sleep. I can’t imagine doing that. Dangling from a rope. On a steep wall. 2000ft exposure below!
Making food. It took ca. 3 hours before they were settled. One has to be incredible persistent.
Also cooking is not easy. They have to eat. Melt snow. Usually this takes 2 hours. All the while standing. A second hammoc bivouac follows. They were miserable, cold, tired. They had to go down to recuperate. So via the fixed ropes they went down to Advance Camp.
Chapter 6. Recovery.
3rd-8th October.
A much needed rest. Preparation for the final push. Repairing gear. Reading.
Lots of contemplation going on. He questions them climbing, while so many people struggle in life. p.105: “It was because I was involved in the bleak world of strong contrasts, between fear and exultation, danger and security, between life and death, that the finer balances of hopes and fears of people living hard-working lives began to take on new meaning.” Their adventure was a pampered luxury, self-indulgence. Their struggle for survival was a deliberate choice, not force of circumstance. He is well aware of his privilege. He quotes Geoffrey Winthrop Young (mountain writer) that there is “no rational or moral justification” for these ”self- sought perils to summit a superfluous rock.”
Chapter 7. The Upper Tower.
9th-13 October.
Up they go. Pitch after pitch. Returning each day to camp 2. Going back up the next day via the fixed ropes. I was amazed at the many risks the lead made to get higher. Sometimes being beyond exhaustion. One has to be in an amazing shape to pull such feats off! All the while being on a near vertical wall. Peter keeps on having thoughts of rope snapping when jumaring up pitches (8mm terylene rope) Joe had left. One is totally dependant on ones climbing mate.
Chaper 8. Beyond the Line.
14th-15th October.
The summit push! A final effort and they are there: ”The memories of a month’s struggle on the West Wall lay beneath my feet and the summit was the distillation of all my hopes.” Peter feels elated, but Joe does not show signs of happiness or emotion. He always wonders what Joe feels. Over the last month he often contemplated about that and most of the time he thought that this was for the best. They could not afford to get emotional. They needed all their wits. Their life depended om it.
They still needed to get down.
They stayed for half an hour and then the first snow flakes began to fall. The storm that was threatening the whole day had arrived.
Chaper 9. Descent to Tragedy.
15th - 19th October.
Coming back to camp 2 they can finally relax. Joe too. ”our minds unwinding the elation of success.”
Once back in Base Camp they find that the American expedition on Dunagiri met with catastrophe. 4 members of that expedition died and Peter and Joe decided to help to give the bodies a proper mountain burial. It places their success in stark perspective.
That night in their tent they are able to get closer to each other and talk about all they had endured the last month.
And that was it. A wonderful journey to read about. Eloquently written.
Both Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker disappeared in 1982 on the then unclimbed North-East Ridge of Everest at 27,000ft,
May 14, 2024
Another great mountaineering book written by one of the OGs of mountaineering from a time when there were still new mountains and routes to be explored. When there were still “firsts” and you had to have actual skill, not tons of money to get to the top of an 8000 meter mountain.
Beware. Straight away in a forward written by Chris Bonington you are made aware that this is the beginning of a climbing partnership that ended when both men died in 1982 on Everest. They’re were part of a 4 man climbing party that included Bonington and fellow climber Dick Renshaw. This made reading the book a bit bittersweet for me.
Beware. Straight away in a forward written by Chris Bonington you are made aware that this is the beginning of a climbing partnership that ended when both men died in 1982 on Everest. They’re were part of a 4 man climbing party that included Bonington and fellow climber Dick Renshaw. This made reading the book a bit bittersweet for me.
March 30, 2024
3.5 ⭐️. I liked the overall story, but the writing had a little too much mountaineering jargon for me. I don’t want to have to use the glossary while reading.
October 9, 2020
It seems to be that Peter Boardman and his climbing partner Joe Tasker not only were daring and progressive in how they climbed the tough routes on tough mountains, but they were also both daring and progressive in writing about their climbs.
In this book Boardman really goes into detail about this expedition. He is not shy about describing his own mistakes and moments of weaknesses, or his arguments and hurt feelings at times with Tasker. But these revelations are not laid bare the way they are sometimes nowadays: to build book sales by being a tell-all book. Rather that he and Tasker almost seem to be exploring their own views on climbing and reasons behind what they do by laying it out for the readers. And they are comfortable enough with each other that they know they can tell it the way they saw and felt it. In fact, here is Boardman's book he often quotes paragraphs from Tasker's notes or writings.
There is a chapter about this climb from Tasker's point of view in his book "Savage Arena," and there are so many similarities that I want to re-read both pieces together someday, going back and forth between them.
More than anything, I guess, this is an honest book, and heartfelt, and it is a shame he died so young so that we can't enjoy a longer list of books from him.
In this book Boardman really goes into detail about this expedition. He is not shy about describing his own mistakes and moments of weaknesses, or his arguments and hurt feelings at times with Tasker. But these revelations are not laid bare the way they are sometimes nowadays: to build book sales by being a tell-all book. Rather that he and Tasker almost seem to be exploring their own views on climbing and reasons behind what they do by laying it out for the readers. And they are comfortable enough with each other that they know they can tell it the way they saw and felt it. In fact, here is Boardman's book he often quotes paragraphs from Tasker's notes or writings.
There is a chapter about this climb from Tasker's point of view in his book "Savage Arena," and there are so many similarities that I want to re-read both pieces together someday, going back and forth between them.
More than anything, I guess, this is an honest book, and heartfelt, and it is a shame he died so young so that we can't enjoy a longer list of books from him.
January 28, 2021
Well crafted story but it was steeped in Privilege and self indulgence that I couldn't really ignore. It was written in the '70s, and at least he did have the decency to glancingly address the ludicrous nature of mountaineers paying silly sums of money to impoverished peoples so they can deliberately risk their lives to surmount a pretty rock.
It was interesting to see the balance of mindfulness and obsession, pushing personal limits, and maintaining boundaries in an intimate 2-man climb.
It was interesting to see the balance of mindfulness and obsession, pushing personal limits, and maintaining boundaries in an intimate 2-man climb.
December 1, 2021
After a slow start before the actual expedition, a very well written and engaging record of the first ascend of the west face of Changabang. Reads very easy in the first persons perspective from Peter. Very nice additions on the views from Joe in some sections. Highly recommended!
March 9, 2021
The Shining Mountain
Peter Boardman’s book along with his partner’s (Joe Tasker) “Savage Arena” were staples of my early climbing reading and are both fantastic examples of mountaineering literature. Indeed, the world lost not just two of the leading exponents of small expeditions and very technical high altitude climbs but also two excellent authors.
Ironically, they are probably now best known for the mountain literature award which has become an abiding legacy, but their books and climbs deserve a big place in mountaineering history.
They are two very different books, Pete’s just covering their first ascent of the west wall of Changabang wheras Joe’s includes this but also classic chapters on the north face of the Eiger in winter, Dunagiri and an epic on K2. There’s pros and con s to each book. On the whole I prefer the writing of Joe but like the extra detail of Pete since his book is simply devoted to a single expedition.
Whilst Pete wrote a whole book about the west wall of Changabang, it was Joe’s idea and original concept. Having survived a truly epic ascent of Dunagiri with Dick Renshaw, Joe was sitting down and “I drank some liquid for the first time in four days…I would want one picture of the view just as a reminder of the ordeal I had endured. The glacier, spread about before me like a white desert, was peopled by my imagination and over it hung the massive West Wall of Changabang, a great cinema screen which would never have figures on it.”
Every generation of climbers seemingly raises the bar, pushes things a quantum leap forward but Changabang genuinely was a huge leap of faith. Up until mountaineering had been very much in the large expedition style typified by the logistical masterpieces of Chris Bonnington. Chris described Joe and Pete’s plan as “preposterous….. if you do get up, it’ll be the hardest route in the Himalayas.”
Pete had studies English at Nottingham University and this shows in his writing which is perhaps a bit more polished than Joe’s. This was describing his summit success on Everest as part of Bonnington’s expedition but could well be for a recent commercial trip; “on Everest, the summit day had been presented to me by a large systematised expedition of over a hundred people. During the rest of the time on the mountain, I had been just part of the vertically integrated crowd control, waiting for the leader’s call to slot me into my next allocated position.”
The book tells the stories warts and all and provides great insights into the two partners and their pioneering route in a new ultra light weight style. It’s a very powerful book and like Joe’s book survives the test of time. In many ways Shining Mountain paved the way for a new type of mountaineering literature. It tells a gripping story, paints the characters and the epics, very much the human side of the adventure. Previous books had largely been confined to dry facts, diagrams and tables of kit used, sponsors and analytical data enough to satisfy any accountant. From now on the protagonists and the climbing take centre stage. A few favourite quotes give a real idea of their ordeal on Changabang. “Joe’s precise, orderly approach to bivouacking and equipment made me feel muddled and clumsy like a small boy told off for touching in a china shop. Some people judge mountaineers by their speed and by the difficulty of the rock they can climb. But on Changabang the real test was more how efficiently you could put a brew on, warm your fingers or take your boots off.”
The descriptions of the climbing are superb and will resonate with any alpinist. “I was filled with urgency and determined to stay in the sun until I reached the crest. It was an invented game to pluck us from the grasp of darkness. …the gully was sheltered and, as I churned upwards with my feet, the powder snow poured straight down. The air was becoming colder but the light was warm and red. The sun was pushing me upwards as if I were soaring on particles of solar light.”
Whilst the multi day ascent is a real sufferfest, the descent is a truly harrowing experience and one I won’t spoil for potential readers.
To me, these are two of the best ever works of mountaineering literature and complement each other well. Even just the titles are really special and both capture elements of the mountaineering addiction. “Savage Arena” well describes our mountain playground, more especially the alps and greater ranges. “Shining Mountain” paints a picture of allure of a peak to be summited.
Peter Boardman’s book along with his partner’s (Joe Tasker) “Savage Arena” were staples of my early climbing reading and are both fantastic examples of mountaineering literature. Indeed, the world lost not just two of the leading exponents of small expeditions and very technical high altitude climbs but also two excellent authors.
Ironically, they are probably now best known for the mountain literature award which has become an abiding legacy, but their books and climbs deserve a big place in mountaineering history.
They are two very different books, Pete’s just covering their first ascent of the west wall of Changabang wheras Joe’s includes this but also classic chapters on the north face of the Eiger in winter, Dunagiri and an epic on K2. There’s pros and con s to each book. On the whole I prefer the writing of Joe but like the extra detail of Pete since his book is simply devoted to a single expedition.
Whilst Pete wrote a whole book about the west wall of Changabang, it was Joe’s idea and original concept. Having survived a truly epic ascent of Dunagiri with Dick Renshaw, Joe was sitting down and “I drank some liquid for the first time in four days…I would want one picture of the view just as a reminder of the ordeal I had endured. The glacier, spread about before me like a white desert, was peopled by my imagination and over it hung the massive West Wall of Changabang, a great cinema screen which would never have figures on it.”
Every generation of climbers seemingly raises the bar, pushes things a quantum leap forward but Changabang genuinely was a huge leap of faith. Up until mountaineering had been very much in the large expedition style typified by the logistical masterpieces of Chris Bonnington. Chris described Joe and Pete’s plan as “preposterous….. if you do get up, it’ll be the hardest route in the Himalayas.”
Pete had studies English at Nottingham University and this shows in his writing which is perhaps a bit more polished than Joe’s. This was describing his summit success on Everest as part of Bonnington’s expedition but could well be for a recent commercial trip; “on Everest, the summit day had been presented to me by a large systematised expedition of over a hundred people. During the rest of the time on the mountain, I had been just part of the vertically integrated crowd control, waiting for the leader’s call to slot me into my next allocated position.”
The book tells the stories warts and all and provides great insights into the two partners and their pioneering route in a new ultra light weight style. It’s a very powerful book and like Joe’s book survives the test of time. In many ways Shining Mountain paved the way for a new type of mountaineering literature. It tells a gripping story, paints the characters and the epics, very much the human side of the adventure. Previous books had largely been confined to dry facts, diagrams and tables of kit used, sponsors and analytical data enough to satisfy any accountant. From now on the protagonists and the climbing take centre stage. A few favourite quotes give a real idea of their ordeal on Changabang. “Joe’s precise, orderly approach to bivouacking and equipment made me feel muddled and clumsy like a small boy told off for touching in a china shop. Some people judge mountaineers by their speed and by the difficulty of the rock they can climb. But on Changabang the real test was more how efficiently you could put a brew on, warm your fingers or take your boots off.”
The descriptions of the climbing are superb and will resonate with any alpinist. “I was filled with urgency and determined to stay in the sun until I reached the crest. It was an invented game to pluck us from the grasp of darkness. …the gully was sheltered and, as I churned upwards with my feet, the powder snow poured straight down. The air was becoming colder but the light was warm and red. The sun was pushing me upwards as if I were soaring on particles of solar light.”
Whilst the multi day ascent is a real sufferfest, the descent is a truly harrowing experience and one I won’t spoil for potential readers.
To me, these are two of the best ever works of mountaineering literature and complement each other well. Even just the titles are really special and both capture elements of the mountaineering addiction. “Savage Arena” well describes our mountain playground, more especially the alps and greater ranges. “Shining Mountain” paints a picture of allure of a peak to be summited.
July 26, 2016
Having read a book by Joe Tasker and not been greatly impressed by his writing, I decided to try a book by his climbing partner Peter Boardman. Sadly I did not enjoy this book any better.
I just found it so boring! There was endless descriptions of everything in the expedition including endless conversations between the climbers and their liason officer, and with every person they meet. It was not needed and added nothing to the book at all. It felt like unnecessary padding to make the book a certain length rather than being of interest to the reader.
It doesn't help when one of the three main 'characters' in the book is the rudeness that is called Joe Tasker. In the books that I have read where he features, I have not liked him at all. He has a level of contempt for people that don't go off to pursue dreams like him and decide to work in boring jobs to look after their families. He doesn't seem to get that because he does things different, he is not better than other people. He is rude and ignores the Indian liason officer on the trip because he doesn't believe in having one-well here is the scoop Joe, it was the RULE that each expedition must have a liason officer to ensure rules are followed so stop moaning and get on with it or go home and climb elsewhere. I really detest his attitude problem.
Pete is a nicer guy who actually realises that being rude to the liason officer is counterproductive as this is the man who can solve logistical problems on the trip and make problems go away. Pete makes an effort to get to know the man who seems nice enough and is just doing his job. But all this Joe angst and the over descriptive waffle just bored me and I had lost interest before they even reached the mountains.
I didn't finish the book and I'm afraid I won't be reading anything else by this author or Joe Tasker.
I just found it so boring! There was endless descriptions of everything in the expedition including endless conversations between the climbers and their liason officer, and with every person they meet. It was not needed and added nothing to the book at all. It felt like unnecessary padding to make the book a certain length rather than being of interest to the reader.
It doesn't help when one of the three main 'characters' in the book is the rudeness that is called Joe Tasker. In the books that I have read where he features, I have not liked him at all. He has a level of contempt for people that don't go off to pursue dreams like him and decide to work in boring jobs to look after their families. He doesn't seem to get that because he does things different, he is not better than other people. He is rude and ignores the Indian liason officer on the trip because he doesn't believe in having one-well here is the scoop Joe, it was the RULE that each expedition must have a liason officer to ensure rules are followed so stop moaning and get on with it or go home and climb elsewhere. I really detest his attitude problem.
Pete is a nicer guy who actually realises that being rude to the liason officer is counterproductive as this is the man who can solve logistical problems on the trip and make problems go away. Pete makes an effort to get to know the man who seems nice enough and is just doing his job. But all this Joe angst and the over descriptive waffle just bored me and I had lost interest before they even reached the mountains.
I didn't finish the book and I'm afraid I won't be reading anything else by this author or Joe Tasker.
February 8, 2018
The book I read was The Shining Mountain by Peter Boardman. The main characters in the Book are Peter Boardman himself, and his partner Joe Tasker. They were on a mission to climb the west wall of Changabang. Changabang is a peak located in India and has a summit elevation of 22,520’ feet. The climb on the west wall was rough, frigid and windy. The climb for the two men was said to me almost impossible, these men packed light to hike the unpredictable west wall of Changabang. Along with that, it had high winds and frigid temperatures. This hike for Peter and Joe is legendary and stunning.
Sadly Peter and Joe both died on May 17, 1982 while attempting to summit Everest.
I really liked this book because I have a interest in hiking and being outdoors, that is why I found this book. I think that it is a really cool story, and I also want to read some other hiking or outdoor books. I like that it tell what went on while they journeyed to the summit of the West Wall.
I think that people who are interested in outdoors, survival, and hiking would really enjoy this book. It tells what it’s like to hike a extreme mountain and shows you how dangerous, unpredictable and amazing these climbs can be.
Sadly Peter and Joe both died on May 17, 1982 while attempting to summit Everest.
I really liked this book because I have a interest in hiking and being outdoors, that is why I found this book. I think that it is a really cool story, and I also want to read some other hiking or outdoor books. I like that it tell what went on while they journeyed to the summit of the West Wall.
I think that people who are interested in outdoors, survival, and hiking would really enjoy this book. It tells what it’s like to hike a extreme mountain and shows you how dangerous, unpredictable and amazing these climbs can be.
May 25, 2021
This book is a well known and gripping account of an almost impossible sounding climb deep in the Himalayas, the west wall of Changabang. The book describes in detail the expedition to the unclimbed face, and describes the single mindedness that a climber must have to overcome such a challenging climb. The technical descriptions are vividly composed, and at times you can almost imagine yourself suffering with the climbers in their hammocks.. Also included is the build up to the climb, with colourful descriptions of the training at home and the walk in to the mountain itself, and the characters met along the way. The drive of the two climbers was to be their downfall though, a few years later after this ascent both were killed whilst climbing together and the climbing world lost two excellent mountaineering writers and technical climbers.
An excellent tale of adventure, only missing pictures in this paperback edition, however this allows the imagination to create the challenge they faced.
An excellent tale of adventure, only missing pictures in this paperback edition, however this allows the imagination to create the challenge they faced.
May 2, 2020
Peter Boardman’s classic account of the first ascent of the west wall of Changabang belongs to the canon of Himalayan literature.
The eminence that is Chris Bonnington assured Mr. Boardman and his climbing partner, Joe Tasker, that they didn’t stand a chance in hell.
And yet the intrepid duo went for it, eschewing porters, Sherpas, fixed ropes, and all the logistical trappings typically leveraged on the biggest peaks in the world.
Instead the two men climbed the face in “alpine style,” fixing almost no rope, sleeping in hanging hammocks on the snow-swept face, and enduring horribly cold bivouacs.
The fact that they stood on the summit of Changabang and lived to tell the tale is absolutely mind-blowing.
As if the content isn’t compelling enough, Mr. Boardman has the added attribute of being a talented writer. His prose is clear and measured, his tone introspective and honest.
A total classic of the genre...don’t miss it.
The eminence that is Chris Bonnington assured Mr. Boardman and his climbing partner, Joe Tasker, that they didn’t stand a chance in hell.
And yet the intrepid duo went for it, eschewing porters, Sherpas, fixed ropes, and all the logistical trappings typically leveraged on the biggest peaks in the world.
Instead the two men climbed the face in “alpine style,” fixing almost no rope, sleeping in hanging hammocks on the snow-swept face, and enduring horribly cold bivouacs.
The fact that they stood on the summit of Changabang and lived to tell the tale is absolutely mind-blowing.
As if the content isn’t compelling enough, Mr. Boardman has the added attribute of being a talented writer. His prose is clear and measured, his tone introspective and honest.
A total classic of the genre...don’t miss it.
September 2, 2022
Un libro muy ameno de leer, y descriptivo sin resultar cansino. El autor se nota el amor por el deporte que practica y lo plasma de manera magistral en cada página.
Pena que los pensamientos de Joe tasker sean reducidos a tan poco, porque ese contraste y la diferencia entre las dos personas que deciden subir esa montaña de casi ciencia ficción es lo que más me encantó del libro. Porque como eran diferentes, pero a la vez iguales ante el reto de la subida es un mensaje muy fuerte en los tiempos que corren.
Destacar el tono informal y a veces cómico que tiene la narración, que contrasta con el tema a tratar la primera subida a la cara norte del chsngbalang
Pena que los pensamientos de Joe tasker sean reducidos a tan poco, porque ese contraste y la diferencia entre las dos personas que deciden subir esa montaña de casi ciencia ficción es lo que más me encantó del libro. Porque como eran diferentes, pero a la vez iguales ante el reto de la subida es un mensaje muy fuerte en los tiempos que corren.
Destacar el tono informal y a veces cómico que tiene la narración, que contrasta con el tema a tratar la primera subida a la cara norte del chsngbalang
February 9, 2012
Boardman and Joe Tasker took on this vertical wall in the "off Himalayan" mountains of Pakistan. It is incredible story of survival in a place no human was meant to tread. The wall of the mountain begins at an altitude that can kill and of course, in Pakistan, the logistical support on the ground is hardly support as it might be in Nepal or Europe. One of the most exciting adventures I ever read.
July 11, 2015
I didn't know how the story ended, so I read it with my heart in my throat as Boardman and Tasker inched their way up the previously unclimbed West Wall of Changabang. This was an incredible feat of mountaineering. I didn't enjoy the read as much as I do David Roberts' books, but I originally planned to give The Shining Mountain a 3 star rating. While writing this review and remembering the fear I felt while reading, I'm revising my rating to 4 stars.
February 14, 2020
Certainly one of the undisputed finest mountain books ever written. It has not only stood the test of time but in many ways got better with age. As the climbers left the West wall of Changabang Peter said to Joe, the problem is there just aren’t many blanks on the map anymore. And for them this was the tragic trap they were in, as challenges became ever harder and more dangerous so the risks increased with fatal consequences.
A powerful book.
A powerful book.
December 23, 2008
Well written account of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker's succesful 1976 climb of the west wall of Changabang, very much in lightweight alpine style. Boardmand and Tasker both died in 1982 on Everest's North East ridge - they're remembered each year with the awarding of the Boardman Tasker prize for mountain literature.
April 10, 2016
A surprisingly lyrical account of a gruelling climb. Boardman captures the unspoken intricacies and power shifts of his relationship with Tasker during their months of preparation and weeks of climbing with precision, and describes the land- and skyscape around them in deceptively simple terms.
January 7, 2018
Good solid mountaineering fayre, filled with exciting details about the attempt on Changabang in the Himalayan Garwhal. It was a good insight to get snippets of Joe Taskers view of the climb, intermingled by Boardman's prose. 2 of 4 parts of the Boardman Tasker omnibus now completed.
August 12, 2020
I listened to this as an audiobook so relied totally on the words to tell the tale. I am not into mountaineering and really didn't expect to like this book - so whether it was because it was an audiobook or the way it is written I don't know - but I really enjoyed the book.
August 13, 2010
story of climbing hard - goals and achievement - great narrative in terms of climbing genre
September 1, 2016
Really good mountain writing
February 7, 2017
One of the best books on mountain climbing
October 14, 2017
The best mountaineering book. The mountain, the climbers, and their experiences before and after the climb, all make for an enthralling experience.
January 14, 2019
On a shoestring budget these gentleman train and complete an important alpine climb on Changabang - alpine style in the Nanda Devi Cirque.
April 18, 2020
I listened to the audio book. I enjoyed the story even though I didn’t understand many of the climbing terminology.
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