Title/Author:
“The World Beneath
Their Feet: Mountaineering, Madness and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas"
by Scott Ellsworth
Tags:
Mountaineering,
History
Publish date:
February 18, 2020
Length:
416 pages
Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
While it is well known
that Sir Edmund Hilary was the first person to reach the summit of Mount
Everest, what isn't as well known are the many attempts to climb Everest and
other summits in the Himalayas before Hilary reached the top. There were many attempts to scale these
mountains by various groups of climbers, most notably from England, Germany and
the United States. The adventures of
some of these attempts are told in this terrific book by Scott Ellsworth.
Each of the stories is
gripping in its own manner, whether the climb was considered successful (a few
were in the big picture, even if the summit wasn't reached), a disappointment
or even deadly. There was one summit that
the Germans tried to climb three times, Nanga Parbat, and each one was unsuccessful,
with deaths to some climbers and Sherpas each time. American expeditions to K2 were met with
similar results and the English were the most persistent with Everest, with
their efforts finally paying off with Hilary's success.
Why the book is so
good is that Ellsworth tells about the climbers, the Sherpas and other
important people in the climbing teams in a manner that the reader will be able
to easily relate to that person's traits, quirks and determination. That was a
key characteristic to all the people portrayed – they all were determined to
scale whatever Himalayan peak they were climbing. Add that to the description of the climbs and
their experiences at base camps – mostly cold and fighting off terrible weather
– and the reader is left with a fantastic description of what these mountaineers
went through in trying to conquer some of the most challenging peaks in the
world.
Even if the reader is
not familiar with the language or sport of mountaineering, this book is one
that he or she will enjoy for the human side of these adventures. If the reader enjoys books on this topic,
like this reviewer, then it is one that must be added to his or her bookshelves,
it is that good.
I wish to thank
Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in
exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (EPUB)
Buying Links:
https://www.amazon.com/World-Beneath-Their-Feet-Mountaineering/dp/0316434868/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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