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In March 1985, Mal Duff led a new expedition to conquer Everest by the unclimbed north-east ridge.The last attempt by a Chris Bonington team had ended in failure and tragedy - with the deaths of two great climbers, Joe Tasker and Pete Boardman.
Everyone knew the risks as well as the excitement of the challenge. In this extraordinary book, Greig chronicles not only the assault on the peak but also the complex inter-relationships of nineteen very different personalities living together.
“Allows us privileged insights into the minds of these adventurers … Canongate have chosen well in re-issuing this important mountaineering journal.”
the Herald
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“A classic in mountaineering literature…Recommended for all armchair adventurers who have ever wondered what it would be like to climb in the Himalayas.”
geographical Magazine
“A wonderful, gritty expedition book.”
Chris Bonnington
Andrew Greig
Andrew Greig was born and brought up in Scotland. He has published many collections of poetry, including Men on Ice (Canongate) and two novels, Electric Brae (Canongate), which was short-listed for the MacVitie’s Prize and received a Scottish Arts Council Award, and The Return of John MacNab (Headline), which topped the Scottish best-seller list in 1996. He took part in a number of Himalayan expeditions and from his experiences wrote Summit Fever (Hutchinson) and Kingdoms of Experience (Hutchinson).