In 1982, following the relaxation of access restrictions to Tibet, six
climbers set off for the Himalaya to explore the little-known
Shishapangma massif in Tibet. Dealing with a chaotic build-up and
bureaucratic obstacles so huge they verged on comical, the mountaineers
gained access to Shishapangma's unclimbed South-West Face where Doug
Scott, Alex MacIntyre and Roger Baxter-Jones made one of the most
audacious and stylish Himalayan climbs ever. First published in 1984 as
The Shishapangma Expedition, Shishapangma won the first ever Boardman
Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Told through a series of
diary-style entries from all the climbers involved, Shishapangma reveals
the difficult nature of Himalayan decision-making, mountaineering
tactics and climbing relationships. Tense and candid, the six writers
see every event differently, reacting in different ways and pulling no
punches in their opinions of the other mountaineers - quite literally at
one point. Nonetheless, the climbers, at the peak of their considerable
powers and experience, completed an extremely committing enterprise. The
example set by their fine climb survives and several new routes (all
done in alpine style) have now been added to this magnificent face. For
well-trained climbers, such ascents are fast and efficient, but the
consequences of error, misjudgement or bad luck can be terminal and,
sadly, soon afterwards two of the participants were struck down in
mountaineering accidents - MacIntyre hit by stonefall on Annapurna's
South Face and Baxter-Jones being caught by an ice avalanche on the
Aiguille du Triolet. In addition their support climber, Nick Prescott,
died in a Chamonix hospital from an altitude-induced ailment.
Shishapangma is a gripping first-hand account of the intense reality of
high-altitiude alpinism.
