Everest (The Mountaineers Anthology Series)
To the Tibetans, it is Chomolungma, to the Sherpa of Nepal, Sagarmatha, but in either culture Mount Everest is "mother goddess." Since its discovery, the mountain has motivated climbers to take on its daunting challenge. The result is a hundred years of colorful history and unparalleled drama, full of heart-stopping tragedy and glorious triumph.  Fifty years after the first successful ascent seemed an appropriate time to collect in one volume the most compelling literature that has chronicled human endeavor inspired by the mountain.The twelve  pieces included in this collection are classic tales from Mount Everest, stories that I believe will be read for decades to come, in part because they illustrate the lengths to which we will go to find new ways to challenge ourselves. The voices represented in these pieces are as diverse as they are irresistible. Frank Smythe, who climbed within a thousand feet of the summit in the 1930s, writes like the pro he is, smooth and polished. Thomas Hornbein's account of the incredible first traverse of the mountain in 1963 is told in spare, precise language. Reinhold Messner, widely regarded as a great climber rather than an inspired writer, produces a unexpectedly riveting narrative of his solo ascent.Man's evolving approach to Everest during the past century says much about the innate human need for risk and adventure. The mountain has become a kind of crucible, where the nature of struggle against long odds has been cooked down into an essence that speaks eloquently about human striving. These stories take us there, and together, they offer food for thought, and more--an understanding of what it means to undertake something ineffably difficult.Peter PotterfieldSeattle, Washington