First Ascent

Description

Published by Cassell Illustrated, London, 2008, 1st UK Edition, D/w, Fine.    Stephen Venables is a British mountaineer and writer, past president of The Alpine Club, perhaps best known for his bottled oxygen-free ascent of Everest in 1988 by a new route up the Kangshung Face from Tibet, where he completed the route solo when his companions turned back at the South Col.  This is a large format, very well illustrated, history which chronicles those pioneers who were the first to break new ground in climbing over the past 150 years.  Covering mountain ranges across the world, with first ascents in mountaineering, rock-climbing, big-wall climbing and ice climbing, this volume includes challenging and ground breaking ascents from 1865 through to 2005.  Well illustrated with contemporary and modern photographs, an excellent summary history of the achievements of some of the world’s most renowned climbers, mountaineers and adventurers.