2013 Boardman Tasker 30th Anniversary Calendar

The "Boardman Tasker Calender" is a commemorative calendar produced to mark the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker, last seen high on the North East Ridge of Mount Everest, heading for the summit in deteriorating weather. Barely a month after Pete and Joe disappeared a small group met in Manchester to found the Boardman Tasker Memorial. It was agreed that a prize for mountain literature would be most fitting, as both Pete and Joe were very accomplished writers. The first round of judging took place the following year in 1983. The judges set a high standard, using the books by Joe and Pete as benchmarks. Over the following years, entries have been consistently high and always challenge the judges, not least through the sheer variety of literary types - fiction, poetry, expeditions, biography, history, reminiscences, mountain travel and so on. Over the last 30 years the Trust has received around GBP 60,000 in donations - through special appeals, events and gifts - to support the memory of Pete and Joe through the prize. There have been 526 entries, assessed by 46 different judges who selected 31 winners, enabling the Trust to distribute over GBP 50,000 in prize money. The aim of this calendar is to produce a product worthy of Pete and Joe's memory, in some ways up to the high quality of their books, and to honour all the winners and entrants to the award over the last 30 years. It is published by Vertebrate Publishing, working with the Boardman and Tasker families, Sir Chris Bonington and the Boardman Tasker Trust.

About the Author :
Pete Boardman was one of the greats of British Himalayan mountaineering, his first expedition was to Afghanistan in 1972 and in 1975 he was a member of the Everest South West Face Expedition, led by Chris Bonington, successfully reaching the summit. After Everest, further expeditions followed with frightening speed. In 1976 he visited the Polish High Tatra and later that year joined Joe Tasker on the legendary climb of Changabang. In 1978 he took part in the K2 Expedition, which was marred by the tragic death of Nick Estcourt, and the following year he successfully climbed Kangchenjunga with Joe Tasker, Doug Scott and Georges Bettembourg. Later that year he climbed Gauri Sankar in Nepal, and in 1980 he returned to K2 reaching 7975 metres, with Joe before poor weather and exhaustion prevented a further summit attempt. Mount Kongur followed in 1981 and in March 1982, on a small expedition with Chris Bonington, Joe Tasker and Dick Renshaw, he attempted the North East Ridge of Everest, on which he and Joe Tasker so tragically lost their lives. Joe Tasker was a fantastic Alpinist. His early mountaineering was largely spent in the Alps where he climbed a number of demanding routes, including the North Face of the Eiger in winter. In 1975 he experienced his first Himalayan peaks, preferring small lightweight expeditions. After climbing Dunagiri in 1976, he conceived and completed the audacious idea of climbing the awesome West Wall of Changabang with Peter Boardman. In 1977 he attempted, without success, the North Ridge of Nuptse and in 1978 he went with Chris Bonington's expedition to K2, where he witnessed the huge avalanche that swept away his friend Nick Estcourt. The following year he went to Nepal and successfully climbed Kangchenjunga. He summited Mount Kongur, in 1981 an unclimbed peak in Western China, with Chris Bonington, Peter Boardman and Alan Rouse. He returned again to Everest in March 1982 to climb its North East Ridge on which he and Pete tragically lost their lives.