The Ascent of Nanda Devi

'I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it.' - H. W. Tilman, on reaching the summit of Nanda Devi. In 1934, after fifty years of trying, mountaineers finally gained access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Two years later an expedition led by H. W. Tilman reached the summit. It was the highest mountain to be climbed until 1950. The Ascent of Nanda Devi has been widely hailed as a classic. Keenly observed, well-informed and at times hilariously funny, it is as close to a 'conventional' mountaineering account as Tilman could manage. Beginning with the history of the mountain ('there was none') and the expedition's arrival in India, Tilman recounts the build-up and approach to the climb. Writing in his characteristic dry style, he tells how Sherpas are hired, provisions are gathered (including 'a mouth-blistering sauce containing 100 per cent chillies') and the climbers head into the hills, towards Nanda Devi. Superbly parodied in The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W. E. Bowman, The Ascent of Nanda Devi was among the earliest accounts of a climbing expedition to be published. Much imitated but rarely matched, it remains one of the best.

About the Author :
Harold William 'H.W.' Tilman was one of the greatest adventurers of his time, a pioneering climber and sailor who held exploration above all else. A prolific writer, he recounted his expeditions in a series of superbly written books. Born in 1898, Tilman joined the army at seventeen and was twice awarded the Military Cross for bravery during World War I. The war over, Tilman left for Africa, where he spent several years growing coffee, prospecting for gold and hunting. He met Eric Shipton and the two began their famed mountaineering partnership, traversing Mount Kenya and climbing Kilimanjaro. Tilman eventually left Africa in typically adventurous style, via a 3,000-mile solo bicycle ride across the continent. He then turned to the Himalaya. In 1936 Tilman made the first ascent of Nanda Devi, the highest summit climbed until 1950. He went to Everest twice and reached 27,000 feet without oxygen in 1938. He became the first European to climb in the remote Assam Himalaya, delved into Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor and explored extensively in Nepal. With a mountaineering style that emphasised exploration rather than conquest, a summit was for Tilman very much secondary to the discovery of new places. When 'advancing years put the Himalaya out of reach' Tilman took up sailing. He bought the cutter Mischief, not to retire from mountaineering, but to explore remote mountains and for twenty-two years sailed Mischief and her successors around the globe - to Patagonia, Greenland and into the Arctic Circle. Tilman recorded many of his adventures, writing several books which were collected in two anthologies - The Seven Mountain-Travel Books and The Eight Sailing/Mountain-Exploration Books. His works are informed and keenly observant, concerned with places and people as much as summits and achievements - often to the extent that accomplishments are almost glossed over, unlike set-backs and failures. They are also full of humour and anecdotes, and frequently hilarious with what Jim Perrin described as 'a due sense of the ridiculousness inherent in many of our actions. On 1 November 1977 Tilman set sail from Rio de Janeiro for the Falkland Islands. His boat vanished without a trace, in what has been described as a 'fitting' end to his life of adventure. He would have spent his eightieth birthday in Antarctic waters.