Savage Arena : K2, Changabang and the North Face of the Eiger

A Reviewer said; (Climber44)If you are into climbing literature, this book is a must-read. The author takes you from his early climbing days in the Alps and England through his major expeditions in the Himalaya. The descriptions of the climbs are fantastic, and those of his personal interactions with his fellow climbers and people he meets during his travels are funny, sometimes a little sad, and very revealing about the drives of the author, and those who chose to climb big mountains. I could never again maintain that I was caught up in this game unwillingly. I knew now what I wanted to do. Willingly would I accept the hardship and fear, the discipline and the sacrifices, if only I could be given back the chance to climb that mountain.' Joe Tasker lies, struck down by a tooth abscess, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the 'big' mountains. He is there with Dick Renshaw to attempt to make a two-man ascent of the Peak - one of the first true Alpine-style expeditions to the Greater Ranges; an attempt that forms part of this tale of adventure in the savage vertical arena of hostile mountains. Joe Tasker was one of Britain's foremost mountaineers. A pioneer of lightweight mountaineering and a superbly gifted writer, in Savage Arena he vividly describes his participation in the first British winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger; his first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang with Peter Boardman - considered to be a preposterous plan by the established climbing world; the first ascent of the North Ridge of Kangchenjunga; and his two unsuccessful attempts to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world. This is a story of single-minded determination, strength and courage in a pursuit which owes much of its value and compulsion to the risks entailed - risks which often stimulate superlative performances. It is also a story of the stresses, strains and tensions of living in constant anxiety, often with only one other person, for long periods in which one is never far from moments of terror, and of the close and vital human relationships which spring from those circumstances. It is a moving, exciting and inspirational book about the adventuring spirit which seeks endless new climbing challenges to face, alluring problems to solve and difficulties to overcome, for it is not reaching the summit which is important, but the journey to it. Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman died on Everest in 1982, while attempting a new and unclimbed line. Both men were superb mountaineers and talented writers. Tasker's first book, Everest the Cruel Way, was first published in 1981. Savage Arena, his second book, was completed just before he left for Everest. Both books have become mountaineering classi. The literary legacy of Tasker and Boardman lives on through the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature, established by family and friends in 1983 and presented annually to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. For more information about the Boardman Tasker Prize, visit: www.boardmantasker.com 'The most riveting book on climbing that I have ever read.' Chris Bonington 'A gripping story of tremendous courage and unbelievable endurance.' Sir Edmund Hillary This is a story of single-minded determination, strength and courage in a pursuit which owes much of its value and compulsion to the risks entailed, which thereby stimulate superlative performances. It is also a story of the stresses, strains and tensions of living in constant anxiety, often with only one other person for long periods never far from the borderline with moments of terror, and of the close and vital human relationships which spring from those circumstances. It is a moving, exciting, inspirational book about the adventuring spirit which seeks endless new climbing challenges to face, alluring problems to solve and difficulties to overcome, for 'it is not reaching the summit which is important, but the journey to it'. ....." Publisher's NoteForeword by Chris Bonington 'A Great Partnership'Chapter 1 Or Men Will Come For YouChapter 2 It is Forbidden to Walk on the Track: The EigerChapter 3 It Could be Worse: DunagiriChapter 4 Figures on a Screen: ChangabangChapter 5 'Let's Draw Matchsticks': K2Chapter 6 In the Treasure House of the Great Snow: KangchenjungaChapter 7 Apocalypse: K2PostscriptChronology Savage Arena is an inspirational tale of the adventuring spirit which follows its own path. Tasker vividly describes the first British winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang and his two unsuccessful attempts on K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.