The Mantis - A mountaineering novel

Philip Temple

Summary

It is not the courage to go back up that we need. It's the courage to go down. Just to go on … ' In 1977 a British expedition led by Himalayan veteran Geoff Strickland, summiteer of K2 and Everest among others, set off to attempt the first ascent of unclimbed Puthemojar - the 'Mantis' - in the Karakoram. 25,311 feet high, renowned for its difficulty, and with a fearsome reputation, the Mantis had claimed the life of at least one climber on each of the previous expeditions that had attempted to scale its complex series of ridges and icefalls. In order to claim the coveted first ascent, Strickland put together a small team comprising the cream of British mountaineering talent: his long-time Himalayan climbing partner and photographer Michael Blackmore; the redoubtable northerner Joe Dodge, as tough as they come; Dodge's regular partner and another veteran of numerous Himalayan expeditions Doug Lowrie; and two young guns - Brit Alan Wyllie, and Kiwi Peter Chase, a pair who had been tearing up the Alpine rule book with daring ascents on the steepest and most difficult faces. Although Michael Blackmore's 1980 record of the climb - The Last Challenge - has become a classic of mountaineering literature, Blackmore himself was never satisfied it told the full story of the events on Puthemojar in 1977. Before his death in 2000, Blackmore had prepared a draft manuscript - a 'creative narrative' - of the expedition which, with thanks to Blackmore's widow, has now been completed by award-winning author and mountaineer Philip Temple. While perhaps best regarded as a work of fiction, The Mantis tells for the first time the gripping story of that 1977 British expedition to Puthemojar. It is a portrait of these men, their drive, this mountain and a credible testimony of just what went on, high on the Mantis.

Available since: 03/03/2014.

Print length: 300 pages.

Other books that might interest you

RYA International Regulations...

Melanie Bartlett

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) are vital for maritime safety. You must be able to identify vessels during the day by their special shapes, and at night time by their lights, and understand how they are likely to alter course or speed in a potential collision situation. 
Melanie Bartlett's book provides a clear and authoritative explanation of each regulation. It is fully illustrated and will help any seafarer understand their responsibilities, meaning that everybody at sea will be safer.

Show book

The Yankee Way - Playing...

Willie Randolph

Legendary New York Yankee Willie Randolph tells the story of his life playing and coaching for the most storied professional sports franchise in the world, detailing his career on and off the field with some of baseball biggest stars.In his long-awaited memoir, Willie Randolph shares stories from life in New York Yankee pinstripes, opening up about the team that raised him and the city that molded him.For over thirty years, Randolph has been a part of Yankee lore and mythology. From the best seat in the stadium he has witnessed the greats, from Reggie Jackson to Don Mattingly to Derek Jeter; larger-than-life managers, including Billy Martin and Joe Torre; and of course The Boss himself. Randolph offers truly unique, firsthand insight into some of the greatest players to ever play the game and the greatest teams ever to call the Bronx their home.But though Randolph is a Yankee, he is first and foremost a quintessential New Yorker. Brooklyn born and raised, he shares memories of his rise from the projects to the house that Ruth built. Along the way he discusses, his triumphs and struggles on the field and in the dugout, as well as his time spent as manager of the Yankees’ crosstown rivals, the Mets.As fascinating and thoughtful as Randolph himself, filled with sixteen pages of black-and-white photos, The Yankee Way is a moving portrait of a legendary team, a unique city, and a remarkable man. With 16 pages of black & white photos.

Show book

Coffee Break Collection 002 - Faith

Various Various

This is a collection of short (15 minute or less readings) works in English suitable for a coffee break at work or a short commuter ride. The theme for this collection is Multi-Faith in various genres.(Summary by BellonaTimes)

Show book

The Ascent - Sean Kelly Stephen...

Barry Ryan

Barry Ryan is European Editor at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and other events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is from Glanworth in County Cork.

Show book

The 10 Football Matches That...

Jim Murphy

The assertion that 'football isn't a matter of life or death, it's much more important than that' has been verified repeatedly throughout modern history. It has bolstered tyrants and helped depose them; contributed to conflict and created ceasefires. It has been an incubator of racism at home and helped bring down a racist regime abroad; shaped cities, changed cultures and inspired resistance. Its impact is as dynamic as the game itself. In this fascinating exploration, Jim Murphy takes us on a journey around the world and through the years, from Franco's Spain to Africa's Alcatraz, Robben Island. Charting the match that sparked a Central American war, the Barcelona team threatened at gunpoint, and the game that helped save Rupert Murdoch's media empire, among much else, Murphy lends a fresh new perspective to some of the most iconic moments in international football. Blending a love of the game with an appreciation of its place in global events, this is an authoritative and often humorous mix of sport and history, featuring fascinating first-hand insights from those most involved in the ten matches that changed the world ... and the one that didn't.

Show book

Hanging On - A life inside...

Martin Boysen

The start of a love affair. 'I kicked off my shoes and prepared to climb in stocking feet, aware of an enormous sense of occasion as I laid hands on the rock and stepped up on the first rounded hold. It was not a hard climb but that was unimportant. I felt instinctively at home and at the finish experienced such a surge of happy elation that I knew then I was committed to climbing.' Martin Boysen's passion for crags and mountains springs from his deep love of nature and a strong sense of adventure. From his early days on rock as a Kent schoolboy after the war, he was soon among the most gifted climbers of his or any generation, famed for his silky technique. Boysen made a huge contribution to British rock climbing, especially in North Wales; he discovered Gogarth in the 1960s and climbed some of the best new routes of his era: Nexus on Dinas Mot, The Skull on Cyrn Las and the magisterial Capital Punishment on Ogwen's Suicide Wall. For more than two decades, Boysen was also one of Britain's leading mountaineers. A crucial member of Sir Chris Bonington's team that climbed the South Face of Annapurna in 1970, Boysen was also part of Bonington's second summit team on the South West face of Everest. In 1976 he made the first ascent of Trango Tower with Joe Brown. Along the way, Boysen climbed with some of the most important figures in the history of the sport, not just stars like Bonington and Brown, but those who make climbing so rich and intriguing, like Nea Morin and the brilliant but doomed Gary Hemming. He joined Hamish MacInnes hunting gold in Ecuador, doubled for Clint Eastwood on the North Face of the Eiger and worked on director Fred Zinnemann's last movie. Wry, laconic and self-deprecating, Martin Boysen's Hanging On is an insider's account of British climbing's golden age.

Show book