Sir Chris Bonington's memoir Ascent charts not only his many triumphs in the climbing world but also the struggles he has faced in his life bringing up a family, and maintaining a successful and loving marriage over the decades of travelling the world to climbmountains.
He has undertaken nineteen Himalayan expeditions, including four to Mount Everest which he climbed in 1985 at the age of fifty, and has made many first ascents in the Alps and greater ranges of the world. The book recounts his many daring climbs, near-death adventures, and the many luminaries of the mountain fraternity he has climbed with. The mercurial Dougal Haston, the legendary and very tough Don Whillans, the philosopher of the rock Stephen Venables, the enigmatic Doug Scott, plus many more – this book is an expert’s opinion on the past sixty years of British and world mountaineering.
In Ascent Chris also discusses his first wife (Wendy) who tragically passed away after a long battle with motor neuron disease - his many years of caring for her, and then in his twilight years deciding to return to an iconic climb from his past - The Old Man of Hoy - to summit at the age of 80 years of age. He has now also found love again amidst the sadness and grief.
A worthwhile read - the chapters on his upbringing and his parents and grandparents are especially interesting.
A few pages of colour photos.
By Chris Bonington.
Card cover, 20cm x 13cm, 423 pages.
Firts published 2017 - this paperback edition 2018.
ISBN: 978-1-4711-5757-8.