Festival of Mountaineering Literature in Leeds, UK

(16.04.2005)

Richard Sale presents his new book, Broad Peak, published by Carreg Ltd, Ross-on-Wye, 2004 First Edition, ISBN 0 9538631 1 5, 208 pages.

The book is illustrated with previously unpublished photographs from Marcus Schmuck and Fritz Wintersteller.

The first full account of the first ascent of Broad Peak in 1957 by Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Hermann Buhl and Kurt Diemberger. Sale drew upon the climbing diaries of Schmuck and Wintersteller, accounts written by Buhl, and conversations with Diemberger and Qader Saeed, the expedition's Pakistani liaison officer. None of this material has previously been published. Sale begins with a history of Broad Peak, including the first ever drawing of the mountain (from Conway's expedition of 1892), the first ever photograph (from the Eckenstein expedition of 1902) and Sella's panorama from the Abruzzi expedition of 1909. There is also an account of the first attempt by the Herrligkoffer expedition of 1954. The marvelous photos from the 1957 expedition are almost entirely previously unpublished work of Schmuck and Wintersteller.

Additionally, there is an account of Buhl's last climb and death on Chogolisa from the protocol written by the surviving team members on the day Diemberger returned to Base Camp after the accident. The book ends with an Appendix of all summit climbs from 1957-2004. Broad Peak is long overdue for an english-language account of this important first ascent of an 8000m peak by a very small team.

This book will be a strong contender for the Boardman-Tasker award.

Text by Topworldbooks

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