Sir Chris Bonington's updated autobiography is published next week
One of Britain’s most renowned mountaineers has produced a revised autobiography, charting more than 60 years climbing and exploring.
Sir Chris Bonington’s new book is an updated version of his 1989 tome, which contains more than 500 photographs taken during the octogenarian’s extensive mountaineering career.
Chris Bonington Mountaineer is published on 7 November and contains accounts of his later expeditions to Greenland, India, Morocco and his re-ascent of the Old Man of Hoy in 2014, with new climbing companion Leo Houlding.
Bonington’s earlier exploits, including his Everest summit, also feature in the new edition from Vertebrate Publishing. The publisher said: “In this 2016 revised edition we are given a frank perspective into the surreal, majestic and occasionally tragic corners of his incredible mountaineering career.
Chris Bonington Mountaineer
“Whether in the Arctic, the jungle or on an 8,000m peak, Bonington’s stunning photography and engaging conversational prose take us through the detail of daily life on expedition, the action of the climbing and the grandeur of the mountains.”
Sir Chris will also be appearing at the Kendal Mountain Festival later this month.
Born in 1934, Chris Bonington – mountaineer, writer, photographer and lecturer – started climbing at the age of 16 in 1951. It has been his passion ever since.
He made the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger and led the expedition that made the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna, the biggest and most difficult climb in the Himalaya at the time.
He went on to lead the expedition that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Everest in 1975, when Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first Britons to summit, and he reached the summit of Everest himself in 1985 with a Norwegian expedition.
He has written 17 books, fronted numerous television programmes and has lectured to the public and corporate audiences all over the world. He received a knighthood in 1996 for services to mountaineering, was president of the Council for National Parks for eight years, and is the non-executive chairman of Berghaus and a chancellor of Lancaster University.
Details of Chris Bonington Mountaineer are on the Vertebrate Publishing website. grough will publish a review of the book in the near future.
- See grough’s YouTube interview with Sir Chris in the year of his 80th birthday.
