Coming Through: Expeditions to Chogolisa and Meniungtse Book

Andy Fanshawe begins and ends this book on a winter climb in the Alps. Between come two contrasting and successful expeditions, to Chogolisa and to Menlungtse. In the summer of 1986 and newly appointed National Officer of the British Mountaineering Council, he led a five-man team on the first traverse of the twin summits of Chogolisa and Bride Peak, at 7654 metres one of the most elegant of the summits rising above the Baltoro Glacier on the route to K2. He describes the world of the Karakoram and revels in the challenge of new climbing as well as in the mountaineering history that is all around them. It is the summer of disaster on K2. But for them the weather is kind and they reach their summit on its razor-edge ridge. The traverse is accomplished. Tragedy only strikes later, in a mirror image of the death of Hermann Buhl, when the three Scottish members of the team go on to attempt Broad peak. Coming to terms with the death of a friend in the mountains is something Andy Fanshawe has to attempt again for himself before his next expedition, this time to Menlungtse, a hard unclimbed peak of 7180 metres just over the Tibetan border in the Rolwaling Himalaya. In the expedition organized by Chris Bonington the climbing would be serious, but the media are mainly interested in the incidental yeti-hunting. With Alan Hinkes, Andy Fanshawe reaches the 7023-metre summit of Menlungtse West. Reaching summits and knowing when to give up on them, leads to some closing reflections as he retreats from Makalu, but he ends his climbing odyssey with a successful winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger.Read More