Adventure Apparel & Accessories

May 07, 2023

The wide-ranging expedition of Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman in the Garhwal Himalaya in 1934 is regarded as the epitome of adventurous mountaineering. With their Sherpa companions they solved the problem of access to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, crossed difficult cols, made first ascents, and explored remote, uninhabited valleys. These adventures are recounted in Shipton's wonderfully vivid Nanda Devi, one of the most inspirational mountain-travel books ever written. Once access to Nanda Devi was found, it was only a matter of time before a first ascent attempt was mounted. In 1936 Tilman joined an American and British expedition and tells the tale of their successful climb in his restrained, witty account, The Ascent of Nanda Devi. This compilation of these classic tales is concluded with further accounts by Shipton of his subsequent surveying expeditions in and around the Sanctuary, which served to mitigate his regret in missing the ascent of Nanda Devi (he was on Everest at the time.) Together, the writing of these two mountaineering legends creates a fascinating adventure tale.

(Source: Good Reads & Indian Mountaineering Foundation)

7. Everest the West Ridge - Thomas F. Hornbein

In 1963, Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Everest via the South Col route. Roughly two weeks after Whittaker's achievement, Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld, fellow American mountaineers on the same expedition, became the first climbers ever to summit the world's highest peak via the dangerous and forbidding West Ridge--a route on which only a handful of climbers have since succeeded.

Hornbein’s book is devoid of overblown heroics. Everest is not "conquered." The book also avoids the overly intimate, every-rivalry-recorded style of more modern books (e.g. awful accounts of Unsoeld's subsequent expedition to Nanda Devi). In this book, climbers' interactions get discussed without psychobabble. (Source: Google Books)

“This is the story of one of the greatest achievements in American mountaineering history: Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbein climbing to the top of the world from Everest's West Ridge, descending from the South Col and bivouacking at 28,000-feet. It is a great story of determination, passion and friendship.... One of my favorite things about this book is the many outstanding photographs paired with quotes about mountains”.--Katie Sauter, Library Director ‘American Alpine Club Library’

8. Annapurna South Face – Chris Bonington

In 1970 Chris Bonington and his now-legendary team of mountaineers successfully battled up a seemingly impregnable face in The Himalayas. It was a magnificient triumph for mountaineering and good teamwork. Annapurna South Face tells how it was done. 12,000 feet of steep rock and ice leading to a 26, 454-ft. summit

mount annapurna south face

As serious armchair climbers will tell you, Annapurna South Face is better than all but a handful of equally gripping classics. One could also argue that all that has happened in the big mountains in the past 30 years has come out of this expedition and out of this book. Bonington and his team—most of whom subsequently died in the mountains—represented a kind of "greatest generation" of modern mountaineers. They pioneered a new, bolder approach to high altitude climbing, and this book is about how they hit the big time.(Source: Goodreads)

9. No Picnic on Mount Kenya- Felice Benuzzi

No Picnic on Mount Kenya (Italian: Fuga sul Kenya) by Felice Benuzzi is a mountaineering classic recounting the 1943 attempt of three escaped Italian prisoners of war to reach the summit of Mount Kenya. It was first published in 1946 in English and 1947 in Italian. The 1994 film The Ascent is based on this book. Rick Ridgeway sums it up, “This contrast of the freedom of the mountains against the oppression of man is the leitmotif of Benuzzi's book.

mount kenya

Perhaps more than any climbing story, No Picnic on Mount Kenya captures that strong underpinning of revolt common to most mountaineers. The men and women I know drawn to the hills are mavericks whose principal loyalty is to the individual's right to take his own risks and discover his own truths, and as much as anyone, Benuzzi applauds that right and condemns those who might curtail it.”(Source: Wikipedia)

'A tale worth reading ... Mr Benuzzi's paradoxical mixture of pride and self-mocking humility is attractive; his courage is amazing; his story dramatic' - New York Times.

‘More electrifying than anything a person with a nose for real adventure could hope to read’ - Piero Melati, Repubblica

10. The Ascent of Rum Doodle - W. E. Bowman

(Source: Publishers Weekly & Wikipedia)

If you’re looking to buy vintage edition or autographed copy of these books then 'Chessler Books' & 'Abe Books' have some rare finds. Happy reading & collecting!

Inme Camps

The Sacred Summit of Kanchenjunga dominates the horizon in Sikkim. Avid trekker Maninder Kohli has conducted multiple treks in Sikkim spread over several years. On each trip he has felt drawn closer and closer to Kanchenjunga.

In 'Sacred Summit' Maninder will share images and highlights of each of the three treks he has led in Sikkim and also build a case on why Sikkim should be a part of the mix for a genuine believer.

night view of kanchenjunga

Kanchenjunga 8,586m, located in Sikkim, is the third highest mountain in the world and India’s highest peak. Kanchenjunga is regarded by the people of Sikkim as a sacred peak, whose presence has historically supported the security of Sikkim and to this day inﬂuences the weather in the state.

My first look at Kanchenjunga goes back to 1980 when I arrived at Darjeeling for my Basic Mountaineering Course from HMI Darjeeling. In the mid ground of this image taken at midnight Sikkim is in view. The training area of HMI is in Sikkim where I ended up climbing Dr. B.C. Roy Peak 5445m located quite close to Kanchenjunga. Since that period I strongly held the desire to trek again in Sikkim.

singalilla kanchenjunga view

In 2013 plans began to mature and I focused on the Singalilla Ridge in West Sikkim. This trek can be done by two different routes. The West Bengal route has over the years become very commercial and I chose the route through Sikkim, via the Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, a route which is seldom used. The main highlight of the trek is the most impressive view of Kanchenjunga.

forests of himalayas

As you hit the trail in Sikkim what strikes you immediately is the general level of forestation. It's thick to a point that without the support of a trail it's virtually impossible to move even couple of feet around the forest. This feature of a dense forest is common within Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh which are all considered a part of the Eastern Himalaya.

We were trekking in November and found that the established trail had partially disappeared thanks to rapid growth of vegetation over the monsoon period. Our lead on the trail was carrying a machete which was being used to clear the trail. Some element of social distancing was required from the gentlemen swinging the machete to avoid injury.

kanchenjunga view from north

At camp during the evenings we would spend time to determine which peaks are in view. It was a painstaking exercise to determine each high point. What was most interesting to observe was how a high peak like Kabru North 7338m was seemingly overshadowed by Kanchenjunga. The Kanchenjunga Massif contains 5 distinct high points, 4 of the points are above 8000 meters.

everest and makalu view from singalilla

Three days into the trek and we were now on the Singalilla ridge at about 3500m. The Singalilla ridge descends from Kanchenjunga and runs along the border between India and Nepal. When we claimed the ridge multiple peaks in Eastern Nepal came into view. About 180 km’s away was the peak of Makalu and another 20 km’s further away we could partially see Mt. Everest. It was truly majestic.

On my return to Delhi I did spend a fair amount of time in identifying each of the peaks in view and marking them. Clustered together were four 8000m peaks and multiple 7000m peaks. When you add this to the much closer view of Kanchenjunga and the Kabru peaks one can only refer to it as a grand spectacle.

In 2016 I got motivated to do another trek in Sikkim and this time around the plan was to go for the Goecha La trek. Our team reached the sleepy town of Yukson in West Sikkim from where this trek originates. In three easy days we were at Dzongri which is like a mid-way and stop over point for an acclimatisation break. I had stopped over at Dzongri during my Basic Mountaineering Course. From Zongri there are two routes, one heading to the HMI training area and the other towards Goecha La.