Among secret beauties : a memoir of mountaineering in New Zealand and the Himalayas / Brian Wilkins.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wilkins, Brian, 1925- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Wilkins, Brian, 1925-.

Wilkins, Brian.

Mountaineers--New Zealand--Biography.

Mountaineers.

Mountaineering--New Zealand.

Mountaineering.

Mountaineering--Himalaya Mountains.

Himalaya Mountains.

New Zealand.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

215 pages : illustrations (some coloured), maps (some coloured), portraits (some coloured) ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Among secret beauties : a memoir of mountaineering

Place of Publication:

Dunedin : Univ of otago press, 2013.

[Otago, New Zealand] Otago University Press, 2013.

Summary:

Climbing entered the world stage in the 1950s: this was the era that produced not only Sir Edmund Hillary but a strong body of world-class. New Zealand climbers. In this important, entertaining and dramatic book Brain Wilkins, who was part of the adventure, shares his experiences of climbing in the Southern Alps and the Himalayas. During the New Zealand Alpine Club expedition to the Himalayas in 1954, the year after Everest, Wilkins was the climber most closely associated with Hillary. Hillary's two narrow escapes from death during the expedition saw Wilkins in a unique position to gauge the character and actions of this legendary figure at a formative stage in the famous climber's career. Wilkins' New Zealand climbing includes the first ascent of the northeast ridge of Mt Aspiring, a gripping drama of survival and human endurance and a test of the ethics of mountaineering. In this frank account he also submits the writings of his contemporaries to robust critical attention. Book jacket.

Contents:

1. Revelation and survival

2. Bold moves

3. To the kingdom of virgins

4. The Himalayan rocket

5. Unclimbed eastern Nepal

6. High promise and Hillary's near-death

7. Crystals in the sunlight

8. Standing back

9. Final whistle : kicked into touch

10. The nature of nurture

11. Getting the feel of it

12. Raising the bar

13. Mount Aspiring lets us through

14. Castle above the Milford Track

15. A shorter life

16. A chapter for Brother Ass

17. Leaving and staying.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781877578489

1877578487

OCLC:

874832537