The legendary mountaineer describes his adventures in such ranges as the Alps and Himalayas, and provides details of what really happened during a controversial 1954 Italian expedition that made the first ascent of K2.

The early climbing years of Britain's greatest living mountaineer, from his schooldays to his ascent of the Eiger in 1962. I CHOSE TO CLIMB, first published in 1966, was Chris Bonington's first book. He was recognised then, as now, as one of the outstanding members of a brilliant generation of mountaineers, which included such personalities as Hamish MacInnes, Don Whillans and Ian Clough. Here he describes his climbing beginnings as a teenager as well as successful ascents all over the world: the first ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney, the first British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1962, Annapurna II in 1960 and in an unhappy expedition in 1961, Nuptse, the third peak of Everest. The first volume of Chris Bonington's autobiography is written with a warmth and enthusiasm that he has made his own. It tells of his climbing tastes and practice, and of family, friends and partnerships cemented over many years.

Caught way up on the mountain, no one is safe, from the archetypal nightmare of Tony Kurtz, seen to freeze to death by his stranded rescuers as he hung off the Eiger, to events that unfolded on the Grand Teton, where rescuers narrowly escaped being clubbed to death by their reluctant rescuees. This collection of 35 first-hand accounts will shock and inspire in equal measure. Here is the original draft of Joe Simpson's classic Touching the Void and the first full telling of Jamie Andrew's extraordinary rescue from the Alps, which made headlines in 1999. Plus a specially commissioned account of the epic winter rescue on Mount Ararat, 2000 - the most remote mission ever undertaken by a helicopter-rescue team. And the rescuers own grim battles for survival. Compiled by one of the world's most respected mountaineers, this volume spans five continents - from the Appalachians to Mount Cook, from Peak Lenin to Siula Grande. It includes some of the brightest stars of mountaineering and mountain rescue: Joe Simpson, Doug Scott, Pete Sinclair, Milos Vrbe, Paul Nunn, Ludwig Gramminger, Karen Glazley, Ken Phillips and Blaise Agresti.

“He wrapped the rope around his body, got ready to rappel and leaned back. Standing about five feet from him, I heard a sharp scraping, Suddenly Ed was flying. I could see him fall, wordless, fifty feet free, then strike the steep ice below…he was sliding and bouncing down. He passed out of sight, but I heard his body bouncing. There wasn't a chance of his stopping for 4,000 feet.” —From David Robert's The Mountain of My Fear In these thrillingly true tales of narrow brushes with death, Cecil Kuhne has amassed a wide range of stories that show the awesome power of the mountains. Spanning five continents, from the frosty tip of Mount McKinley in the dead of the winter, to the unexplored vastness of the Himalayas and beyond, this is a pulse-pounding collection of disaster and survival at the top of the world. Also featuring: • Joe Simpson's Touching the Void—An inspiring story of a climber who topples into a icy crevasse and, though crippled, starving and frostbitten, still manages to crawl to rescue. • Jon Krakauer's Eiger Dreams—Reaching the limits of his own climbing skills, the author makes a crucial decision whether to brave the treacherous higher altitudes or return to base. • Nando Parrado's Miracle in the Andes—The stunning first-person account of a Peruvian rugby team's airplane crash in the Chilean Andes and their harrowing journey down the mountain for help.

This is a collection of short stories, all of which are based on Alpine mountaineering in the Mont Blanc range. The tales combine the realism of alpine settings with observations of characters featured and exploit the genres of futurism, mystery, surrealism and suspense.