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Archive on 4: The British on Top of the World

The British on Top of the World

02/08/2014

BBC Radio 4 - Archive on 4, The British on Top of the World

Climber Stephen Venables recalls Sir Chris Bonington's 1975 expedition to Everest.

Climber Stephen Venables recalls Sir Chris Bonington's fraught but successful 1975 expedition to Everest. From September 2005.

Fellow climber Stephen Venables recalls Sir Chris Bonington's fraught but successful 1975 expedition to Everest. From 2005. 

Mountaineering is a harsh, unforgiving but ultimately rewarding pursuit - Chris Bonington's 1975 excursion up the South West face of Everest was marred by two deaths, but captured the public's imagination. With significantly less technological advantages than present-day climbers, Chris Bonington's team were faced with numerous personal and environmental challenges. He kept an audio diary which helps piece together the team's progress. 

Also a writer, photographer and engineer, Sir Chris Bonington has written 17 books and finally reached the summit of Everest in 1985 with a Norwegian expedition. He has been mountaineering since 1951, when he was 16 years old, and continues to this day.

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