The White Ladder : Triumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering

This captivating narrative unveils the true tales of the thrill-seekers, cartographers, soldiers, occultists, artists, and porters who paved the path for modern mountaineering. A beautifully crafted and assured history of mountaineering "before Everest", brimming with enthralling stories spanning continents and centuries, this splendid debut has garnered high acclaim from Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the renowned author of Shackleton.

Beautiful, remote, and perilous – for generations, we have gazed upon the mountains in awe. Yet, for most, that is where the fascination ends. For a rare few, however, the allure of the peaks proved utterly irresistible. There were the devout Incan priests who, scaling the icy slopes of the Andes to pay homage to each mountain's 'Great Lord', travelled higher than any European would for centuries to come. The Gurkha riflemen who joined their commanders in surveying the Karakoram, admiring the distant summits of Broad Peak and K2 with gleeful anticipation. The tweed-clad mountaineers who made the first serious assaults on Everest, hauling yards upon yards of battered rope through the bitter cold.

Tracing the world altitude record from the ashy slopes of the sacred volcano Llullaillaco to the icy crags and crevasses of the Karakoram, Daniel Light takes us on a panoramic journey through the storied history of mountaineering before Everest. Joining a cast of colourful characters, The White Ladder offers an ode to mountains' capacity to enthral, and the fundamental human drive to climb higher and higher.

Garnering high praise, Sonia Purnell, author of A Woman of No Importance, hails it as "Thrilling... Daniel Light delivers stories that are poetic, spiritual and astonishing in their courage and drive." Maurice Isserman, co-author of Fallen Giants, commends, "Daniel Light guides the reader through a mountain-scape that stretches from the Alps to the Himalaya... with the sure footing of a serious student of climbing history, and the élan of a skilled storyteller. This is a book to curl up with on a cold dark night in a comfortable armchair before a bright fire." Wade Davis, author of Into the Silence, lauds it as "Wonderful. a massive story with an enormous cast of characters, among them some of the most compelling figures of mountaineering history."

Product Information:

Book ISBN:	9780861548163
Book Author:	Daniel Light
Book Format:	Hardback
Book Imprint:	Oneworld Publications
Book Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Book Dimensions:	241 x 164 x 37 cm
Book Publication Date:	2024-05-09
Book Pagination:	432 pages
Book Weight:	678g