Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine
This the summit attempts. Mallory made his fust ingly about his brother-in-law Howard Olson, a dote, and sympathetically imaginative recon- physical prowess was one of. The young climber's small and great, and whose death from cancer time of knowledge of her family, for which after it, to recommend him as a suitable candi- achievements needed no excuses, and his proved a turning point in Weathers's recovery there can be no substitute.
Other fac- generous spirit is given apt commemoration in of a worthwhile life, by providing him with a Irvine was only twenty-two when he died, tors were the cheerfulness and natural modesty this generous-spirited book. Despite this coda and the extraor- pages are not too long to spend in his com- superb natural skills as a practical engineer. Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Click here to sign up.
Help Center Find new research papers in: In the endless controversy over what really happened to Mallory and Irvine, some theories give the impression that a clueless Irvine was plucked out of his Oxford rowboat and sent up to Everest with no mountaineering skills of any kind or idea of the risks he was taking. Irvine is sometimes seen as an inexperienced climber who may have caused an accident leading to his own and Mallory's deaths, or, alternatively, as almost a hapless victim of Mallory's ambition, being led on a climb he was not ready for.
This biography gives much more insight into Irvine's background and motivations, with interesting details from family recollections and papers discovered by the family in He certainly did not have the mountaineering experience of his older companions on the expedition, but he was a talented athlete and his background from an expedition to the Arctic Circle in , as well as some rock climbing and Alpine experience, made him not such a bizarre choice for the expedition as previously represented.
He was also mechanically gifted and made significant improvements to the oxygen apparatus as well as other equipment used on the expedition. While Irvine's determination to reach the summit of Everest may not have quite matched Mallory's near-obsession, he was highly motivated, maneuvering from the very beginning of the expedition to be considered for the summit team. While much has been written about the Everest expedition, there is little specifically about Sandy Irvine, and this biography does an excellent job of filling in those gaps.
Feb 12, Aldi rated it it was amazing Shelves: I started to read this right after finishing The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory , which means that after the more sophisticated style of the Mallory biography and the generally more romantic, philosophical and very complex layers of George Mallory's personality, it took me a little while to get into both Julie Summers' simpler style her endless repetitions of "I sense from this diary entry It didn't take too long, though, before I was drawn in by the wealth of information the author Irvine's great-niece had unearthed about him, the lengths to which she'd gone to assemble as complete an account as she could, and the completely disarming force of charm of the man himself, emerging from every letter and every account of anyone who'd ever met him - even just reading about him you can't help feeling a bit bowled over by the endless supply of energy and initiative and beaming good cheer!
Apart from the details about Sandy's childhood, family life, relationships and rowing career at Oxford something I struggled with a bit, having no interest in rowing , the book also discusses a bunch of interesting facts that put the Everest expedition and Sandy's suitability for it in a new light such as the details of the Spitsbergen expeditions and the actual extent of his mountaineering experience and general fitness - basically a bunch of reasons why it completely made sense for Mallory to pick him over a more seasoned climber.
I also loved how well Summers brought out his character, disproving previous assertions of the uninformed that Sandy was dull or without imagination or a poor innocent lured to his death by an over-obsessed Mallory. I really liked how she stressed and backed up the fact that Sandy was every bit as eager to tackle the summit as George was, but in no way misty-eyed or clueless about it. He knew what he was going in for and tackled it with complete practicality. As with the Mallory biography, the letters included help that much more with immersing yourself in the events of the time.
One thing that hit me unexpectedly was the focus on Noel Odell's perspective for those final few days on the mountain. He usually gets overlooked, and most of the other accounts I've read chose to focus on Mallory and Irvine themselves, so this was new and Just one bloke, alone high up on the mountain, waiting for his friends to come back, going from good cheer to slight worry to slow despair at realising that it's not going to happen and that there's nothing he can do to help.
The book also reinforced something I've noticed in pretty much all publications on the subject, something I've found particularly interesting ever since reading Ghosts of Everest: I find it especially telling that pretty much everyone who actually knew Mallory or Irvine first-hand especially people who lived with or climbed with them seems to have shared a very matter-of-fact certainty that neither of them would have turned back - that being who they were, the last team to go up on literally the last day it could be done, and being strong and able and well equipped and utterly determined, they simply would not have gone back; had even gone on record saying they were very well aware it might be a one-trip deal.
Humanity could never have accomplished half the things it did if it wasn't for a long string of beautifully mad people who decided to do the impossible. Bit of a slow read to start with but very much worth it by the end! Apr 09, Tamberlane rated it really liked it. Though this book at times dwells in minutiae the chapter devoted to Sandy Irvine's college rowing accomplishments I have to applaud the author's devotion and obvious love for her deceased uncle.
Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine
It is a challenge to write a biography of a man who died before he had had much time to truly live: I would not read this book for entertainment's sake, but it is an instructive and balanced account of a persistent mystery. Did Irvine and Mallory make it to the top in ? Will the Kodak camera they brought up ever be retrieved? This book isn't intended to answer those questions, but you will experience the humanity and indomitable spirit of these two climbers in a deeply personal way.
May 10, Susan Grimshaw rated it it was amazing. Excellent biography of the less well known partner of the fated Everest attempt, made especially interesting because the author is his great niece and had access to much family information.
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Mar 02, Will Albers rated it really liked it Shelves: Apr 25, David Churbuck rated it it was ok Shelves: Description Postage and payments. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. A book that has been read, but is in good condition. Minimal damage to the book cover eg. If this is a hard cover, the dust jacket may be missing. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal.
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Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine, Julie Summers, Used; Good Book | eBay
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