Wednesday, 30 April 2014 10:59

Everest 1953 by Mick Conefrey reviewed

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Never have I lifted the cover of a book with such a feeling of discomfort and foreboding as opening Everest 1953 for the first time. As a child I was brought up on the classics of the 1950's; Wilfred Noyce's South Col, Hertzog's Annapurna and the Big Daddy of them all - Sir John Hunt's Ascent of Everest. Hunt's definitive tome was the bible of a 10 year old obsessed with adventure, and every detail was hungrily devoured before taking up permanent residence in the subconscious as The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but the The Truth. Sure there were details untold, but what wasn't disclosed was never important and as in later life the inconsistencies and missing links grew it was with the sure and certain knowledge that what was missing would always remain so.

Over half a century after the last book entirely devoted to the '53 Expedition appeared, Mick Conefrey's book arrived as something of a surprise; how could there be anything new to tell about one of the best known stories in human history? How could someone possibly compete with the direct, first hand, evidence of the victorious Team Leader and prime members? Oh how wrong I was!!

Everest 1953 Book Cover

Everest 1953 - The Epic Story of the First Ascent belongs up there alongside Hunt's Ascent of Everest, complimenting rather than competing with it and adding to the narrative without detracting from the original. Based on painstaking research the book doesn't just retell the famous story in a far more flowing style than the original but fills in the gaps along the way. The long standing mystery of why Eric Shipton, aka Mr Everest, was suddenly replaced by Hunt as expedition leader is finally revealed, along with details of a little known Cho Oyu expedition that effectively sealed Shipton's removal. Through scouring sources around the world the author can also reveal not only how the Times managed to fool the rest of the media into thinking the expedition had failed but also how Tom Bourdillon was almost credited with the first ascent by a slip of words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenzing On Everest

The author's dedicated work has effectively completed the story Hunt left half told. From the vaults of the RGS to the archives of the Alpine Club, from interviewing team members first hand to reading the personal letters they sent back home no stone has been left unturned. Each source and statement has been carefully referenced with a comprehensive list of references and further reading at the end of the book. As a reference book alone Everest 1953 is invaluable, but the author also manages to tell the story, from the 1951 reconaissance trip to the mayhem around the world following the success, in a free and flowing style. Where Hunt's original book seemed, at times, devoid of feeling or emotion Mick Conefrey's book pulls the reader into the story, getting them involved to the point that even though I knew the plot so well once started there was no way I was going to put it down before reaching the end. As a child Hillary's chapter in the Ascent of Everest had stood out for its writing style as well as it being (to a ten year old) the highpoint of the story. Conefrey has skillfully managed to convey the whole story with the same emotion as that single chapter of Hillary's work to such a point that reading the account of the summit team reaching the South Col on their return I still cried, just as I did reading Ascent of Everest some 40 years earlier. Everest 1953 is without a doubt the most complete story of that epic expedition, and as the first ascent approaches its 60th anniversary it's still one hell of a story.



Note: This article was restored from the archives. It's published creation date is inaccurate.