8000 Metres: Climbing the World's Highest Mountains

Cut Alan Hinkes in half and you will find 'Mountain Climber' written there; it is his way of life. From an early age in Yorkshire he felt a deep attraction to hilly landscapes, which soon developed into a fascination with mountains and rock climbing. His first summit was Helvellyn in the English Lake District, and he soon progressed to climbing in Scotland and the Alps. In order to indulge his lifelong passion for mountains, Alan resigned from his former profession as a teacher to become an International Mountain Guide in the mid 1980s. It was also at this time that he began to climb in the Himalaya, where 6000m summits gradually progressed to the 8000m climbs recounted in this book.

Acknowledgements; The Himalaya and Karakoram Mountains; Foreword by Brian Blessed; Preface; Introduction; 1 Shisha Pangma; Jerzy Kukuczka & the Polish Climbers; 2 Manaslu; Reinhold Messner; 3 Cho Oyu; Summit Flags & Fiona; 4 Broad Peak; Chapatti & Chips; 5 K2; The Death Zone; 6 Everest; Mallory & Irvine; 7 Gasherbrum I; The Trek-in; 8 Gasherbrum II; Coffee or Tea? 9 Lhotse; Photography & filming; 10 Nanga Parbat; Kurt Diemberger; 11 Makalu; Dealing with Death; 12 Annapurna; Dressed to Survive; 13 Dhaulagiri; The Incident Pit; 14 Kangchenjunga; Roseberry Topping; Aftermath; Shooting the Summits by Joe Cornish; Appendices; 1 The 8000m peaks and their first ascents; 2 Alan Hinkes Expeditions; 3 Glossary; Index

In this stunning large-format book, British mountaineer Alan Hinkes describes for the first time in one place his experiences of climbing all 14 of the peaks over 8000m: the world's highest mountains, in the Himalaya and Karakoram. While the photographs - despite being taken in impossible conditions - capture the beauty and majesty of the mountain landscapes of the roof of the world, the text describes the minute-by-minute struggle to survive in 'the death zone', let alone climb to the summits, often solo and in roaring winds and Arctic temperatures. As well as reflecting on the Yorkshire childhood and first Alpine ascents that got him to his first 8000m summit attempt, and the life that he has led and plans to lead since becoming the first Briton to reach all the 8000ers, Alan recalls the climbing companions he met along the way, several of whom have died in their beloved mountains, the trek-ins, the base camps, the setbacks and the triumphs. A book to challenge and inspire mountain-lovers everywhere.