Conquistadors of the Useless
«
Little compromise and total commitment are features common in both Terray’s writing and his climbing, the lines of his autobiography are every bit as powerful as the lines he followed in the mountains. – John Baker, Climbers' Club Journal
Conquistadors of the Useless captures the energy of an optimistic world shaking off the restraints of war and austerity, and is sure to inspire today’s climbers with the irresistible passion of his mountaineering. – Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal
Conquistadors is one of the great books, hardly perfect but with bursts of powerful writing, especially about climbing. It is irresistible, even to those grown up enough to know better. There’s a Gallic cynicism, a dismissive brilliance that is achingly cool, and which Sutton does capture in his translation. And of course it is an outstanding account of arguably the greatest Alpine career of the 20th century. – Ed Douglas, Climber Magazine
Frank, witty, clean, often controversial, Terray irresistibly conveys his lifelong passion for the mountains. – Lara Dunn, Adventure Travel Magazine
»
'I have given my whole life to the mountains. Born at the foot of the Alps, I have been a ski champion, a professional guide, an amateur of the greatest climbs in the Alps and a member of eight expeditions to the Andes and the Himalaya. If the word has any meaning at all, I am a mountaineer.'
Les mer'I have given my whole life to the mountains. Born at the foot of the Alps, I have been a ski champion, a professional guide, an amateur of the greatest climbs in the Alps and a member of eight expeditions to the Andes and the Himalaya. If the word has any meaning at all, I am a mountaineer.'
So Lionel Terray begins Conquistadors of the Useless - not with arrogance, but with typical commitment. One of the most colourful characters of the mountaineering world, his writing is true to his uncompromising and jubilant love for the mountains.
Terray was one of the greatest alpinists of his time, and his autobiography is one of the finest and most important mountaineering books ever written. Climbing with legends Gaston Rébuffat, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, Terray made first ascents in the Alps, Alaska, the Andes and the Himalaya. He was at the centre of global mountaineering at a time when Europe was emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and he came out a hero. Conquistadors of the Useless tells of his wartime escapades, of life as an Alpine mountain guide, and of his climbs - including the second ascent of the Eiger North Face and his involvement in the first ever ascent of an 8,000-metre peak, Annapurna. His tales capture the energy of French post-war optimism, a time when France needed to reassert herself and when climbing triumphs were more valued than at any other time in history.
Terray's death, in the Vercors, robbed mountaineering of one of its most passionate and far-sighted figures. His energy, so obvious in Conquistadors of the Useless, will inspire for generations to come. A mountaineering classic.
Detaljer
- Forlag
- Vertebrate Publishing Ltd
- Innbinding
- Paperback
- Språk
- Engelsk
- ISBN
- 9781912560219
- Utgivelsesår
- 2020
- Format
- 20 x 13 cm
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«
Little compromise and total commitment are features common in both Terray’s writing and his climbing, the lines of his autobiography are every bit as powerful as the lines he followed in the mountains. – John Baker, Climbers' Club Journal
Conquistadors of the Useless captures the energy of an optimistic world shaking off the restraints of war and austerity, and is sure to inspire today’s climbers with the irresistible passion of his mountaineering. – Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal
Conquistadors is one of the great books, hardly perfect but with bursts of powerful writing, especially about climbing. It is irresistible, even to those grown up enough to know better. There’s a Gallic cynicism, a dismissive brilliance that is achingly cool, and which Sutton does capture in his translation. And of course it is an outstanding account of arguably the greatest Alpine career of the 20th century. – Ed Douglas, Climber Magazine
Frank, witty, clean, often controversial, Terray irresistibly conveys his lifelong passion for the mountains. – Lara Dunn, Adventure Travel Magazine
»