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The Ascent of Nanda Devi: I Believe We So Far Forgot Ourselves as to Shake Hands on it
This book narrates the first ascent of Nanda Devi by the joint British American team lead by H. W. Tilman in 1936. The journey begins after the successful mapping and penetration of Nanda Devi basin and entered the sanctuary and found the road for accessing the way of the Summit attempt.
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
About the author
H.W. Tilman
21 books13 followersMajor Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar, was an English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages.
See Wikipedia for more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ti...
See Wikipedia for more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ti...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 19, 2023
If you like extreme climbing stories, this is one not to be missed. Nanda Devi is the highest mountain totally within India and 23rd highest in the world. Among climbers that doesn’t diminish its reputation. It has a very difficult approach, being completely ringed by mountains, is technically difficult and prone to avalanches. The blessed goddess (Nanda Devi) is off limits to hikers since the late 1980s because of the spiritual regard it is held in by both Buddhist and Hindu religions.
The first successful ascent was in 1936 and is described here. Tilman and two others of the party were British and three were American. Then as now many porters and Sherpas were absolutely necessary.
Black and white photos are in the back of the book. I recommend looking at them before or as you read. They are absolutely spectacular and give a very clear picture of how difficult and beautiful this climb was. The maps were a little more difficult for me to work with.
This group did the final ascent in August, which is very late by today’s standards. Much of the approach was during Monsoon and the final ascent involved a lot of iffy snow. Tilman was eventually among the two who did the final climb, which was actually a little anticlimactic after all the party had been through—crossing raging rivers, traversing steep gorges, frostbite, altitude sickness, snow blindness, Sherpas going back one by one, blizzards, tenting on very narrow ledges and the ultimate disaster, the loss of the last tin of tea. That tea provided some humor and gave the group some extra personality.
Tilman’s writing is very good and I enjoyed the approach to the above treeline climb. That is usually missing from modern climbing stories.
The first successful ascent was in 1936 and is described here. Tilman and two others of the party were British and three were American. Then as now many porters and Sherpas were absolutely necessary.
Black and white photos are in the back of the book. I recommend looking at them before or as you read. They are absolutely spectacular and give a very clear picture of how difficult and beautiful this climb was. The maps were a little more difficult for me to work with.
This group did the final ascent in August, which is very late by today’s standards. Much of the approach was during Monsoon and the final ascent involved a lot of iffy snow. Tilman was eventually among the two who did the final climb, which was actually a little anticlimactic after all the party had been through—crossing raging rivers, traversing steep gorges, frostbite, altitude sickness, snow blindness, Sherpas going back one by one, blizzards, tenting on very narrow ledges and the ultimate disaster, the loss of the last tin of tea. That tea provided some humor and gave the group some extra personality.
Tilman’s writing is very good and I enjoyed the approach to the above treeline climb. That is usually missing from modern climbing stories.
January 13, 2024
This book describes the 1936 joint British-American expedition to climb Nanda Devi, located in the Garhwal District in what is now the state of Uttarakhand, India. The author, was also part of the (unsuccessful) 1934 expedition to attempt the same mountain with Eric Shipton, and he provides some explanation of that expedition in parts of this narrative. However Nanda Devi was originally the backup plan for this expedition - initially Kanchenjunga was the goal. Even on leaving Britain, Tilman was awaiting permission for both mountains; on arrival in India he learned a permit for Kanchenjunga was denied, but thankfully the Nanda Devi permit was soon granted.
What is immediately evident about this expedition, is that it is a long and complex journey to even get to the mountain, taking almost two thirds of the book. However this is mostly interesting and amusing, seeing how the sahibs manage the various Sherpas and porters, as there were two teams of porters - Nepalese Dotials (from the Doti Region of Nepal (just to the South East across the border)) and Indian porters from the village of Mana. There was plenty of niggle between the Nepalese and Mana men, and it was not particularly friendly banter. The team were severely limited with the Sherpa and porter options as there was not only an Everest expedition in play, but also a French expedition to Karakorum and a British expedition in Sikkim who had taken out all the best available men. Unfortunately they were able to engage only one really good Sherpa, the others were well past their best climbing days, or very green. This ended sadly with one of the Sherpa passing away from health issues late in the expedition.
As is usual with long expeditions they commenced with a high number of porters, many of whom are simply transporting food for the porters! The team did however cull porter numbers fairly ruthlessly when they were able to cut down the number of loads. The British and American climbers carried loads as well, and this was especially necessary after the Dotials all decided they were leaving, not being happy to carry out a river crossing (although this was perhaps just an excuse, as two of the porters had been paid off at this point).
As well as Tilman, the other British climbers were Graham Brown, Peter Lloyd and Noel Odell, who was a geologist (and responsible for the often mentioned glacier drill, which was a carrying burden on the porters, and later the climbers). The American side consisted of Charles Houston, WF Loomis, H Adams Carter & Arthur Emmons. Tilman's narrative concentrates more on the Sherpa and the porters than on the other men, until they reach a point of the actual climb.
The narrative covers lots of managing the process, and the actual hiking to reach the mountain, and was quite a different read to the first of his climbing books I read Snow On The Equator, which was a much more general story about Tilman's life - sure it included climbing of several mountains, but was far less focussed on logistics and the technicalities and was genuinely quite funny. There is a lot less of that side of things here, but despite it not being as funny it still had its moments:
While not mentioned in the book, it is interesting to note that at the time this was the highest summit reached by man (7,816 m (25,643 feet)), and remained so until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, which of course was trumped by Everest in 1956. For those into statistics, Nanda Devi is the 23rd highest mountain, and is one of the steepest, comparable to K2. Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest fully within India (Kanchenjunga (which is highest) is on the Nepalese border).
4 stars.
What is immediately evident about this expedition, is that it is a long and complex journey to even get to the mountain, taking almost two thirds of the book. However this is mostly interesting and amusing, seeing how the sahibs manage the various Sherpas and porters, as there were two teams of porters - Nepalese Dotials (from the Doti Region of Nepal (just to the South East across the border)) and Indian porters from the village of Mana. There was plenty of niggle between the Nepalese and Mana men, and it was not particularly friendly banter. The team were severely limited with the Sherpa and porter options as there was not only an Everest expedition in play, but also a French expedition to Karakorum and a British expedition in Sikkim who had taken out all the best available men. Unfortunately they were able to engage only one really good Sherpa, the others were well past their best climbing days, or very green. This ended sadly with one of the Sherpa passing away from health issues late in the expedition.
As is usual with long expeditions they commenced with a high number of porters, many of whom are simply transporting food for the porters! The team did however cull porter numbers fairly ruthlessly when they were able to cut down the number of loads. The British and American climbers carried loads as well, and this was especially necessary after the Dotials all decided they were leaving, not being happy to carry out a river crossing (although this was perhaps just an excuse, as two of the porters had been paid off at this point).
As well as Tilman, the other British climbers were Graham Brown, Peter Lloyd and Noel Odell, who was a geologist (and responsible for the often mentioned glacier drill, which was a carrying burden on the porters, and later the climbers). The American side consisted of Charles Houston, WF Loomis, H Adams Carter & Arthur Emmons. Tilman's narrative concentrates more on the Sherpa and the porters than on the other men, until they reach a point of the actual climb.
The narrative covers lots of managing the process, and the actual hiking to reach the mountain, and was quite a different read to the first of his climbing books I read Snow On The Equator, which was a much more general story about Tilman's life - sure it included climbing of several mountains, but was far less focussed on logistics and the technicalities and was genuinely quite funny. There is a lot less of that side of things here, but despite it not being as funny it still had its moments:
On our way up we met a flock of sheep, and the shepherd was understood to say that one of his sheep had fallen over a cliff and was ours for the carrying. The Mana men soon found it, skinned it, and went on their way rejoicing; it certainly looked fresh enough, but there was suspiciously little sign of it having suffered a fall. In camp that night... the inquest was resumed, and we were calmly informed that the sheep had died through eating a poisonous plant. Somehow or other mutton chops ceased to allure and we generously gave our share to the Sherpas. I should hesitate to accuse them of of using this stratagem to bring about such a desirable result, but they showed no reluctance to accept fortune's gift and suffered not the slightest ill-effect.It is probably no surprise to say that the climb was successful, but it was certainly not easy. In spite of Tilman not being named in the first team to attempt the summit, he was called in to replace Houston who suffered from food poisoning on the day of the attempt, so it was Tilman and Odell who were the first to summit Nanda Devi. As well as the successful climb, there was collection of geological samples and a lot of success mapping and surveying carried out.
While not mentioned in the book, it is interesting to note that at the time this was the highest summit reached by man (7,816 m (25,643 feet)), and remained so until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, which of course was trumped by Everest in 1956. For those into statistics, Nanda Devi is the 23rd highest mountain, and is one of the steepest, comparable to K2. Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest fully within India (Kanchenjunga (which is highest) is on the Nepalese border).
4 stars.
December 9, 2020
Fans of real-life adventures will love this book. Tilman and his crew risk life and limb just to walk to the top of a hill no one else has stepped on.
Even though you could consider this an out-and-back nature walk, what makes it most amazing is that these guys did this in a time before so much of the technology mountaineers use today existed. They carried no oxygen, had primitive clothing and shoes, and had no one to radio for help if things went awry. Every pound of food and equipment had to be planned out and carried by hand up to the various camps they had established the previous year.
Tilman's candid writing style captures the facts of the journey without embellishment, making this a short read. If you want a bit of old-timey adventure in your life, this is a good pick.
Even though you could consider this an out-and-back nature walk, what makes it most amazing is that these guys did this in a time before so much of the technology mountaineers use today existed. They carried no oxygen, had primitive clothing and shoes, and had no one to radio for help if things went awry. Every pound of food and equipment had to be planned out and carried by hand up to the various camps they had established the previous year.
Tilman's candid writing style captures the facts of the journey without embellishment, making this a short read. If you want a bit of old-timey adventure in your life, this is a good pick.
February 21, 2019
As a mountaineering book, this one is not particularly good. Tilman seems to have basically edited and published his diary. What is fascinating is the pre-World War British view of the Indian colonized people – the book was written in 1937. I was shocked at how he referred to the “coolies” and porters. At one point he talks about assigning each of the British mountaineers a Sherpa to act as his valet, and the valets were expected to do everything for their “masters.” He does give the Sherpas and other native porters credit for being excellent climbers and having great strength and energy. The discussions of hiking gear and clothing are also interesting. Some great black and white pictures. Worth reading as an historical look at how mountaineering has changed.
February 6, 2017
This is another early mountaineering book. Based on earlier explorations and 1934 exploration when finally Tillman and Shipton successfully penetrated the Sanctuary surrounding the mighty peak of Nanda Devi Tillman arranged a British-American joint team to attempt the Summit. This book is the tale of 1936 successful summit go.
However this book somehow is more of summit joy and less of the romance and respect associated with mountaineering and the mountains. When the Tillman and Odell successfully went up the peak of Nanda Devi Tillman says, " It was difficult to realise that we were actually standing on top of the same peak which we had viewed two months ago from Ranikhet, and which had then appeared incredibly remote and inaccessible, and it gave us a curious feeling of exaltation to know that we were above every peak within hundreds of miles on either hand. Dhaulagiri, 1,000 feet higher, and two hundred miles away in Nepal, was our nearest rival. I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it. After the first joy in victory came a feeling of sadness that the mountain had succumbed, that the proud head of the goddess was bowed......
After three-quarters of an hour on that superb summit, a brief forty-five minutes into which was crowded the worth of many hours of glorious life, we dragged ourselves reluctantly away, taking with us a memory that can never fade and leaving behind ‘thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls’.
We paused to watch a bird, a snow pigeon, cross our ridge and fly swiftly across the grey cliffs of the ravine beneath the snow terrace, like the spirit of Nanda Devi herself, forsaking the fastness which was no longer her own...."
But overall this book is an average to good reading.
However this book somehow is more of summit joy and less of the romance and respect associated with mountaineering and the mountains. When the Tillman and Odell successfully went up the peak of Nanda Devi Tillman says, " It was difficult to realise that we were actually standing on top of the same peak which we had viewed two months ago from Ranikhet, and which had then appeared incredibly remote and inaccessible, and it gave us a curious feeling of exaltation to know that we were above every peak within hundreds of miles on either hand. Dhaulagiri, 1,000 feet higher, and two hundred miles away in Nepal, was our nearest rival. I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it. After the first joy in victory came a feeling of sadness that the mountain had succumbed, that the proud head of the goddess was bowed......
After three-quarters of an hour on that superb summit, a brief forty-five minutes into which was crowded the worth of many hours of glorious life, we dragged ourselves reluctantly away, taking with us a memory that can never fade and leaving behind ‘thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls’.
We paused to watch a bird, a snow pigeon, cross our ridge and fly swiftly across the grey cliffs of the ravine beneath the snow terrace, like the spirit of Nanda Devi herself, forsaking the fastness which was no longer her own...."
But overall this book is an average to good reading.
December 31, 2021
Nanda Devi, part of a twin-peaked massif, is located entirely in India. It is the highest mountain entirely within the country and several attempts to summit it failed before the discovery of the route in 1934. It paved the way for an American-British expedition team in reaching the summit in 1936. What they had accomplished climbing this inhospitable mountain with primitive climbing gear and food, monsoon weather conditions and difficult terrain was a great feat. I think teamwork and tea saved them. A classic in the mountaineering literature.
July 22, 2020
When climbing was still the stuff of gentlemen (and their hired sherpas) we got books like this. A quick, jovial read.
June 9, 2018
A mountaineering classic.
Tilman's whimsical understated writing style is so typical of that generation of moutaineers.
Tilman's whimsical understated writing style is so typical of that generation of moutaineers.
November 25, 2018
An absolutely wonderful read following an expedition led by Bill Tillman, deep into the Himalayas in an attempt to conquer the peak of Nanda Devi in 1936. Beautifully descriptive, the writing paints a clear picture of the perilous mountainous landscape and the deep river gorges of the Himalayas between India and Tibet and the people and communities who live in this remote region. Of note to the contemporary reader is the rather uncomfortable hierarchical relationship between the porter and Sherpa members of the party and the party leaders, however mutual respect and team-work are at the the heart of these early mountaineering expeditions, where execution and success is dependent purely on human endeavour and skill, with no modern or mechanical support systems of communications or equipment. At the summit there is a poignant reflection on the endeavour of humans to conquer peaks, magnifying the fact that there are few truly undiscovered parts of the world left: “After the first joy and victory came a feeling of sadness that the mountain had succumbed, that the proud head of the goddess was bowed”. A truly great read for fans of adventure and expedition either in their own lives or from the comfort of their own sofa!
March 12, 2021
This is an amazing account of the adventure of a group of brave mountaineers. Though it may not seem as big an achievement in today's world, it was a courageous feat back in 1936! With very basic mountaineering equipment and leaking tarpaulins for tents, they were at mercy of the mountains. I was at the egde of my seat as I read about falling of an axe or a tin of tea rolling over the edge. Also, reading about Nanda Devi was more fun as this mountain is more mysterious unlike Everest on which many books have been written. Also, I agree with the author that Garhwal is most beautiful.
December 14, 2013
I love the early mountaineering books. They are adventure of the purest kind, the weeks and months getting into climbs under trying ciecumstance culminaing in success or failure afer so much has already been given. The early writers have such a grasp of the english language. Beautiful and memorable, before the world was spoiled.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews