The World Beneath Their Feet: Mountaineering, Madness, and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas

by Scott Ellsworth

Overview

One of the most compelling international dramas of the 20th century and an unforgettable saga of survival, technological innovation, and breathtaking human physical achievement-all set against the backdrop of a world headed toward war.

While tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different kind of battle was raging across the Himalayas. Contingents from Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States had set up rival camps at the base of the mountains, all hoping to become recognized as the fastest, strongest, and bravest climbers in the world.

Carried on across nearly the entire sweep of the Himalayas, this contest involved not only the greatest mountain climbers of the era, but statesmen and millionaires, world-class athletes and bona fide eccentrics, scientists and generals, obscure villagers and national heroes. Centered in the 1930s, with one brief, shining postwar coda, the contest was a struggle between hidebound traditionalists and unknown innovators, one that featured new techniques and equipment, unbelievable courage and physical achievement, and unparalleled valor. And death. One Himalayan peak alone, Nanga Parbat in Kashmir, claimed twenty-five lives in less than three years.

Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation's moonshot—one shrouded in the onset of war, interrupted by it, and then fully accomplished. A gritty, fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Side, Jon Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this forgotten story back to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781549130908
Publisher:	Hachette Book Group
Publication date:	02/18/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 5.70(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Scott Ellsworth is the bestselling author of several books, including The Secret Game, which was the winner of the 2016 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing. He has written about American history for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Formerly a historian at the Smithsonian Institution, he is the author of Death in a Promised Land, his groundbreaking account of the 1921 Tulsa race riot. He teaches at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

Map viii

A Note to the Reader xi

Prologue. The Last Place on Earth xv

Book 1

Chapter 1 Ice Axes and Dinner Jackets 3

Chapter 2 A Wind from the East 11

Chapter 3 Everest, 1933 26

Chapter 4 The New Emersonians 57

Chapter 5 Nanga Parbat 78

Chapter 6 Shangri-La 98

Chapter 7 Yogis and Yak Meat 118

Book 2

Chapter 8 A Knock at the Door 137

Chapter 9 Murder Mountain 152

Chapter 10 Triumph-and Trouble 165

Chapter 11 An American Everest 190

Chapter 12 A Bit East of The Plaza 208

Chapter 13 The North Face 224

Chapter 14 The Summer at the End of the World 240

Book 3

Chapter 15 War 251

Chapter 16 A New World 259

Chapter 17 The Brightness of Their Rising 275

Chapter 18 Glory, Strength, and Decency 294

Epilogue: To the Stars 309

Acknowledgments 313

The Climbers 319

The Expeditions 329

A Glossary of Mountaineering Terms 335

Notes 343

Editorial Reviews

"In his lively new book, The World Beneath Their Feet, Scott Ellsworth profiles the single-minded climbers who scaled the Himalayas' tallest peaks in the 1930s...a gripping history."—The Economist

"Mr. Ellsworth provides a chronological appendix of expeditions, a glossary of mountaineering terms and a top-shelf collection of descriptive endnotes. He has done excellent primary research, particularly with German sources... Mr. Ellsworth's revisionist touches help 21st-century readers see the Sherpas as individuals and give the traditional narrative of Himalayan conquest a fairer reading through the lens of imperialism."—Gregory Crouch, WSJ

"A thrilling new account."—National Geographic

"Like if Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air met Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken, it's an inviting and engrossing read."—Sports Illustrated

"It is a fine piece of writing, filled with drama, courage, endeavour and, at times, it is easy to put oneself on the mountainside experiencing the freezing gales whistling round one's tent."—Soldier Magazine

"Beautifully written."—Michigan Daily

"An exceptional account of trailblazing mountaineers who persevered during a turbulent time in history."—Booklist

"Vivid, novelistic prose."—Kirkus

"An excellent overview of mountaineering and exploration that will appeal to mountaineers and armchair adventurers."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2020

Ellsworth (The Secret Game) writes a comprehensive introduction to high-altitude mountaineering, from the interwar period through the early 1950s, when the first 8,000 meter mountains (Annapurna, Everest, and Nanga Parbat) were summited. The background of each expedition is enhanced with intertwining cultural and society events, from the influence of Nazism in Europe to India's push for independence. After the large expeditions of the 1920s, later ones became smaller, though remained a source of national pride. Though some expeditions are thoroughly detailed elsewhere, their inclusion here places them in the wider exploration and spirit of the era. The people, dangers, triumphs, and tragedies are exquisitely detailed, though the crux is in the details and emotion of the lesser-known expeditions that contributed to later climbers reaching the summits. These include the summit of Minya Konka in China, an audacious solo attempt on Everest, and numerous climbs throughout the Himalayas and Karakoram. A helpful appendix details important figures in the sport as well as expeditions and climbing terms. VERDICT An excellent overview of mountaineering and exploration in the Himalayas and Karakoram, set against the backdrop of 20th-century history, that will appeal to mountaineers and armchair adventurers.—Zebulin Evelhoch, Deschutes P.L., OR

Library Journal

Scott Ellsworth describes the many expeditions climbing higher and higher in the Himalayas, including attempts on Everest, K2, and Nanga Parbat. Ellsworth’s writing style is accessible and compelling, but his narration is, sadly, an uphill trudge. His timing is clunky and a step too slow, and his tone is overly dramatic. The race to the top of the world is bookended by the disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine from Everest in 1924 and the 1953 success of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, which provided the cherry on top of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Expeditions in between involved national pride, differed on the correctness of using modern aids such as ice axes and oxygen, and featured many fascinating and quirky characters. It all cries out for a professional narrator to do it justice. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile

Scott Ellsworth describes the many expeditions climbing higher and higher in the Himalayas, including attempts on Everest, K2, and Nanga Parbat. Ellsworth’s writing style is accessible and compelling, but his narration is, sadly, an uphill trudge. His timing is clunky and a step too slow, and his tone is overly dramatic. The race to the top of the world is bookended by the disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine from Everest in 1924 and the 1953 success of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, which provided the cherry on top of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Expeditions in between involved national pride, differed on the correctness of using modern aids such as ice axes and oxygen, and featured many fascinating and quirky characters. It all cries out for a professional narrator to do it justice. A.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile

2019-12-10
The dramatic saga of the race between nations to climb the planet's highest mountains.

In his latest, Ellsworth (African American History, Southern Literature/Univ. of Michigan; The Secret Game: ABasketball Story in Black and White, 2015, etc.) focuses on the 1930s and the men and women who risked their lives to climb the "deadliest mountains on Earth." In vivid, novelistic prose, the author describes the significant expeditions and delivers engaging portraits of climbers from many different countries and their invaluable Sherpas. In 1931, the Germans stunned the British and their famous Alpine Club when an expedition led by former soldier Paul Bauer reached the summit of Kangchenjunga, thought to be the world's second-highest mountain. For Bauer, Ellsworth writes, the success was "a way to reclaim the honor of Germany, the honor that had not been lost in the trenches but in the treachery of the Treaty of Versailles." The British responded with a 1933 expedition to Everest. Equipped with newly designed boots, suits, and a new type of glacier glasses, Frank Smythe and Eric Shipton were hopeful but still failed. The Americans, with their Explorer's Club, entered the race when Terris Moore and Dick Burdsall reached the summit of Minya Konka. In 1934, a German team failed to climb Nanga Parbat; four Germans and six Sherpas died. Inspired by James Hilton's 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, the British were the first to reach their Shangri-La, Nanda Devi's pristine, massive, circular amphitheater, the Sanctuary. Maurice Wilson, who fought on the Western Front during World War I, flew from England to India and then crossed the Tibetan border to take on Mount Everest. He perished. In 1937, a German team took on Nanga Parbat a second time without success. In 1950, a French team led by Resistance fighter and mountaineer Maurice Herzog climbed Annapurna. Finally, as Ellsworth recounts triumphantly, on May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, shook hands on Everest's summit.

A captivating, rousing adventure story.

Kirkus Reviews