Page 40 - 2021 AMA Summer

REVIEWS
AMA BOOK REVIEWS
KANGCHENJUNGA: THE HIMALAYAN GIAN
BY DOUG SCOTT
Reviewed by Al Mason, Vice Chairman (Mountaineering)
Ihave to be honest; this book was not what I was expecting. But then, given that Doug Scott has recently passed
away and this was his last book, I should have realised that perhaps this might be more about raising money for his beloved charity ‘Community Action Nepal’ than offering a unique insight into mountaineer- ing on the world’s third highest mountain. In contrast to Doug’s last book which was more of a homage to the mountain and its people.
The outline of his book is based on a rather human terrain approach and Doug firstly explores in great depth the earliest inhabitants of the area and their customs. He then continues with a rather detailed account of the first explorers who were an odd mix of missionaries, traders and naturalists from all over the globe.
Eventually one arrives at the mountain- eering part, where the reader finally learns of tales of daring-do and are captivated by eccentric Englishmen, one of which doggedly pursued his dream of landing his light plane on the mountain’s glaciers
in an attempt to summit the peak, despite the strong protestations of the ruling British classes in the region at the time. This is offset by the altogether more pedestrian expeditions organised by the Germans, Americans and British establishment who all vie for summit victory and find themselves repelled again and again.
Towards the end of the book, we
are given a somewhat concise
account of the long overdue successful first ascents of
the mountain, and we learn
of the adventures of a past AMA
Vice President, Tony Streather, who was a team member on one failed and one subsequent successful first ascent of the mountain. Tony’s key role was that of transport officer due to his expertise in the local language: no mean feat when one considers the vast logistic chain of human porters that made up these early expeditions. However, Tony also had a very strong mountaineering CV which led to his eventual success.
The final, and arguably
fitting close to the book, is Doug Scott’s account of his own ascent of the mountain; the first without oxygen and also the first using a lightweight style which others would later go on to replicate.
Overall, this is more of a reference book as opposed to a gripping account of a mountain ascent, but one that will be a popular read due to the epithet of being the last enduring work of its author: one of the all-time greatest climbers, Doug Scott.
40 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER
THE FOX OF GLENCOE BY HAMISH MACINNES
FReviewed by Duncan Francis
or those of a certain era, Hamish MacInnes was one of the heroes. The hard man to end all hard men,
he did things we could only hope to dream of. The stories we read by Patey, Bonington and others raised him to the stuff of legend. Soloing the Matterhorn aged 18, the first Winter ascent of Raven’s Gully on the Buachaille, the
the Terrodactyl, the first all-metal ice axe and was the father of modern mountain rescue. Along with W. H. Murray, John Cunningham, Robin Smith and others, he was one of the great Scottish mountain men of my youth.
And yet, these days, when I take clients up
exploits of the Creag Dhu and above all, that photograph of him on the first British ascent of the Bonatti Pillar on the Petit Dru, climbing on despite having his skull broken by a falling stone... He invented