Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters

Real-life accounts of rescue and disaster on the mountain face Mountain rescue has come a long way since St Bernard and his monks patrolled the Alps with their famous dogs from November to May, but the peril of high places does not diminish. This gripping new collection contains 34 first-hand accounts of miraculous rescues and escapes, as well as some tragic losses, and includes the first draft of Joe Simpson's Touching the Void. Compiled by one of the world's most respected mountaineers, the volume spans five continents-from the Appalachians to Mount Cook, from Peak Lenin to Siula Grande. These are not straightforward rescue missions: in such extreme circumstances the rescuers inevitably find themselves in their own grim battle for survival. On the mountain, no one is safe. From the nightmare story of Toni Kurz, who froze to death under the horrified gaze of his stranded companions as he hung off the Eiger, to events that unfolded on the Grand Teton when rescuers narrowly escaped being clubbed to death by their reluctant rescuees, this is a collection to shock and inspire in equal measure.MacInnes, Hamish is the author of 'Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters' with ISBN 9780786712397 and ISBN 0786712392.