{"product_id":"9781836430476-the-white-ladder","title":"The White Ladder","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTriumph and Tragedy at the Dawn of Mountaineering\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA riveting journey through the history of mountaineering – before Everest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe true story of the thrill-seekers, map-makers, soldiers, occultists, artists and porters who paved the way for modern mountaineering.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE 2025 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD FOR HISTORY\/BIOGRAPHY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A beautifully written and sure-footed history of mountaineering “before Everest”, full of wonderful stories and spanning continents and centuries. A splendid debut.’\u003cstrong\u003e Sir Ranulph Fiennes, author of \u003cem\u003eShackleton\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeautiful, remote and dangerous – for generations we have looked to the mountains in awe. Yet, for most, that is where the fascination ends. For a rare few, however, the allure of the peaks proved irresistible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are the devout Incan priests who, scaling the Andes’ icy slopes to pay tribute to each mountain’s ‘Great Lord’, travelled higher than any European would for centuries. The Gurkha riflemen who joined their commanders in canvassing the Karakoram, admiring the distant summits of Broad Peak and K2 with gleeful anticipation. The tweed-clad mountaineers who made the first serious assaults on Everest, hauling yards upon yards of battered rope through the cold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTracing the world altitude record from the ashy slopes of the sacred volcano Llullaillaco to the icy crags and crevasses of the Karakoram, Daniel Light takes a panoramic journey through the storied history of mountaineering before Everest. Joining a cast of colourful characters,\u003cem\u003e The White Ladder\u003c\/em\u003e offers an ode to mountains’ capacity to enthral, and the fundamental human drive to climb higher and higher.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Thrilling. Daniel Light delivers stories that are poetic, spiritual and astonishing in their courage and drive.' \u003cstrong\u003eSonia Purnell, author of \u003cem\u003eA Woman of No Importance\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Daniel Light guides the reader through a mountain-scape that stretches from the Alps to the Himalaya. with the sure footing of a serious student of climbing history, and the élan of a skilled storyteller. This is a book to curl up with on a cold dark night in a comfortable armchair before a bright fire.’ \u003cstrong\u003eMaurice Isserman, co-author of \u003cem\u003eFallen Giants\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Wonderful… a massive story with an enormous cast of characters, among them some of the most compelling figures of mountaineering history.’ \u003cstrong\u003eWade Davis, author of \u003cem\u003eInto the Silence\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53556372701558,"sku":"9781836430476","price":12.15,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_38927435.jpg?v=1764822839","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781836430476-the-white-ladder","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}