Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri [Hardcover]

Chris Bonington (Author), Charles Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

In the last decade of the twentieth century it is almost unbelievable that a mountain range of length comparable to the entire Nepal Himalaya should still remain a vague notion to the geographers and exploratory mountaineers. But such is the mountain range in Tibet that Chris Bonington and Charles Clarke and their team explored. Its highest peak, Sepu Kangri, is 22,802 ft. Amazingly as Bonington says, the area had never been visited by Europeans until his reconnaisance in August 1996. In place of maps Bonington and Clarke had to ask the way to "the Great Snow Mountain by the Sacred Lake". The valley of the Diru has rich grazing, flora, farming and flourishing monasteries out of touch with the western world - a Shangri-la for real - and both our authors were accepted and welcomed into this magical way of life. This is much more than a climbing book. The poignancy of Bonington feeling his age, the camaraderie and sometimes tension between members of the team (whose ages ranged from 22 to 62) particularly within 200 metres of the summit of Sepu Kangri, are set against the magical backdrop of an unknown Tibetan world and portray an extraordinary expedition. Chapters written by Charles Clarke, a consultant neurologist and the doctor of the team, add another aspect altogether as Tibetans came from miles around for consultations. In one case, with the help of a London colleague on a satellite phone he diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy and saved his patient - despite having practised no gynaecology since medical school. His chapters on Tibetan medicine, mountain medicine and the history of Tibetan travel are also fascinating and beautifully written.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Devotees of fine travel writing, of Tibet or of mountain climbing will relish this captivating report. Comparable in length to the entire Swiss Alps, Tibet's central mountain range, called Nyenchen Tanglha, is virtually unknown to Western climbers and travelers. At the age of 60, Bonington, preeminent British mountaineer and prolific author, resolved to climb majestic, never-before-scaled, 22,800-foot Sepu Kangri ("White Snow God"). Joining him was Clarke, British physician and veteran Himalayan climber, along with a high-tech team equipped with satellite communication hookup, Web site and film crew for instant transmission of their unfolding adventure. Decked out with breathtaking color photographs and maps, this book covers their 1996 reconnaissance expedition plus two subsequent attempts in 1997 and 1998. Bonington and Clarke informally recreate their odyssey in alternating chapters. Although they narrowly missed reaching the summit, their unpretentious narrative is a triumph of courage, keen observation, interaction with nature and with the Tibetan people, who by this account remain resilient and independent-minded despite political oppression under Chinese occupation. In a serendipitous journey, we join the authors as they watch a "Devil Dance"--a ritual enactment of good vanquishing evil--performed by frenzied masked dancers; they also participate in the annual hunt for caterpillar fungus, source of a medicinal elixir. Mountaineering emerges here as a delicate balancing act between risk and ecstasy, a test of friendship and self. (Jan.) Channel in February.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Although it's difficult to imagine that a mountain just a bit shorter than Everest could be a "secret," that's exactly what Bonington (England's top climber) and Clarke (a neurologist specializing in high altitude medicine) found during a plane ride in 1982. Looking out their window, they saw a range of peaks on the Tibetan Plateau that did not appear on their maps. Several years later, with the aid of some USAF photos, they set out to conquer the 22,800-foot peak that is known to Tibetans as "The Great White Snow God." This is the story of their two attempts, in 1997 and 1998. In an age where rich people can buy their way to the top of Mount Everest, this story of a mysterious, inaccessible mountain takes readers on a mesmerizing journey via prose from another, more exciting time. Recommended for libraries serving readers passionate about encounters between men and mountains (A documentary on the climb is scheduled to air on the Discovery Channel in February.)--Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Publishing; 1st ed edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297819844
• ISBN-13: 978-0297819844
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,700,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly readable, but not gripping, March 27, 2000

By 

K. Freeman (Apple Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri (Hardcover)

This book details several journeys to, and attempts to climb, Sepu Kangri. The chapters are written alternately by Bonington and Clarke, both of whom write engagingly. The alternation of voices keeps the narrative moving. However, I found the book somewhat slow, because much of it concerns the problems of Third World travel, plumbing (or lack thereof) and medicine rather than actual climbing. Readers who are non-climbers, though, may well find this lack of focus on technical mountaineering to be a plus. One certainly does get a good picture of what Tibet and its people are like today. Perhaps one of the book's best features is the lovely photography of some very striking peaks.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri, March 24, 2000

By 

Scott Matthies (Chaplin, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri (Hardcover)

After a slow start, where the history of the Sepu Kangri area in Tibet was discussed, the pace picked up as Clarke and Bonington described their intial reconnaissance looking for a way to the mountain and a possible climbing route. The joy of roaming across terrain, essentially unchanged for hundreds of years, comes across in the narrative. I enjoyed reading about their discoveries and meeting the local Tibetan people. The story of the climbs themselves in two different years are not as detailed as in other climbing books, but a feeling for what it was like comes across. It definitely is from a perspective of a sixty-plus year old, yet I can only hope that I am as adventurous and physically able to roam the earth's wild places as Bonington and Clarke still do. The book is similar to Bonington's other books in style. There is no fast-paced, heart stopping, climbing action; but it's a story that I could imagine myself being a part of.

4.0 out of 5 stars depends on who you are, November 16, 2010

By 

Stephen Pellerine (In a bookshelf somewhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri (Paperback)

This book is an interesting one and the rating/value of it will totally depend on who you are and what you background is/future holds.

If you are heading off to Tibet, China, Nepal or the Himalayas for a climb (an alpine climb or trek at high altitude) this will be a 5 star book for you. It is slow, quite slow, but is interesting. If you are simply into collecting classic climb books it would be hard not to have this on your shelf.
If you just read Simpson's "Touching the Void", Viestur's "No Shortcuts to the Top", or Messner's "Free Spirit" as a non-climber I would think that these read quicker and are more riveting - but if you have a quiet weekend coming up, a nice warm cup of hot chocolate, and interest in climbing literature "Tibet's Secret Mountain" is no bore. You will read about fables of the Yak, see amazing images of the adventure, and come familiar with concerns of Bonington and Clarke as the book progresses.

So here is your rating scale: If you are passionate about climbing and/or reading about such adventures this is one for the shelf - it's a 5 star. It may be slow, like a good adventure is, but it's by no means painful. If you lack any experience on a rope and simply enjoy and adventurous read it has great history and views from these renowned climbers that will certainly increase you understandings of mountaineering, but now I would give it a 3-4 stars. I you just want an adventure, mountainside NYT bestselling style, I may be inclined to refer you to order something from Simpson or Viestur (there are many choices out there: I have linked you to two below).

Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival Simpson - A true hit

This Game of Ghosts Simpson - a little slower, but good read

No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks Viestur

K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain Viestur