Customer Reviews

Tibet's Secret Mountain: The Triumph of Sepu Kangri

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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.

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.

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