LONELY CHALLENGE

by Hermann Buhl ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 5, 1956

To be linked with the many other recent mountaineering accounts is this autobiography of a man who not only gained a name for himself in the Alps of Austria and north Italy but became the first to climb Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas, the final ascent of which he accomplished alone. Hermann Buhl started life as a weak boy in Innsbruck who was at one point advised to stay away from the mountains. But the physical condition was one he did not long endure for the fire of climbing burned strong in his blood and the urge to go up could never be denied. In its most important aspect, his book is a record of his training in the Alps, most of which he had to acquire through his own efforts because he was poor. Chapter after chapter accounts for the details of the climbs that finally made him the man he is and in these there is extensive information about mountaineering in all its phases as the easy climbs lead up to the severest ones, as faces are attempted in blizzards and at night, as plans of attack are made for many different kinds of peaks. The chance to go with Kerligkoffer on the Nanga Parbat trip came as a climactic yet logical outcome to such a career; Buhl had won coveted position as a guide in the Alps and was ready for the next big step. Emotionalized and notably self centered, Buhl's is nevertheless a well charged, excited book, a firm piton to hold to in the mental ascent.

Pub Date: Nov. 5, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION