Stephen Venables

Everest mountaineer Stephen Venables marks the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain with a new talk celebrating the history of this iconic mountain.

From the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine in 1924 to the 1996 disaster when 12 people died in one day, Everest has proved a formidable challenge to even the most experienced mountaineers.

In 1988 Venables made history when he and a team of just four climbers pioneered a new route up the gigantic East Face. Venables reached the summit alone, without supplementary oxygen – the first Briton to do so.

Twenty-five years on, he weaves his account of that epic expedition into the bigger Everest story – from the first attempt in 1921, to Hillary’s and Tenzing’s triumph in 1953, to today’s controversial commercial expeditions.

‘Venables is superb on the terror and exhilaration of climbing.’ The Sunday Telegraph