{"title":"Stephen Venables","description":"\u003cp\u003eEmbark on thrilling mountaineering expeditions with Stephen Venables. Discover gripping tales of adventure, resilience, and the breathtaking beauty of the world's highest peaks. A must-read for fans of Jon Krakauer.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"everest-kangshung-face-book-stephen-venables-9780340423660","title":"Everest, Kangshung Face","description":"This is the story of the author's remarkable feat of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest alone, unaided by oxygen and by a new route, in 1988. His previous book \"Painted Mountains\" won the Boardman Tasker Award for Climbing Literature.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49506223522065,"sku":"GOR001549228","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50259625115921,"sku":"CIN0340423668VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50348654788881,"sku":"CIN0340423668G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51563872846097,"sku":"GOR002984917","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52110363656465,"sku":"GOR014460807","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53022917820689,"sku":"GOR002397410","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0340423668.jpg?v=1750974300"},{"product_id":"higher-than-the-eagle-soars-book-stephen-venables-9780091795610","title":"Higher Than The Eagle Soars","description":"Stephen Venables is one of the greatest British climbers of his generation and he has now written a full autobiography which explores how and - more importantly - why he became a mountaineer, and reveals a series of never-recorded adventures on four continents. At its climax he revisits his dramatic success without oxygen on the Kangshung Face of Everest, described by Reinhold Messner as the most adventurous in Everest's history and by Lord Hunt as 'one of the most remarkable ordeals from which men or women have returned alive'. As Venables writes: 'Although we didn't go seeking deliberately an epic near-death experience, it did turn out that way - the ultimate endurance test for which all the previous adventures seemed, retrospectively, to be a preparation.'","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49518971257105,"sku":"GOR001820128","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49759260049681,"sku":"GOR011364678","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50344506818833,"sku":"CIN0091795613G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0091795613.jpg?v=1751227326"},{"product_id":"first-ascent-book-stephen-venables-9781844037582","title":"First Ascent","description":"\"What transformed pure physical delight into something deeper was the fact that no-one had been here before...\"  Discover the fascinating stories of the men and women who have scaled the world's highest peaks. Featuring accounts of some of the world's most treacherous mountain climbs, this amazing collection covers the ascent of Mont Blanc in the 1780s, the golden age of alpine climbing which saw the Matterhorn and the Bietschhorn conquered, as well as the climbing of the great summits of the Americas and the Himalayan peaks, Everest and Annapurna.  First Ascent is a unique survey of human achievement and a tribute to the adventurous spirit of mountaineers past and present.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49520415605009,"sku":"GOR006275380","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49572758257937,"sku":"GOR010725700","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53208577933585,"sku":"GOR007335578","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1844037584.jpg?v=1751419563"},{"product_id":"island-at-the-edge-of-the-world-book-stephen-venables-9780340556009","title":"Island at the Edge of the World","description":"South Georgia is remote, inhospitable, beautiful and the burial place of Antarctica's hero, Shackleton, inspiration for Stephen Venables' odyssey. Over December 1989 and January 1990 he and four friends were able to travel south with \"Endurance\", the Antarctic survey and supply vessel reprieved from the scrapyard by its Falklands war service. Ostensibly it was a climbing expedition, but in South Georgia they discovered a world of primeval wonder in which the elements dictated the puny activities of mere men. As an exploratary base they excavated themselves a large ice cave in a wind scoop recommended by explorer Duncan Carse. From here they snatched breaks in the blizzard to make ski forays to unclimbed peaks, and explored the coastlines with their colonies of elephant seals and penguins, their bleak memorials to a past whaling industry and even starker graffiti of the Falklands War. Stephen Venables has woven the whole story of exploration and exploitation, of a fragile ecological chain set in a precarious political scenario, into an account of a small team battling against the world's worst weather across the most magnificent terrain at the edge of Antarctica. The author is one of Britain's leading climbers with a new route on Everest to his credit. He is also the Boardman Tasker prize-winning author of \"Painted Mountains\" and \"Everest, Kangshung Face\".","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49526348677393,"sku":"GOR001410877","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50194269765905,"sku":"GOR001602409","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50349974323473,"sku":"CIN0340556005G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52819154731281,"sku":"CIN0340556005VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0340556005.jpg?v=1751165941"},{"product_id":"higher-than-the-eagle-soars-book-stephen-venables-9780099505440","title":"Higher Than The Eagle Soars","description":"High and wild places have dominated Stephen Venables' life and now he has written a full autobiography which explores how and - more importantly - why he became a mountaineer, and reveals a series of never-recorded adventures on four continents. At its climax he revisits his dramatic success without oxygen on the Kangshung Face of Everest, described by Reinhold Messner as the most adventurous in Everest's history and by Lord Hunt as 'one of the most remarkable ordeals from which men or women have returned alive'. As Venables writes: 'Although we didn't go seeking deliberately an epic near-death experience, it did turn out that way - the ultimate endurance test for which all the previous adventures seemed, retrospectively, to be a preparation.'","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49526894166289,"sku":"GOR001935781","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51144281391377,"sku":"GOR001993790","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0099505444.jpg?v=1750693967"},{"product_id":"slender-thread-book-stephen-venables-9780091801274","title":"A Slender Thread","description":"A dramatic account of the mountaineering disaster on the unclimbed and sacred mountain of Panch Chuli, which so nearly ended the life of Stephen Venables, the greatest British climber of his generation.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49527611326737,"sku":"GOR002144237","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49616666919185,"sku":"CIN0091801273G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50446237368593,"sku":"CIN0091801273VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53305401147665,"sku":"GOR002162834","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0091801273.jpg?v=1751447286"},{"product_id":"lost-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9781560253730","title":"Lost Mountains","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49530241777937,"sku":"GOR002888039","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50529288880401,"sku":"CIN1560253738VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1560253738.jpg?v=1750761664"},{"product_id":"everest-book-stephen-venables-9781560252894","title":"Everest","description":"Every day, the path up the South Col route to the summit of Everest becomes a little more worn by the tread of dozens of package-tour climbers, but few dare to try the East, or Kangshung, Face, a sheer, avalanche-swept wall of snow and ice only first conquered in 1983. Five years later, Stephen Venables intensified the challenge by leading three unknown American climbers up the East Face - this time without oxygen. The question to most climbing experts wasn't whether they would summit, but whether they would live. They nearly didn't Everest: Alone at the Summit is Venables' rousing account of one of the greatest feats of twentieth century mountaineering, a triumph over doubt, the elements and the limits of human endurance that has never been repeated. \"Climbers or not, all will be interested in this mountaineering thriller of a tiny band pulling off an incredible victory-an account so stirring it will be put down only to obtain a moment's breather.\" -  American Alpine Journal","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49531881619729,"sku":"GOR004445728","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50127333130513,"sku":"CIN1560252898G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50683820966161,"sku":"CIN1560252898A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":50697532277009,"sku":"NGR9781560252894","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51037413015825,"sku":"NIN9781560252894","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51417314492689,"sku":"CIN1560252898VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52138318922001,"sku":"NLS9781560252894","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53157091836177,"sku":"GOR004726691","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1560252898.jpg?v=1750895031"},{"product_id":"first-ascent-book-stephen-venables-9781844035960","title":"First Ascent","description":"Mountains have always held mankind in awe of their beauty and danger, yet only since the mid-19th century has rock climbing and mountaineering in general been seen as a popular pastime. The men who first paved the way in the early days, when equipment was very basic, were rightly seen as daredevils tackling the unknown. Today, the sport is seen in less awestruck ways, with corporate businesses and the very rich able to buy adventure trips to be 'walked' up to the summit of Mount Everest itself. However, every great climb or mountain needed to be navigated and traversed before the mass of later climbers could follow.This book tells the story of those who have risked their lives to follow their love of climbing, and be the first to break new ground. Covering every main mountain range in the world, the book chronicles the adventures, joy, and heartbreak of these pioneers who were the first to conquer these climbs. All supported with fantastic contemporary photography. Whether you're an armchair traveller, climber or outdoor enthusiast, \"First Ascent\" provides a chance to understand the development of climbing, and the stories of those who wrote their names into mountaineering history.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49534263263505,"sku":"GOR002520723","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1844035964.jpg?v=1751444773"},{"product_id":"painted-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9780340396087","title":"Painted Mountains","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49538752479505,"sku":"GOR001563453","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49638053740817,"sku":"GOR002322696","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0340396083.jpg?v=1751324741"},{"product_id":"ollie-book-stephen-venables-9780091800253","title":"Ollie","description":"\"Like the swallows, Ollie came in the spring and left in the autumn. Dancing, singing, swooping - there was something birdlike about his energy, joy and laughter - but also the fleeting, transitory, enigmatic quality of his life. At the age of two he lost the ability to speak, when autism turned his life - and ours - into a baffling challenge. Then at four, he almost died from Leukaemia. Chemotherapy worked its magic, but at six he had a relapse in the Central Nervous System. He fought hard and made a full recovery. Then, just six months from the Official All Clear, a brain tumour was discovered. The surgeons warned that residual tentacles of cancer would almost certainly soon resume their insidious worming through his brain. After a brave struggle, he died very suddenly. His body had gone into meltdown. He was twelve.\" This is not a story of passive suffering or failure. Ollie had extraordinary courage. Time after time he bounced back, determined to enjoy life. He had astonishing endurance. He was obstinate, mischievous, playful, flirtatious, quixotic, funny. He generated - and continues to generate - huge amounts of laughter. And he was very beautiful. He was the sort of person who would always dominate a room and affect everyone around him. We always felt that if autism had not unravelled the wiring of his neural pathways, he would have achieved extraordinary things. \"I would like to explore the journey we made with Ollie and to tell his story. Unlike a mountaineer, pursuing extreme experiences for self-gratification, he had difficulty thrust upon him - his courage was real. For me, too, although I did not have to do all the physical pain and suffering, the journey was far more compelling than any expedition.\"","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49541170299153,"sku":"GOR001078419","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50775340548369,"sku":"GOR008512629","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50933227585809,"sku":"GOR001043251","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51892848984337,"sku":"GOR011703579","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0091800250.jpg?v=1750812098"},{"product_id":"everest-book-stephen-venables-9780747562238","title":"Everest","description":"This magnificent volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of the world's highest mountain, and chronicles the history of Everest exploration from the early years of the 20th century to the present. It is the first and only book on the subject to benefit from complete access to the Royal Geographical Society's astonishingly rich collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts. Painstakingly selected from over 20,000 subjects, the 400 photographs record the surveying, planning, reconnaissance expeditions, and actual attempts that the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club jointly launched from 1921  -  culminating in Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic climb on 29 May 1953.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49541353242897,"sku":"GOR001612578","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49798165135633,"sku":"CIN0747562237G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50363001930001,"sku":"CIN0747562237VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52956331082001,"sku":"GOR001998413","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53114135445777,"sku":"GOR010389889","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0747562237.jpg?v=1751010339"},{"product_id":"everest-kangshung-face-book-stephen-venables-9780330315593","title":"Everest, Kangshung Face","description":"In May 1988 Stephen Venables pushed on alone to the summit of Everest, following and ascent of the Kangshung (East) Face. He was only the eighth Briton to stand on top of the world's highest mountain, and the first to do so without the use of oxygen supplies. In this book the author shares all of his experiences of this feat - the triumphs, the rows, and the last desperate struggle for survival in the area known as the \"death zone\", 26,000 feet above sea level.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49544475509009,"sku":"GOR002952968","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49653574828305,"sku":"GOR001837004","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50349223215377,"sku":"CIN0330315595A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50349226361105,"sku":"CIN0330315595G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0330315595.jpg?v=1750780778"},{"product_id":"island-at-the-edge-of-the-world-book-stephen-venables-9780751500394","title":"Island at the Edge of the World","description":"The island of South Georgia, isolated on the edge of the Antarctic Circle, offers a kaleidoscope of images, all explored by Stephen Venables in this picture of one of Britain's furthest outposts. South Georgia is the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctica's truest hero, whose legendary crossing of the island in 1916 was the main inspiration for Venables' odyssey. First-hand accounts of the defence of South Georgia in the Falklands War come from some of the military still working in Antarctic waters. Ruled by sea and wind, South Georgia is at the mercy of the elements and for Stephen Venables and his four climbing companions the greatest challenge was weathering the blizzard conditions - they spent 23 days trapped in an ice cave. They travelled round the austerely beautiful south-east coastline, a teeming sanctuary for seals, penguins and albatross, and in the interior they skied pristine glaciers, weaving between crevasses and crossing wind-blasted passes to reach previously untrodden summits. Venables describes with sensitivity a fragile world which has already suffered from man's mistreatment, but whose future lies in our hands.  The author also wrote Painted Mountains, winner of the Boardman Tasker prize in 1986, Everest and Kangshung Face.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49556661043473,"sku":"GOR003005483","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51490933735697,"sku":"GOR003675522","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52138679664913,"sku":"GOR012290995","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52837099569425,"sku":"GOR001138541","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0751500399.jpg?v=1750785470"},{"product_id":"slender-thread-book-stephen-venables-9780099279068","title":"A Slender Thread","description":"Together with Chris Bonington and other distinguished British climbers, Stephen Venables was high on the unclimbed and sacred mountain of Panch Chuli when, at 1am on a dark Himalayan night, his abseil failed and he fell catastrophically, somersaulting from rock to rock and landing, seriously-wounded, at the end of a rope suspended above a 50-degree icefield. This is the story of his arduous and almost miraculous survival, and of the brilliant, committed teamwork which brought him to safety.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49560957288721,"sku":"GOR001294991","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50873559253265,"sku":"GOR002044385","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0099279061.jpg?v=1767093441"},{"product_id":"meetings-with-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9781844034499","title":"Meetings with Mountains","description":"From the challenge of climbing Everest, to the cloud-shrouded mystery of the Mont Blanc, mountains have always exerted a pull on our hearts and minds. In this beautiful tribute to some of the world's most stunning landscapes, climbers, walkers, historians and journalists provide accounts of some of the greatest feats of human endurance, fascinating tales and intriguing facts about some of Earth's most interesting mountains. Each mountain holds its own challenges, history and spiritual significance and Joe Simpson and Simon Yate's infamous adventure on the Siula Grande, a 21,000ft mountain in the Peruvian Andes is just one of a multitude of stories that could be told. In \"Meetings with Mountains\", you can experience the majesty, grandeur and terrifying challenges presented by the world's greatest peaks. Detailed information on location, height, attempts and history are accompanied by beautiful photography and the fascinating accounts of those who have lived their lives in the shadows of these towering pinnacles. Whether you're an armchair traveler, artist, climber or outdoor enthusiast, \"Meetings with Mountains\" provides a chance to head for the hills with some of our most experienced mountain guides for company.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49579073077521,"sku":"GOR011325229","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49593411469585,"sku":"GOR001223122","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52956445442321,"sku":"GOR003071102","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1844034496.jpg?v=1750930192"},{"product_id":"ollie-book-stephen-venables-9780099478799","title":"Ollie","description":"Like the swallows, our son Ollie came in the spring and left in the autumn. Dancing, singing, swooping - there was something birdlike about his energy, joy and laughter - but also the fleeting, enigmatic quality of his life.   When he was two he lost all his speech, as autism turned his life - and ours - into a baffling challenge. Then at four he had to face a new challenge when he almost died from leukaemia. But chemotherapy worked its magic and he made a full recovery. He was a tough survivor and nothing seemed to dim his spirit: he could light up a room and energize everyone around him. So it was a huge shock, after several cancer-free years, when a fatal brain tumour was discovered. This time his body had had enough and he died very suddenly. He was twelve.   Ollie had extraordinary courage and endurance. Time after time he bounced back, determined to enjoy life. He was obstinate, mischievous, playful, flirtatious, quixotic, funny. He generated - and continues to generate - huge amounts of laughter. And he was very beautiful. We always felt that if autism had not unravelled the wiring of his neural pathways, he would have achieved extraordinary things.   This is the story of the journey we made with Ollie. Unlike a mountaineer, pursuing extreme experiences out of choice, he had difficulty thrust upon him: he was forced to be brave. For me, too, the journey was far more compelling than any expedition.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49580400967953,"sku":"GOR000665681","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52364009341201,"sku":"GOR001796949","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52965333631249,"sku":"GOR014672559","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/009947879X.jpg?v=1751430201"},{"product_id":"everest-alone-at-the-summit-book-stephen-venables-9780952937500","title":"Everest - Alone at the Summit","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49584852566289,"sku":"GOR001294102","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49659078574353,"sku":"GOR001835023","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53013740126481,"sku":"GOR011335413","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0952937506.jpg?v=1751140679"},{"product_id":"first-ascent-pioneeting-mountain-climbs-book-stephen-venables-9781554074037","title":"First Ascent: Pioneeting Mountain Climbs","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49589339652369,"sku":"GOR005339108","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51070645731601,"sku":"CIN1554074037G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51331954508049,"sku":"CIN1554074037VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1554074037.jpg?v=1751181742"},{"product_id":"m-for-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9780330328999","title":"M. for Mountains","description":"If you want to read about Chris Bonnington's exploits look under the 'B' section in this book. Where are the Changabang Mountains; how does a mountaineer cope with dehydration; how does the process of erosion affect mountains and how does frosbite affect the mountaineer? - the answers to all these questions are also included. Read about the animals, plant life, the native people, the weather, the history, the myths and the mountains themselves, including the Himalaya, Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro, Everest, Ben Nevis - as well as some not so famous ones including the Lemon Mountains and the Ogre.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49623779737873,"sku":"GOR002514512","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49634681815313,"sku":"GOR006023457","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49972459176209,"sku":"GOR002901036","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0330328999.jpg?v=1751196465"},{"product_id":"painted-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9781911342939","title":"Painted Mountains","description":"‘The mountains are crystal under the blue sky, as we climb up our untouched peak. This is why we climb.’  In this fast-paced, refreshingly honest account, Stephen Venables invites you on an adventure like no other. Delving deeply into the unknown, the unclimbed and the undiscovered, Painted Mountains details the stories of two very different expeditions: the first ascent of 6,000-metre Kishtwar-Shivling in the Indian Himalaya alongside Dick Renshaw, before embarking on an Indo-British Expedition led by Harish Kapadia to Rimo: the Painted Mountain.  ‘Most of us are content to settle for some sort of compromise between the desire to survive and the desire to retain an element of uncertainty.’  Venables – the first Briton to climb Everest without oxygen – does not shy away from the obvious challenges that come hand-in-hand with tackling expeditions such as these; this account details the highs and the lows, the dropped equipment, the toll of extreme conditions and the shining successes of reaching a summit – all while retaining a sense of humour and an unwavering enthusiasm for the thrill of the climb. Venables’ get-up-and-go attitude makes this a delightful read; he is never one to shy away from an opportunity, be it arisen from a year-long dream or a spontaneous invite.  Painted Mountains is an invaluable education for anyone who is interested in the greater mountain ranges explored in this book, as well as an inspirational tale of the commitment to a dream, the birth of new friendships and the innumerable rewards of time spent in the mountains.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49727047860497,"sku":"GOR011605895","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51053743112465,"sku":"NIN9781911342939","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52662056288529,"sku":"NLS9781911342939","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1911342932.jpg?v=1757760353"},{"product_id":"slender-thread-book-stephen-venables-9781560252986","title":"A Slender Thread","description":"Stephen Venables and three companions made the first ascent of Panchu Chuli V--a remote Himalayan peak on the borders of India, Nepal and Tibet. A rappel anchor failed on the descent, pitching Venables into a 300-foot fall. Crashing through the black night, flung from rock to rock, he assumed that he was plunging to his death. Against all odds he survived, but was left stranded 19,000 feet above a labyrinth of glaciers and snow slopes with two broken legs, the threat of gangrene, and scant food or medical supplies. If he was to return to his wife and son waiting at home some 5000 miles away, Venables knew he had to draw on his reserve of courage and determination. The third Adrenaline Classic, A Slender Thread is a spellbinding account of Venables' survival--and his intense personal struggle to understand the risks he takes for the sake of his insatiable passion for climbing. He comes as close to anyone to answering the unanswerable question: Why do they do it?","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49793063977233,"sku":"GOR007652105","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50004599177489,"sku":"CIN1560252987G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50095868084497,"sku":"CIN1560252987VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50382917075217,"sku":"CIN1560252987A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51662855864593,"sku":"GOR009936775","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52132048929041,"sku":"NLS9781560252986","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1560252987.jpg?v=1751407454"},{"product_id":"everest-book-stephen-venables-9781408841983","title":"Everest","description":"This magnificent volume celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent of the world's highest mountain, and chronicles the history of Everest exploration from the early years of the 20th century to the present. It is the first and only book on the subject to benefit from complete access to the Royal Geographical Society's astonishingly rich collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts. Painstakingly selected from over 20,000 subjects, the 400 photographs record the surveying, planning, reconnaissance expeditions, and actual attempts that the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club jointly launched from 1921 - culminating in Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's historic climb on 29 May 1953.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49858132934929,"sku":"GOR006371157","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53234734661905,"sku":"GOR007171536","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1408841983.jpg?v=1751370162"},{"product_id":"painted-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9780898861365","title":"Painted Mountains","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50306027094289,"sku":"CIN0898861365VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51714355757329,"sku":"CIN0898861365A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0898861365.jpg?v=1750705504"},{"product_id":"meetings-with-mountains-book-stephen-venables-9780762108107","title":"Meetings with Mountains","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50361374736657,"sku":"CIN076210810XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50630947406097,"sku":"CIN076210810XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/076210810X.jpg?v=1751200648"},{"product_id":"to-the-top-book-stephen-venables-9780763621155","title":"To the Top","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":50960821813521,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50960822796561,"sku":"CIN0763621153G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0763621153.jpg?v=1750785736"},{"product_id":"to-the-top-book-stephen-venables-9781844287253","title":"To The Top","description":"The history of climbing Everest is a chronicle of tragic failures and triumphant achievements, featuring some of the world's most celebrated climbers. 'To the Top' tells their stories and creates a picture of what drives people to brave the dangers of Everest.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51824005185809,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51824005284113,"sku":"GOR002816464","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781844287253.jpg?v=1752653622"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-stephen-venables.oembed?page=3","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}