Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray

Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray

Conquistadors of the Useless is the autobiography of French Alpine guide Lionel Terray, one of the greatest alpinists of his time. Terray made first ascents in the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalaya - including the second ascent of the Eiger North Face - and was at the centre of global mountaineering at a time when Europe was emerging from WWII.

Little compromise and total commitment are features common in both Terray’s writing and his climbing, the lines of his autobiography are every bit as powerful as the lines he followed in the mountains– John Baker, Climbers' Club Journal

Conquistadors of the Useless captures the energy of an optimistic world shaking off the restraints of war and austerity, and is sure to inspire today’s climbers with the irresistible passion of his mountaineering. – Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal

Conquistadors is one of the great books, hardly perfect but with bursts of powerful writing, especially about climbing. It is irresistible, even to those grown up enough to know better. There’s a Gallic cynicism, a dismissive brilliance that is achingly cool, and which Sutton does capture in his translation. And of course it is an outstanding account of arguably the greatest Alpine career of the 20th century. – Ed Douglas, Climber Magazine

Frank, witty, clean, often controversial, Terray irresistibly conveys his lifelong passion for the mountains. – Lara Dunn, Adventure Travel Magazine

Lionel Terray was one of the greatest mountaineers of his time. A major figure in the French post-war climbing scene, he was at the centre of global mountaineering at a time when Europe was emerging from the shadow of the Second World War and seemed to be at the centre of every major new initiative of his era. Terray was born in Grenoble in 1921. Drawn to the mountains, he was climbing by the age of twelve (against the wishes of his mother, who said 'I shall be happy for you to go into any sport except motor-cycling and climbing') and competing in national skiing competitions by twenty. He would go on to climb with mountaineering legends Gaston Rebuffat, Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal and become involved with major first ascents across the globe. These included the first ascents of Annapurna - the first 8,000-metre peak to be climbed - and Makalu in the Himalaya, and FitzRoy and Huantsan in South America. He also spent time working in Canada and became a major pioneer in North American climbing, making the first ascent of Alaska's Mount Huntington. Closer to home, he made the second ascent of the North Face of the Eiger and was noted for the speed of his climbs, making quick ascents of some of the most notorious routes in the Alps, including the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses, and the north-east face of Piz Badile. Terray died in 1965, in a climbing accident in the Vercors with his Mount Huntington partner Marc Martinetti. He is buried in Chamonix.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781912560219
ISBN 10	1912560216
Title	Conquistadors of the Useless
Author	Lionel Terray
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vertebrate Publishing Ltd
Year published	2020-05-07
Number of pages	464
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.