Why Everest: A Short History of the Pioneers

Gerry Roach answers the question Why Everest by tracing the mountaineering history of the Earth's highest peak through the pioneering period, which he brings forward to 1983. Everest is a pyramid with three major faces separated by three major ridges, and the last of these, the elusive East Face, was finally climbed in 1983. This pioneering period also saw other notable mountaineering landmarks such as the first ascent without supplemental oxygen, the first winter ascent, and the first solo ascent.