Capturing the magic of Kangchenjunga

When I received a copy of Kangchenjunga: The Himalayan Giant, mountaineer Doug Scott’s last book, published posthumously and edited by Catherine Moorehead, I expected it to be a detailed account of the path-breaking ascent of the mountain in 1979 by Scott and his team. Scott had researched the mountain meticulously and his book is a detailed record of the exploration and ascents of the world’s third highest peak, beginning in 1712 and culminating in the first ascent of the North-West ridge without supplementary oxygen by Scott, Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker in 1979. Described by the mountaineer Reinhold Messner as “among the greatest climbers of all time”, Scott, who died in December 2020 at the age of 79, had made some 30 first ascents, including major climbs in the Himalaya like Changabang, Everest South-West face, Nuptse, Shivling, Shishapangma and Chamlang. Two years after the Indian ascent, Doug Scott, Peter Boardman, Joe Tasker and Georges Bettembourg decided to attempt the mountain from the unclimbed North-West ridge in alpine style, without supplementary oxygen.