Stephen Venables
Encyclopedia
Stephen Venables is a British
mountaineer
and writer
, and is a past president of the South Georgia Association and of the Alpine Club
.
without bottled oxygen. His ascent, as far as the South Col
, was by a new route up the Kangshung Face from Tibet
, with just three other climbers, Americans
Robert Anderson and Ed Webster, and Canadian
Paul Teare. All four reached the South Col but Teare decided to descend from here, concerned about incipient altitude sickness
. The other three continued up the final section of the normal 1953 route, but Anderson and Webster were forced to turn back at the South Summit. Meanwhile Venables reached the summit alone, at 3.40 pm. Descending late in the day, he decided to bivouac
in the open at about 8,600 metres, rather than risk a fall by continuing in the dark. Anderson and Webster spent the night slightly lower in an abandoned Japan
ese tent. In the morning all three were reunited and continued down to their own tents on the South Col. It took them a further three days to complete an epic retreat down the Kangshung Face. All three climbers suffered some frostbite
, with Webster affected worst.
Venables's other Himalayan
first ascents include new routes in the Hindu Kush
(1977), Kishtwar Shivling (1983), Solu Tower (1987), the south-west ridge of Kusum Kanguru (1991) and Panch Chuli V (1992). During the descent from Panch Chuli V Venables broke both his legs in a fall, when an abseil
anchor failed; thanks to his India
n and British team mates and the Indian Air Force
, he was rescued. This expedition was recorded in his book A Slender Thread and in Victor Saunders's
No Place to Fall. He has also made first ascents in Peru
, Bolivia
, Patagonia
and South Georgia. He has appeared in several BBC
television documentaries and the IMAX
film Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure. He is currently president of the South Georgia Association and is a past President of the Alpine Club
.
Venables is also the father of the only known child in the UK to be diagnosed with both autism
and leukaemia. His son, Ollie (born June 1991), was diagnosed with autism aged two and leukaemia aged four. After several cancer-free years, he developed a brain tumour and died, aged twelve years old. His life was the subject of Venables's tenth book Ollie, published in 2006.
went to Venables for his Higher Than the Eagle Soars: A Path to Everest.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and is a past president of the South Georgia Association and of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
.
Mountaineer
In 1988, Venables became the first Briton to ascend the summit of Mount EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
without bottled oxygen. His ascent, as far as the South Col
South Col
The South Col usually refers to the southern col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final camp is situated on the South Col...
, was by a new route up the Kangshung Face from Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, with just three other climbers, Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Robert Anderson and Ed Webster, and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Paul Teare. All four reached the South Col but Teare decided to descend from here, concerned about incipient altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
. The other three continued up the final section of the normal 1953 route, but Anderson and Webster were forced to turn back at the South Summit. Meanwhile Venables reached the summit alone, at 3.40 pm. Descending late in the day, he decided to bivouac
Bivouac sack
A bivouac sack is an extremely small, lightweight, waterproof shelter, and an alternative to traditional tent systems. It is used by climbers, mountaineers, hikers, ultralight backpackers, soldiers and minimalist campers...
in the open at about 8,600 metres, rather than risk a fall by continuing in the dark. Anderson and Webster spent the night slightly lower in an abandoned Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tent. In the morning all three were reunited and continued down to their own tents on the South Col. It took them a further three days to complete an epic retreat down the Kangshung Face. All three climbers suffered some frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
, with Webster affected worst.
Venables's other Himalayan
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
first ascents include new routes in the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
(1977), Kishtwar Shivling (1983), Solu Tower (1987), the south-west ridge of Kusum Kanguru (1991) and Panch Chuli V (1992). During the descent from Panch Chuli V Venables broke both his legs in a fall, when an abseil
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
anchor failed; thanks to his India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and British team mates and the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
, he was rescued. This expedition was recorded in his book A Slender Thread and in Victor Saunders's
Victor Saunders
Victor Saunders is a British mountaineer and author. He trained as an architect at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London...
No Place to Fall. He has also made first ascents in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and South Georgia. He has appeared in several BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television documentaries and the IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
film Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure. He is currently president of the South Georgia Association and is a past President of the Alpine Club
Alpine Club (UK)
The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...
.
Venables is also the father of the only known child in the UK to be diagnosed with both autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and leukaemia. His son, Ollie (born June 1991), was diagnosed with autism aged two and leukaemia aged four. After several cancer-free years, he developed a brain tumour and died, aged twelve years old. His life was the subject of Venables's tenth book Ollie, published in 2006.
Author
The award for Best Book — Mountain Literature at the 2007 Banff Mountain Book FestivalBanff Mountain Book Festival
The Banff Mountain Book Festival is an annual book festival held at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada.The following prizes are awarded:*Grand Prize of Canada*Best Book — Mountain Literature*Best Book — Mountain Image*Best Book — Adventure Travel...
went to Venables for his Higher Than the Eagle Soars: A Path to Everest.
Books by Venables
- Painted Mountains: Two Expeditions to Kashmir, Mountaineers Press, 1987, (ISBN 0898861365)
- Everest, Kangshung Face, Pan, 1991, (ISBN 0330315595)
- Island at the Edge of the World: South Georgian Odyssey, Hodder and Stoughton, 1991, (ISBN 0340556005)
- Everest - Alone at the Summit, Odyssey, 1996, (ISBN 0952937506)
- (with Andy Fanshawe) Himalaya Alpine Style: The Most Challenging Routes on the Highest Peaks, Baton Wicks, 1999, (ISBN 1898573395)
- A Slender Thread: Escaping Disaster in the Himalaya, Arrow, 2001, (ISBN 0099279061)
- To the Top: The Story of Everest, Walker, 2004, (ISBN 1844287254)
- Everest - Summit of Achievement Bloomsbury 2003 (ISBN 0747562237)
- Ollie: The True Story of a Brief and Courageous Life, Hutchinson, 2006, (ISBN 009947879X)
- Voices from the Mountains, Reader's Digest, 2006, (ISBN 076210810X)
- (with Chris Bonington) Meetings with Mountains: Remarkable Face-to-face Encounters with the World's Peaks, Cassell, 2006, (ISBN 1844034496)
- Higher Than the Eagle Soars: A Path to Everest, Random House, 2007, (ISBN 0091795613)