Kangchenjunga Challenge, by Paul Bauer. 202 pages and 12 illustrations. Foreword by Sir John Hunt. London: Kimber, 1955. Price, 18 s.

Paul Bauer, one of the famous climbers of this century, here recounts the story of the Bavarian attempts to climb Kangchenjunga from the northeast in 1929 and 1931. The story is factual and undramatic, but it describes probably the finest craftsmanship in ice climbing displayed by any expedition to the world’s highest mountains. The obstacles that the Bauer parties overcame on the northeast spur are still amazing, and it must be remembered that the climbers used no oxygen. An interesting feature, of course, was that at several of their 11 camps, the Germans saved the weight of tents by using snow caves. Bauer also describes early climbs in the Caucasus and the ascent of Siniolchu, as well as retelling the classic stories of man against snow and ice on Kangchenjunga.

Robert H. Bates