In To the Top: The Story of Everest, Steve Venables talks about the attempts different people, including himself, have made to summit Mt. Everest. In the introduction, the author provides a sneak preview of his own summit attempt, but before letting us in on the rest of the story, he tells us about other people who have also tried to climb Everest.

Venables writes about the various people who explored the area around Everest in the 1920’s. One of these explorers was George Mallory, a British climber and a schoolteacher, who tried to climb Everest in 1924. On June 6, Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, set out to reach the top but they never returned. Very little is known about what happened (it isn’t even known if they summitted) but in 1999 Mallory’s body was found, almost perfectly preserved. By looking at his bones, it is clear that he died in a horrible fall.

Steve Venables also tells the stories of other people who tried to make it to the top of Mt. Everest, including Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Venables shares their exciting adventure to become the first known people to summit Everest. There are also accounts of other Everest “firsts”: the first Americans to climb Everest, the first woman to climb to the top, the first people to climb Everest from different approaches, the first balloon crossing of Everest, etc.

Near the end of the book, the author returns to his own Everest attempt in 1988. He pioneered a new route to the top and in the process, he ended up being stranded on the mountain, at 28,000 feet, with no shelter. He survived but he lost three and a half toes to frostbite.

I’ve always been interested in mountaineering stories. Climbing to the top of Everest has no appeal to me, but I enjoy hearing other’s stories. To the Top: The Story of Everest gives a glimpse of what it must have been like for these climbers. I appreciate that Venables doesn’t just focus on himself, but he draws our attention to the victories that others have had on Everest. He also gives a good overview of the climbing history of this fascinating mountain. He includes many stunning photographs, as well as a map showing the various routes to the top, which really add to the text. Venables explains things well, but the photos really help to imagine what it might have really been like. ( )