The World Beneath Their Feet

The British, the Americans, the Nazis and the Mountaineering Race to Summit
the Himalayas.
From 1931 to 1953, there was a race like no other. It was a race to the top of
the world-a race primarily between Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United
States.

One of the most compelling international dramas of the 20th century and an
unforgettable saga of survival, technological innovation, and breathtaking
human physical achievement-all set against the backdrop of a world headed
toward war.

While tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different
kind of battle was raging across the Himalayas. Contingents from Great
Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States had set up rival camps at the
base of the mountains, all hoping to become recognized as the fastest,
strongest, and bravest climbers in the world.

Carried on across nearly the entire sweep of the Himalayas, this contest
involved not only the greatest mountain climbers of the era, but statesmen and
millionaires, world-class athletes and bona fide eccentrics, scientists and
generals, obscure villagers and national heroes.

Centered in the 1930s, with one brief, shining postwar coda, the contest was a
struggle between hidebound traditionalists and unknown innovators, one that
featured new techniques and equipment, unbelievable courage and physical
achievement, and unparalleled valor. And death. One Himalayan peak alone,
Nanga Parbat in Kashmir, claimed twenty-five lives in less than three years.

Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation’s moonshot–one shrouded in
the onset of war, interrupted by it, and then fully accomplished. A gritty,
fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Side, Jon
Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this
forgotten story back to life.

No of Pages: 416
Binding: Hardback
Illustrations: B & W & Colour Photographs