Everest mountaineer Stephen Venables marks the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain with a new talk celebrating the history of this iconic mountain.  From the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine in 1924 to Hillary’s and Tenzing’s triumph in 1953, today’s controversial commercial expeditions and the 1996 disaster when 12 people died on one day, Everest has proved a formidable challenge to even the most experienced mountaineers.

In 1988 Venables wrote his own extraordinary chapter in the Everest story.  With a team of just four climbers, he pioneered a new route up the gigantic East Face, reaching the summit alone, without supplementary oxygen - the first Briton to do so. 

"Venables is superb on the terror and exhilaration of climbing…" The Sunday Telegraph