{"product_id":"elusive-summits-four-expeditions-in-the-karakoram-9781911342199","title":"Elusive Summits: Four Expeditions in the Karakoram","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt a time when the greatest mountains in the greatest ranges had been climbed by numerous routes, collected like stamps and written about extensively, \u003cb\u003eVictor Saunders\u003c\/b\u003e and his friends relished the exploration of the slightly lower, slightly humbler, but often more aesthetically satisfying and no less testing summits in the 6,000- and 7,000-metre range. With thousands of unclimbed peaks in the \u003cb\u003eKarakoram\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eHimalaya\u003c\/b\u003e to choose from, these were ripe fruit for the committed mountaineers of the day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his \u003cb\u003eBoardman-Tasker-winning \u003ci\u003eElusive Summits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eVictor Saunders\u003c\/b\u003e describes four expeditions to the \u003cb\u003eKarakoram\u003c\/b\u003e, to \u003cb\u003eUzum Brakk, Bojohaghur Duanasir, Rimo\u003c\/b\u003e and the stunning \u003cb\u003eSpantik\u003c\/b\u003e. Battling crevasses and violent weather, injured climbers and dropped rucksacks, Saunders and his friends make a string of exciting and difficult ascents.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSaunders communicates the highs and lows of expedition life with relish, good humour, and a keen eye for the idiosyncratic among his companions. His first book, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eElusive Summits\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, is a wonderful celebration of the sheer exhilaration that comes from the hardest level of alpine-style exploration in the Karakoram.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eMountaineer \u003cb\u003eVictor Saunders\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Lossiemouth and grew up in Malaya. He started climbing in the Alps in 1978 and has climbed in the Caucasus, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan, making numerous first ascents. He became a UIAGM mountain guide in 1996 after a career as an architect in London. He relocated to Chamonix, France and became a member of the SNGM (National Syndicate of French Mountain Guides) in 2003. In the years as an amateur and later as a professional, he clocked up a large amount of expedition time in the Karakoram and Himalaya and recently calculated that he had spent over five years of his life under canvas. He is the author of two books, \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eElusive Summits\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e - which won the Boardman Tasker Prize in 1990, and \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo Place to Fall\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Vertebrate Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50364026290450,"sku":"9781911342199","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c3136ea2-1fd5-42bb-bef4-44b11b174916.jpg?v=1728423080","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/elusive-summits-four-expeditions-in-the-karakoram-9781911342199","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}