2025 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature Shortlist Announced

The Boardman Tasker Award continues to enhance its international reputation. This year it attracted 28 entries from ten different countries: England, Scotland, Canada, France, Finland, India, Ireland, New Zealand, USA, and South Korea.

The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature will be awarded to the winner(s) at the Boardman Tasker Award Shortlisted Authors event at Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday November 21st, 2025. 

The Judges for 2025 were Rehan Siddiqui (Chair), Brian Hall and, Nandini Purandare. They have selected the following seven books for the 2025 Shortlist:

Rick Accomazzo

Tobin, The Stonemasters, and Me 1970-1980

Remembering Tobin Sorenson, the Best Climber in the World

Stonemasters Books

The book chronicles the life of the author’s friend and climbing partner, Tobin Sorenson, a member of the legendary 1970s climbing collective known as The Stonemasters.  The book details their adventures and the evolution of modern climbing through the lens of Sorenson’s exceptional talent, which some considered the best in the world. It is a powerful tribute to Sorenson, who died tragically at a young age and a vivid portrait of a golden era of climbing.

Mark Agnew

There Will be Headwinds

Kayaking the Northwest Passage

Icon Books

The author recounts his journey as part of the first team to kayak the Northwest Passage. The book is an account of physical hardships and mental health struggles he faced after previous expedition failures. It is a story about teamwork, perseverance, and personal growth in an epic adventure.

Paul Besley

The Search

The life of a mountain rescue search dog team

Vertebrate Publishing

The author’s life journey was transformed following a mountain rescue team saving his life from a serious hillwalking accident. Inspired by his rescue he joined a mountain rescue team and trains his Border Collie puppy, Scout, to become a search dog. The book details rigorous training and rescue missions, while exploring Besley’s personal struggles and how his bond with Scout helps him confront his past and find purpose.

 Nathalia Holt

The Beast in the Clouds

The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to find the Mythical Giant Panda

One Signal Publishers

In 1928 Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt, the two eldest sons of President Theodore Roosevelt, embark on a dangerous expedition to the Chinese Himalayas. Their objective is to find and capture a live specimen of the giant panda, a creature so rare it was believed to be mythical. The book details their harrowing journey, filled with hardships as they chase their dream to introduce the panda to the western world.

Mollie Hughes

Breathe

Life Lessons from the Edge of the World

Birlinn Ltd

An inspiring account by Mollie Hughes of exploring some of the Earth’s wildest environments. She shares her view on how self-belief and lessons learnt from epic challenges enabled her to become the youngest woman to climb Everest from the south and north sides. Then, aged 29, she describes her battle through freezing storm-force winds to achieve the distinction of being the youngest woman to ski solo to the South Pole.

Dave Macleod

Moving the Needle

How an Average Climber can do the Hardest Route in the World

Rare Breed Productions

This is a memoir focussed on the author’s journey from an average climber to an elite, world-renowned athlete. The author tells his story of using trainable skills and behavioural traits to achieve his goals that can be replicated. Simple really, anyone can do it!

Iain Peters

The Corridor

Bed and Bolster

In his memoir, the author recounts his life as a climber and teacher, revealing how his passion for wild places and adventure served as a means of survival and a form of recovery from childhood sexual abuse. He candidly explores the long-term impact of this trauma on his psyche and relationships, finding strength in the mountains in the emotional journey of healing. The book is a powerful story of hope, resilience and the creation of a life fulfilled despite an early, horrific trauma.

The comments are by courtesy of Rehan Siddiqui, Chair of 2025 Judges.

Tickets for the Boardman Tasker Award Shortlisted Authors event at Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday November 21st, 2025 are available now.

2025 entries are now closed!

Submission for the 2025 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature is now closed. There were 28 entries. The shortlist will be announced in early September.

Tickets for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature taking place at Kendal Mountain Festival on Friday 21 Nov are on sale now - tickets here.

K2 Expedition 1980

Catherine Moorehead reads two extracts regarding the expedition, undertaken by Pete Boardman, Joe Tasker, Doug Scott and Dick Renshaw.

The first, from her biography of Doug Scott, ‘Mountain Guru’, gives an overall account of the trip.

The second is taken from Joe Tasker’s ’Savage Arena’ and describes in vivid detail, how in a later attempt on the mountain, after Doug had departed, the three of them were avalanched during the night in their tent.  An epic from which they were lucky to survive.

Simon Mawer, 2003 BT Award winner has died aged 76

“I was very sorry to read of the death of Simon Mawer (born 1947). Simon won the Boardman Tasker Award in 2003, with his book The Fall.  Simon was an accomplished author, and his novel The Glass Room was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Simon was an enthusiastic climber, and The Fall is a very elegant novel, set mostly in Snowdonia.”
Steve Dean
Secretary, Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust

Read Simon’s obituary in The Bookseller here.

Steve Dean reflects on 1975 - Fifty Years On

© Chris Bonington Picture Library
L-R:  Joe Tasker, Pete Boardman & Dick Renshaw at base camp on K2 in 1980

1975 was a particularly significant year for both Pete and Joe.  They already both had established reputations as alpinists of the top rank, but events that year were to have significant impact on both their lives, and on the relationship between themselves.  Pete was selected for Chris Bonington’s large scale expedition to climb Everest’s South West Face, as part of a team that included Martin Boysen, Tut Braithwaite, Nick Estcourt, Mick Burke, Doug Scott, and Dougal Haston.  It was a reflection of Pete’s ability, despite being only 24, that he was included in such esteemed company.

The expedition proceeded well, and after Paul Braithwaite and Nick Estcourt made a huge effort to force the route through the rock band, Doug Scott and Dougal Haston became the first British climbers to reach the summit of Everest on September 24th. Pete was chosen to make the second summit attempt along with Martin Boysen, Pertemba and Mick Burke. Chris Bonington described the events of the day:

“The second summit team reached Camp Six and set off the following morning for the summit.  Martin turned back with malfunctioning oxygen equipment but Pete and Pertemba reached the summit at one o’clock.  They assumed that Mick had returned to Camp Six with Martin so were amazed to meet up with him just above the Hillary Step as they descended.  Mick even tried to persuade them to come back to the top so that he could film them.  They agreed instead that Pete and Pertemba would wait at the South Summit.  I’m sure that Mick reached the summit, but by four-thirty he still hadn’t returned.  A storm was brewing, growing stronger by the minute.  Daylight would soon begin to fade.  Pete and Pertemba were dangerously exposed.  If they had waited any longer they would most likely have perished.   It seems likely that Mick stepped through a cornice on his way down from the top.”

Pete and Pertemba had an appalling time getting down to Camp Six, and it was a mark of Pete’s strength and ability that he got them both down safely, albeit utterly exhausted.  Martin Boysen described to me the awful night the three of them spent in the tent at Camp Six, as he produced endless brews to help Pete and Pertemba recover as the storm raged on into the next day.  This horrible experience and the death of Mick, had a profound effect on Pete, and it was heart-breaking for Martin, as Mick was an old friend from way back.

During that autumn of 1975, Joe Tasker was also out in the Himalayas, making his first visit there with Dick Renshaw.  Driving out there in a badly beat up Ford Escort van, they made an audacious lightweight ascent of Dunagiri by its south-east ridge and spending ten days in ascent and descent of the mountain.  The ascent went well, but during the descent they became separated and once back at Base Camp it was clear that Dick had suffered quite serious frost-bite, which required extensive treatment into the next year.  Their ascent of Dunagiri was a superb achievement that brought Joe and Dick to the attention of the world’s mountaineering elite.

For some time, Joe had harboured a desire to climb Changabang and in the latter part of 1975, he approached Pete with a mind to attempting to climb the mountain’s unclimbed West Face.  Joe and Pete had first met back in 1971 on a route at Chamonix.  Joe was climbing with Dick; Pete was partnered by Martin Wragg.  By 1975 they really only knew each other in passing and by reputation, but in the absence of Dick, Joe felt that Pete would be the ideal partner to attempt the route with on Changabang.  Thus was the partnership of Pete and Joe formed in the last weeks of 1975.  They would go on to have an enormous influence on the development of High Altitude climbing over the next seven years. 

© Doug Scott’s Photography Collection
L to R: Dick Renshaw, Doug Scott, Pete Boardman & Joe Tasker

2025 is also the 45th Anniversary of Pete and Joe’s visit to K2 with Doug Scott and Dick Renshaw.  It was Pete and Joe’s second visit to the mountain following the ill-fated 1978 Expedition when Nick Estcourt was killed.  In 1980 the team was again attempting to climb the mountain by its West Ridge.  Doug Scott’s biographer Catherine Moorhead takes up the story:

“The Expedition reached 7000m before biting hard winds then running out of time as the technical difficulties mounted.  Scott proposed an Alpine-style ascent of the remaining 1,600m, but the others disagreed (Renshaw was anxious about frostbite, after a bad experience on Dunagiri).  Scott had to return home, just 9n time to lead an expedition to Makalu.  The others tried a switch to the Abruzzi Spur route, resulting in a near-fatal three-night epic in a storm just below 6000m.”

The epic Catherine mentions came very close to claiming the lives of Pete, Joe, and Dick.  The team was avalanched at night in their tent only 1500ft below the summit.  Joe’s description in Savage Arena (pages 282-304) tells a truly gripping story.  The boys were very lucky to come home after that one, and they never did return to K2.

 

References:

‘Savage Arena’ by Joe Tasker

‘Ascent’ by Sir Chris Bonington

‘Mountain Guru’ by Catherine Moorehead


Steve Dean  
April 2025

Shortlisted Author reflections

Some of the 2024 Award Shortlisted Authors reflect on their experience of being shortlisted and the Shortlisted Authors event at Kendal Mountain Festival:

I was unaware that my editor had thoughtfully submitted Mountains of Fire for consideration, so it was a real thrill to be shortlisted for the BT Award. The trustees and jury gave each of us such an enthusiastic and affirming welcome, and the evening felt like true showbiz, especially with Helen's inspired questions for each of us on stage. It was a wonderfully convivial event, and a personal highlight for me was reconnecting with Sir Chris - half a century after a brief encounter when I was a schoolboy attending a talk he gave at the Royal Geographical Society (surely some vertical inspiration there!). It was a privilege to be part of such an uplifting celebration of mountain literature and tribute to the legacies of Peter and Joe. Thankyou!
Sorry, couldn't resist the pun!
Very best wishes,
Clive (Oppenheimer)

There is something about the annual gathering of writers and readers and book collectors at the Boardman Tasker event that is truly unique. Is it the low-ceilinged Malt Room at the Brewery Arts Centre? Perhaps the thrill of competition? The unmistakable critical mass of knowledge and passion for mountain literature that permeates the audience? The pleasure of reconnecting with old friends? I have experienced this event many times, including four times as a short-listed author and twice as a winner.  It was such an honour to be short-listed this year, which I consider to be a banner year for mountain literature. The quality of the writing, the conversations, and the 'back stories' that authors love to share contributed to an evening that I will always remember. Heartfelt thanks to Maria Coffey and the Boardman Tasker committee, the illustrious jury, and all of the fine authors who submitted books this year. The overwhelming take-away for me is that mountain literature is alive and thriving.

Best, Bernadette (McDonald)

It is a great thing to be selected for an award you have, unknowingly, been tacking towards for over a decade. The organisers were fantastic and very tenacious in chasing up an invitation to submit 'Behind Everest – Ruth Mallory’s Story' to the long list. Janet and Stephen could not have been more kind. Helen Mort was a wonderful interviewer and the fellow shortlisters all friendly and fascinating – some lasting friendships made during the course of the two nail biting hours whilst we waited to hear who’d won. Like the award itself, bonds forged in adversity – albeit of the centrally heated kind. Maria Coffrey is a bit of a pin up for me and I had quoted Chris Bonington as the most reliable source of ‘did they [George Mallory and Sandy Irvine of Everest 1924 expedition] reach the top or didn’t they?’ He thought they didn’t. But to paraphrase Nan Shepherd of ‘Into the Mountains’ fame, the Boardman Tasker Award event proves,  that perhaps winning a summit isn’t an exclusive organising principle. 

Kate (Nichols)

2024 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature Chair of Judges Speech

Maria Coffey, Paul Pritchard & Nandini Purandare

Writing a book is brave undertaking. The vulnerability involved for the writer means that this endeavour is not for everyone. This year there were so many worthy books. The judges had to deliberate long and hard and make some difficult choices. We had to read 30-odd books this year, and to speak frankly, there could have been 9 or 10 on the shortlist, such was the quality of the writing. 

Some of the books that the judges really struggled to omit from the shortlist were: 

  • Mountain Guru by Catherine Moorehead, a truly comprehensive account of the life of one of climbing’s greats, Doug Scott. 

  • Beth Rodden’s A Light Through the Cracks was something else, I tell you.

  • Survival Is Not Assured by Geoff Powter, this important book has glittering prose about a genius of mountaineering. 

  • Mick Conefrey’s book, George Mallory -The Man, the Myth and the 1924 Everest Tragedy is a timely and well written book.

  • And Weathering, Ruth Allen’s book surely will go on to win another great writing prize.

Eventually, after months of deliberation, the judges put together a shortlist which I think reflects the diversity of, and in, mountaineering literature today. 

First, we have Alpine Rising by that forceful voice in mountain literature, Bernadette MacDonald. One of the first books to explore the pivotal roles played by Nepali and Pakistani climbers in shaping the future of high-altitude endeavours. Traditionally in the western mountaineering canon, these climbers were unnamed, or only had first names.So, they take their rightful place alongside western climbers.

Next, the groundbreaking Everest book that explores what it is like to stay behind, for a very able partner, in a different age to ours. Kate Nicholson’s Behind Everest tells the story of Ruth Turner, ahem, Mallory, (as in the wife of George) through many previously unseen letters. The judges applaud Nicholson for achieving the virtually impossible featof taking the drowned-out voice of this woman (amidst the bluster of male voices), and making it seem strangely modern.

Then we have Clive Oppenheimer’s, Mountains of Fire which brings science to life, telling stories that are personal, yet global in reach. From Vesuvius to Krakatoa, from Paektu in North Korea to Erebus in Antarctica he considers the relationship between volcanoes and humanity.

Following on from Mountains of Fire is Headstrap: Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling by Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar. 

It is a beautifully crafted tribute to the rich cultural heritage and climbing traditions of the Sherpa and Bhutia people of Darjeeling. 

Headstrap is a genuinely untold story, and it took the authors more than a decade to conduct in-depth interviews with not only the Sherpas themselves but their family members, descendants – so it is a hard-won achievement.

With its vivid sense of place, community, and culture, Headstrap weaves a rich tapestry of this particular Sherpa society, giving the people of Darjeeling the recognition in mountaineering literature that they deserve.

Royal Robbins: The American Climber by David Smart is yet another meticulously well researched biography of an American legend. Charting Robbins’ journey from young enthusiast to legendary climber, and outdoor visionary. 

Lastly, we have the cutting edge of alpinism well expressed by David Zimmerman in A Fine Line. Through some stunningly climactic tales, Zimmerman delves into the psychological and physical demands of the “sport” - though it soon becomes clear to the reader that mountaineering is much, much more than a simple sport to Zimmerman. 

And the winner of this, the 41st Boardman Tasker Award, is Headstrap: Legends and Lore from the Climbing Sherpas of Darjeeling by Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar.

Maria Coffey's Introduction Speech

Maria Coffey

As the Chair of the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust I’m honored to welcome you to the 41st Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. 

41 years – it makes me feel a bit dizzy to say that. And to think back to those very first meetings, when family and close friends of Pete and Joe came together to find a way to celebrate them, to keep their memory alive, to create a legacy in their names. Since then, BT has inspired and encouraged mountain writers in all genres. It has helped to develop and raise the profile mountain literature. And it’s allowed us all to stay connected with Pete and Joe, and with each other, a strong thread through time. I know Pete and Joe would be very proud of how far BT has come, and all its potential for the future. 

Before we get started on the important business of the evening, there are a number of people I wish to acknowledge and thank. 

First, huge thanks to Mountain Equipment who sponsor this event through Kendal Mountain Festival and who from next year will also be directly sponsoring the BT prize. 

It’s a huge honour and joy to have our award as part of the incredibly rich and diverse Kendal Mountain Festival. Thanks to Paul Scully, Jenny Rice, the KMF directors and everyone on the team for all you do for BT, and for the mountain and outdoor community. 

My thanks to our patron Sir Chris Bonington and my fellow trustees – Martin Wragg, Paul Tasker, Chris Harle, Charlie Clarke, Kelyvn James, Matt Fry, as of today our newest trustee Helen Mort, and most especially Steve Dean and our administrator Janet Dean. Steve and Janet are the engine of BT, devoting huge amounts of time to it each year, and working closely with KMF to create this event. On that note, thanks to the Brewery Arts Centre technical staff here in the Malt Room with us this evening. 

From personal experience I know how much work and commitment is involved in being a judgefor a book competition. I want to acknowledge and show our gratitude to our judges for this year’s prize. Joanne Croston couldn’t be here; Rehan Siddiqui and our Chair of Judges Paul Pritchard – himself a two times winner of this prize - please stand for a moment to accept our thanks. 

All but two of our short-listed authors are with us tonight. Graham Zimmerman is at home with his five-week-old baby, and Deepa Balsavar couldn’t be here because of visa issues. But they are with us in spirit – and in Graham’s case he will be here on film. Our other authors: Bernadette McDonald, Kate Nicholson, Clive Oppenheimer, Nandini Purandare and David Smart, please stand and accept our congratulations. 

For the past nine years, Stephen Venables, the esteemed author and mountaineer, took on the formidable task of interviewing the short-listed authors during this event. Live on this stage, and online during the pandemic, he conducted the interviews with professionalism, aplomb, and humour. We want to thank Stephen – our long-time friend - for all his work and commitment to the BT Award. 

Stepping into Stephen’s shoes this year is Helen Mort. She’s well known to many of you as an award winning and incomparable writer and poet. Her memoir A Line Above the Sky was co-winner of the BT prize in 2022, and won the Grand Prize at the 2023 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. Helen is a professor of Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, and she has just returned from Banff where she is on the faculty of the Mountain WritersIntensive Program. She downplays this, but she is also a keen fell runner and rock climber. 

And so, without further ado, I’d like to welcome Helen, and hand things over to her. 

Maria Coffey, Kendal Mountain Festival, November 22, 2024.

2024 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature - The Winner

The 2024 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature goes to Nandini Purandare and Deepa Balsavar for Headstrap.

Congratulations Nandini and Deepa!

Beautifully weaves together the rich cultural heritage and climbing traditions of the Sherpa and Bhutia community of Darjeeling. Through engaging stand-alone stories, many of which are recorded for the first time, this book offers readers a captivating glimpse into the lives of the legendary mountaineers that populate the ‘Kathmandu of India’.

Nandina Purandare is editor of the internationally renowned Himalayan Journal. As a writer and editor for the Avehi-Abacus Project, she has developed educational materials for public schools across India. With a background in economics, Purandare has consulted for various organizations and research centers and is an enthusiastic trekker and avid reader of mountain literature. She, along with co-author Deepa Balsavar, founded the Sherpa Project to record oral histories through in-depth interviews of members of the climbing Sherpa community.

A well-known illustrator and storyteller, Deepa Balsavar has created more than thirty children’s books. She has won numerous awards, including Tata Trusts’ Big Little Book Award for her contribution to children’s literature, worked as a consultant with UNICEF in South Asia, and served as a core team member of the Avehi-Abacus Project for two decades. Balsavar is an adjunct professor in communication design at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay.

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