Looking back through the years of such a prestigious literary award, no one could foretell what a success such an award would be, and out of such a tragedy of loss could come such a prize.
The Boardman Tasker Prize, as it was originally called – The Background…
After the disappearance in 1982, of two of the brightest climbers of their era, Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker were last seen heading for the summit of the yet unclimbed North-East ridge of Mount Everest, summarised and captured in the article on the Boardman Tasker website by Steve Dean (with thanks to Noel Dawson). Read more about this here: www.boardmantasker.com/news/2022/4/20/everest-1982-forty-years-on
In May of 1982, the Boardman and Tasker families stood with bated breath waiting for the news they never wanted to hear – “Pete and Joe are missing”. As the expedition team slowly made their way down through Everest’s foreboding shadows, with a pall of sadness over them, finding their way back to civilisation, nothing can capture those feelings of hopelessness at not being able to bring their companions back with them. Pete and Joe were only in their early thirties. The account of the final climb into the unknown, is recounted in the book Everest – The Unclimbed Ridge by Chris Bonington and Charlie Clarke.
East North East Ridge, Everest © Chris Bonington
The Everest ’82 Team © Adrian Gordon, Chris Bonington Picture Library
Everest the Unclimbed Ridge by Chris Bonington & Charlie Clarke
“Something good must come out of this” uttered Dorothy Boardman to Hilary Boardman as they waited for news. The Tasker parents and siblings also waited in disbelief, and it was uttered “But he always came back regaling stories of his adventures.”
The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature - how it all started…
As some of the stories unfurled of the last days of the Everest ’82 expedition, something good DID come out of the tragedy - the formation of The Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust and the creation of The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. Thus evolved the Award for a book on ‘mountain literature’ that both Pete and Joe would be proud of and would hold the standard on a par with their own writings.
Since the Award has been in existence, over 2000 books have been submitted with shortlists from many prestigious authors. The judging involved fifty judges from a range of backgrounds and forty-three winners. Explore the archives here www.boardmantasker.com/archive
Pete and Joe disappeared, believed to be attempting to traverse the Pinnacles on the unclimbed North East Ridge of Everest at around 8250 metres, and barely a month after their disappearance, a small group meeting in Stockport agreed to define a yet unidentified memorial. The Award itself has its origins in that meeting of friends and relatives in Dorothy Boardman’s sitting room in Stockport in December 1982. With Dorothy (Pete’s mother), Dennis Gray, Chris Bonington, Charlie Clarke, Martin Wragg, Paul Tasker and others, gathered there, with a shared desire both to preserve the memory of Joe and Pete, but also to do so in a way which would be inspirational for those who would follow. They also felt a duty to respond to people’s wish to donate to a “fitting memorial”. It was agreed that a ‘Prize for Mountain Literature’ would meet all these objectives.
With this decision made, it was also observed that there was not an award in existence for mountain literature at that time. Dorothy Boardman, Tom & Betty Tasker also thought this would be a fitting tribute to Pete and Joe. When donations started coming in from all around the world amounting to over £20,000, this gave the chance to set up a Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust. Martin Henderson who worked for Jardine Matheson (sponsors of several expeditions) became Treasurer and did all the financial work to set up the Trust as it is today. Several meetings later in Dorothy Boardman’s house with some of the Tasker family members travelling to Stockport, crammed into an old MG belonging to a family friend, such was the commitment to help build the legacy and make the award become real. Although emotions were still raw, both families were determined that Pete and Joe’s legacy would survive. The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature Award was launched in 1983. www.boardmantasker.com
The first formal meeting of the Boardman Tasker Prize committee comprising friends and family members of both Pete and Joe, was chaired by Chris Bonington. Dorothy Boardman was the Honorary Secretary and Martin Henderson the Treasurer. The task was not easy although both Pete and Joe’s writings, already in book form, gave an in-road into publishers who were encouraged to support the award forming an annual event. (Pete’s brother John Boardman joined the Trust a few years later giving added presence to the Boardman family representation.)
The first judging took place in 1983. The judges set a high standard using the books of Joe and Pete as benchmarks.
Boardman Tasker Omnibus Cover
Both their writings were at a high standard, and it was necessary to make sure that the standard of the books entered and judged deserving of the award, were of a similar standard. Bravely, this led the judges to decide not to award the prize to any of the books entered in the first year, their view was that the quality did not meet the level set by Pete and Joe’s works.
At times the standards set for two writers meant the prize was awarded to both authors. This occurred in 1984, when two joint winners were awarded the prize - Linda Gill’s Living High and Shishapangma Expedition by Doug Scott and the late Alex MacIntyre – in the opinion of the Committee and the Judges the required quality standard had been reached! The awarding of joint winners also happened in 1991 with Alison Fell’s Mer de Glace and Dave Brown & Ian Mitchell’s A View from the Ridge, in 2005 with Jim Perrin’s The villain: The Life of Don Whillans and Learning to Breathe by Andy Cave. Then last year in 2022, Brian Hall’s High Risk and Helen Mort’s A Line Above the Sky, both reached the level of quality standard expected to win the Award prize.
The first award ceremony took place in 1983, in the Alpine Club, in South Audley Street London. There it remained until 2006, with the year of the actual move being held temporarily in a Barclays West End Management Suite! (As John Boardman worked for Barclays at the time). The prize ceremony now referred to as The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature moved to Kendal to be a part of the Kendal Mountain & Film Festival. The BT Award for Mountain Literature Shortlisted Authors Event & Award is now one of the prominent, opening events at Kendal Mountain Festival, specifically within the Kendal Mountain Book Festival. Working with Kendal Mountain Festival is to the benefit of both parties and going from strength to strength. We always have a sell-out event in the Malt Room, in The Brewery Arts Centre. www.kendalmountainfestival.com
The Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust & The Award for Mountain Literature – the people…
The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature is run by the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust. The original trustee board comprised of some members of the 1982 Everest expedition where Joe and Pete disappeared - Chris Bonington, Dick Renshaw, Charlie Clarke. Other trustees who volunteered to help and support the Trust along with developing the Award were, Dennis Gray, Hilary Boardman (now Hilary Rhodes), Martin Henderson, John Boardman, Maria Coffey, Martin Wragg and Paul Tasker.
The first Chair of the Trust was Chris Bonington with the first Secretary Dorothy Boardman, followed in later years by Maggie Body John Boardman took on the role of Trust’s Treasurer, and through careful management helped allow the Trust to grow financially. Pippa Southward joined in later years as the Communications/Press Officer to raise the Trust and Award’s profile.
After many years, Charlie Clarke took over the role of Chair, followed by Paul Tasker, who served for many years. Another change happened when John Boardman stepped down as Treasurer, Chris Harle took on that mantle to administer the Trust’s finances. Dennis Gray retired after many years of unstinting support of the Trust and Award. When Maggie Body retired, Steve Dean took on the role of Secretary with assistance from his wife Janet as BT Charitable Trust Administrator and who have steered the award committee through the past years, seeing the competition gain its international reputation as ‘The Mountain Book Award’, with its highly successful Short Listed Authors event annually with Kendal Mountain Book Festival.
The current BT Charitable Trust has Sir Chris Bonington, CVO CBE DL as its Patron. Martin Wragg as Chair, Steve Dean as Secretary, Chris Harle as Treasurer, John Boardman, Maria Coffey, Kelvyn James, Paul Tasker (past Chair) and Teresa Tasker. Hilary Rhodes stepped down in 1922 and continues to be a committed supporter of the Charitable Trust & Award, as do Dennis Gray, Dick Renshaw and Charlie Clarke. www.boardmantasker.com/trustees. Through the dedication and hard work of all these people, the BT Charitable Trust and Award for Mountain Literature has gone from strength to strength and established a following from all parts of the world.
The Associated BT Awards…
Not only is a prize presented for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, it was also decided to honour those individuals who had made a great contribution to the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust with their own commitment and dedication and who helped raise the profile of the Trust & the Award.
This was in the form of a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.
This award was made to Jim Curran in 2014, a stalwart supporter of the BT. Jim supported and attended most of the Award presentations though latterly this became difficult due to his ill health. Jim had been shortlisted five times but sadly never won. His joke was akin to always the bridesmaid but never the bride in his speech.
Jim Curran
Ken Wilson © Sir Chris Bonington
In 2015, this prestigious award was also made to Ken Wilson, a great friend of the BT Trust, and Ken’s publishing company Baton Wicks’ contribution to mountaineering publishing. Ken produced and published The Boardman Tasker Omnibus comprising: Savage Arena, The Shining Mountain, Sacred Summits and Everest the Cruel Way. [Photo 6 – Ken Wilson – need photo]
Read about Jim and Ken here www.boardmantasker.com/lifetime-achievement-award
Sophie Miocevich being presented by Paul Tasker and Teresa Tasker
Also in 2014, to encourage younger developing authors, BT piloted a Boardman Tasker Young Writer Award for 16- to 25-year-olds, who also had an interest in mountains. This first pilot award was a huge success and a young college girl, Sophie Miocevich, from the North-East was the winner. (She had read the Boardman Tasker Omnibus in her summer holiday!) The prize was a sum of £250 and her story was printed in the ‘Summit’ magazine of the BMC. After a second pilot we decided that as there were a lot of other well-established young writers competitions, this would not be pursued.
Sophie Miocevich Printed Story from BMC Summit magazine – Winter 2014
The Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust & the Award for Mountain Literature – going forward…
Over the following years, high standards were maintained, and entries challenged our judges not least through the sheer variety of literary types. Entries were sent in having a range of genres – novels, poetry, expeditions, biographies, mountain travel, and mountain history. All had a ‘mountain’ theme running through the writing which met the Award criteria. The establishment of such an award led to a large quantity of submissions, not just from the UK, but from around the world and this carries on today.. www.boardmantasker.com/archive.
During the last 40 years, the Trust has received around £40,000 in donations and through special appeals, anniversary events and gifts to support the memory of Pete and Joe through the prize. Through the support of friends, families, committed supporters, donations and dedicated work from the Trustees and friends of the Trust and Award, it leads the Trust to anticipate that we can look forward to another 40 years at least!
The Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust & Award for Mountain Literature - remembering Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker
Keeping the memory of two extraordinary climbers was important in the time between the annual award ceremony, which eventually became part of everyone’s calendar. A range of events and items on the BT website, taking place over the following years after the Award was launched with several ‘anniversary’ and ‘memory invoking’ events.
Flyer for 20th anniversary
2002 was the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of Joe and Pete, and a lecture was held in the prestigious Royal Geographic Society building which was a very poignant and emotional event. A stellar line-up included Chris Bonington, Charlie Clarke, Paul Braithwaite, Maria Coffey, Hilary Rhodes, Doug Scott, Martin Wragg, with John Barry. John Boardman read from his brother’s book Shining Mountain and Paul Tasker read from his brother’s book Savage Arena.
In November of 2007 there was a lecture at Kendal Leisure Centre to commemorate the 25th anniversary; an event which drew a large crowd to listen to Chris Bonington, Charlie Clarke, Doug Scott, Jim Curran and family members Hilary Boardman, John Boardman and Paul Tasker. It resulted in a big family gathering of the Taskers!
Tasker Family Gathering | Photo credit Teresa Tasker
In Stockport Grammar school, the state-of-the-art Pete Boardman climbing wall was opened in 2008. The wall is named after the former pupil who is renowned as one of the greats of British Himalayan mountaineering. Facilities - Climbing Wall - Stockport Grammar School
A different kind of event was put on in the Kendal Town Hall in 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary. With guest speakers Doug Scott, Roger Hubank, Stephen Venables and Andy Kirkpatrick. Chris Bonington and Charlie Clarke talked of the last days of the fatal expedition to Everest in 1982. At this lecture Doug Scott donated a high-quality framed print of Pete and Joe resting at 28,000 feet on Kangchenjunga with Everest in the distant background. The significance of this photograph was that it was signed by three members of the team who made the first ascents in May 1955. The framed print was auctioned, and sum raised added to the BT Fund.
Also, a 2013 calendar was produced to mark the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker. The calendar comprised of amazing photographs of a range of expeditions that Pete and Joe and other prominent climbers, participated in along with texts describing the expeditions and photographs. The calendar was co-ordinated by John Boardman and the BT Board and Committee and was a superb example of the feats and challenges both Pete and Joe had to face on their expeditions. Vertebrate Publishing sponsored and produced the calendar.
Calendar Front for 2013 as part of the 2012 celebrations
In 2016, the Peter Boardman Climbing wall was opened at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China campus to mark Pete Boardman’s contribution both as a mountaineer and as a Nottingham alumnus. At the Award ceremony in November, display boards of the ascent of Changabang, one of the famous climbs of the partners-in-climb Joe and Pete, were in prominent position. This ascent was recorded in Pete Boardman’s Book Shining Mountain with contributions from Joe Tasker.
The idea that John Boardman had instigated, to host a celebratory evening in Buxton came to fruition in October 2017. A host of people gathered in what proved to be a full house at the Buxton Opera House Arts Pavilion where some of those closely involved with the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature gathered as two of the past winners, Andy Cave and Stephen Venables talked and read from Shining Mountain and Savage Arena.
Over time, many distinguished guests attended the BT SLA event for example in 2014 Sherpa Tenzing’s grandson attended with Chris Bonington.
Sherpa Tenzing’s grandson with Chris Bonington and Paul Tasker
All these events were testament to the legacy that the extraordinary feats and challenges that two British mountaineers achieved both individually and in their climbing partnership, in their short lives. Had they lived longer who knows what else they would have achieved with their skill, technical ability and ambition. As Joe Tasker once said in his first book Everest the Cruel Way:
“There is no need to ‘create new goals’; there exists range after range of untapped reserves of elusive, difficult objectives. If not to Everest, to other summits. The pain is forgotten, and the dream remains.”
The BT Charitable Trust & Award for Mountain Literature - The Legacy…
Not only is the reputation of The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature continuing to grow, but both Joe and Pete’s books are still selling. After forty years, people still buy, enjoy and are inspired by the four books Pete and Joe wrote. Presently around two copies of their books are bought every day as books, audio books, print on demand and in other media across the world. The standard they set will be respected by the Award for years to come.
Pete and Joe’s legacy is also depicted in the collections of both Joe and Pete where items donated by their families are housed in the Mountain Heritage Trust archives at Blencathra, Threlkeld in Cumbria. www.mountain-heritage.org. You can search for information on a host of items of both climbers Home Page (calmview.co.uk) by searching for either Joe Tasker or Pete Boardman. This is a catalogue tool of the collections held by the Trust.
The test of the Award’s longevity will be that in another 40 years (2063),
will our grandchildren be asking the question….
“What was the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature all about?”
One would hope it is still going strong, still attracting authors writing about the challenges and feats that are faced in the world of mountaineering. Whatever happens in the years to come, the legacy that the two climbers lost on Everest in 1982 will forever be remembered.
Pete Boardman
Joe Tasker
Teresa Tasker, Paul Tasker, John Boardman
November 2023