Suffering Up Manaslu

Above 8,000 metres in the death zone, life begins to die. Step by arduous step, mountaineer David B Bethell is determined to summit the Himalayan peak, Mt Manaslu, known as the Mountain of the Soul. He’s driven not only by his love of mountains, but also the memory of a childhood friend—and the mission to help other suffering children.

Drawn from the daily logs Bethell kept of his mountaineering adventures, Suffering Up Manaslu begins in the Canadian Rockies, where he falls in love with the technical challenges of mountaineering, mixed climbing, rock climbing and ice climbing. But a greater purpose emerges: to help at-risk children and youth by giving them the chance to experience the Rocky Mountains. To raise support, Bethell sets his sights on scaling Everest. But first, as training, he must tackle another Himalayan giant: Manaslu.

Bethell’s adventures are, by turns, harrowing and hilarious. His tales take you from frozen waterfalls to the streets up Kathmandu, all the way up into the death zone where air is dangerously thin. He’s joined by a cast of sherpas, climbers, monks, village children, and more than a few dogs. These memoirs are rife with breath-taking landscapes, climbing techniques, Nepali culture, and some goofy anecdotes sure to make you chuckle. Grab your crampons and clip into your climbing rope for this entertaining saga.

A portion of the proceeds from this book will support children and youth charities through the Canadian Rockies Youth Society.