2013 Boardman Tasker Shortlist Announced

© UKC News

The books chosen to 'compete' for this year's annual Boardman Tasker Prize for mountain literature have been announced.

The Boardman Tasker Prize commemorates the lives of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker – outstanding mountaineers and accomplished authors – who disappeared together high on Everest in 1982. The prize of £3000 is given to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. 

'2013 is our 31st year and in terms of interest in the award, a very good one' says Steve Dean, Secretary of the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust.

'We have had 30 books entered this year (all details on website) from UK, USA, Canada & Germany/Argentina. They cover a wide range of subject matter; biography, autobiography, fiction, travel, history, spiritual journeys etc. In terms of quality, I think that 2013 is a particularly good year, one of our best, and the judges have come up with four very interesting books for the Shortlist.'

 

Echoes  © Boardman Tasker

Everest  © Boardman Tasker

Shipton Tilman  © Boardman Tasker

Starry Night  © Boardman Tasker

The four shortlisted titles for the 2013 award are:

Shipton and Tilman by Jim Perrin, described by judges as a 'well researched tribute to those British icons of mountain exploration from a multi-award winning author';

Starry Night by Isabel Suppe, an 'inspiring and imaginative telling of a personal mountaineering accident from a self-confessed nomad of the world, who speaks five languages';

Everest, the First Ascent - The Untold Story of Griffith Pugh, Who Made it Possible by Harriet Tuckey, an 'immensely readable biography of the 1953 expedition doctor and physiologist, the author's 'difficult, bad-tempered father' who she lived with in an 'uncommunicative co-existence'';

and

Echoes, One Climber's Hard Road to Freedom by Nick Bullock, which tells the story of his fight to 'free himself from a life spent working in Britain’s most dangerous prisons and escape to a life in the mountains'. For more on Echoes see this review by our very own Jack Geldard.

This year's judges are Chris Harle (Chair) bibliophile and writer, Audrey Salkeld, writer and noted mountaineering historian, and mountaineer Shannon O'Donoghue, former organiser of the Banff Mountain Festival.

The award presentation takes place on Friday November 15th at the Kendal Mountain Festival.

The Kendal Mountain Festival 2013

Kendal Mountain Festival  © Kendal Mountain Festival

HOW TO BOOK TICKETS

The dates are 14-17 November and tickets are available now. Book online - www.mountainfest.co.uk - or by phone 01539 725133 - news as it happens at www.mountainfest.co.uk

ACCOMMODATION

Easily accessible from the M6 and by train and there are plenty of accommodation options in and around the town but you need to be on your toes as they fill up very quickly over the Mountain Festival weekend.

CAMPING
This year we will once again have a camping field but owing to its popularity, you need to book in advance - more info.

For all your questions, accommodation and travel needs go to www.golakes.co.uk here you will find all the information you should need for your visit to Cumbria, alternatively call the accommodation booking line on 0845 450 1199.


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