Everest | Reflections on the Solukhumbu

We are happy to share some good news at the time of the global pandemic - our book Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu published by Bidur Dangol of Vajra Books was shortlisted amongst four books at the New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival for the Mountain Heritage Award. . We congratulate the winner The Great Unkown by Geoff Spearpoint and are happy that we were able to take part in the festival. The press release is below:

Mountain Books
Seven books have been shortlisted for the 4th annual Mountain Book Competition. Con-tenders for the Mountain Heritage Award include: Leading the Way, a historical account of 100 years of the Tararua Tramping Club, by Shaun Barnett and Chris Maclean, Exploring the Transantarctic Mountains by dog sledge, 1960-62 by Peter Otway, The Great Un-known, a chronicle of select trans-alpine journeys by Geoff Spearpoint, and Everest – Reflections on the Solkhumbu, with photography by Sujoy Das, and text by New Zealand’s Honorary Consul to Nepal, Lisa Choegyal.

For the Mountain Narratives Award Living the best day ever, celebrates the life of Hendri Coetzee, whose African whitewater adventures ended with a fatal encounter with a Salt-water Crocodile. Bewildered explores Laura Waters’ life changing catharsis of leaving toxic relationships and lifestyles for a long walk on Te Araroa. And In Fearless Chloe Phillips-Harris gives us a glimpse into the Mongol Derby; a 1000-kilometre endurance race across the wild steppes, desert and mountains of Mongolia – a competition with no marked course, no support team, that requires riders to switch horses every 40 km.

Competition is fierce for the NZ Mountain Book of the Year. This $1000 award was found-ed and is supported by Dave Bamford and John Nankervis. The award is only for a book of the very highest quality, and the judges say there are several books at that level.

For more details on our book do visit  https://www.amazon.in/Everest-Reflections-Solukhumbu-Choegyal-Sujoy/dp/9937928893/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=everest+sujoy+das&qid=1594447493&sr=8-1

Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu | Book Launch Kolkata

The third book launch of Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu will be held in Kolkata on October 31st 2019 - address in the invite. All are welcome.

Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu, launched to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Sir Edmund Hillary and dedicated to the sherpas reveals the historical influences, hidden seasons and current pressures in the land of Everest. Photographer Sujoy Das and writer Lisa Choegyal have collaborated in their second volume, this time capturing the essence of the majestic scenery and reality of daily life in the Solukhumbu in the shadow of Mt. Everest. A foreword by leading mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, preface by cultural scholar Dr Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa and drawings by artist Paula Sengupta adds depth to this unusual book about a familiar destination.

In the words of Sir Chris Bonington in his Foreword “This is not just one more book about Everest, but a special celebration of the haunting beauty of Solukhumbu and its people. Civilisation depends on the health of our high places, and I wish my Sherpa friends all the best with successfully navigating their future course.”

Sujoy Das, founder of South Col Expeditions which runs treks and photo workshops in the Himalaya www.southcol.com has spent more than two decades in the Everest region and is the co-author and photographer of a number of books including Nepal Himalaya A Journey Through Time, Sikkim A Travellers Guide and Lonely Planet Nepal for the Indian Traveller. 

British-born Lisa Choegyal has made Kathmandu her home since 1974, deeply involved with Nepal tourism and conservation. Author and editor of Nepal Himalaya A Journey Through Time, Kathmandu Valley Style, The Nepal Scene Chronicles of Elizabeth Hawley and Offerings from Nepal, she produced the South Asian Insight Guides series, and contributes a fortnightly column to the Nepali Times.

Links to some reviews of the book

https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/69800/book-review-everest-reflections-on-the-solukhumbu

https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/everest-reflections-on-the-solukhumbu/

https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/not-just-another-book-on-everest/

http://ecs.com.np/bookworm/everest-reflections-on-the-solukhumbu-by-sujoy-das-and-lisa-choegyal

https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/in-the-shadow-of-everest-1561106899333.html

The book is available on line at www.amazon.com; www.vajrabookshop.com; www.amazon.in

Travel and Leisure India | Interview Sujoy Das September 2019 Issue

The link to the interview is here https://travelandleisureindia.in/photographer-sujoy-das/

1. Tell us about your association with Mountain Echoes?

I was invited by Mountain Echoes to speak at the 10th edition of their festival in Bhutan that took place between August 22-25, 2019.  Our new book co-authored with Lisa Choegyal was showcased at the festival.

2. How important do you think platforms like these are for today’s youth?

I think they are very important as they give an opportunity to the youth to interact with different personalities from different professions from all over the world.

3. Photography has taken you around the world. What is your favourite place to shoot?

It would be in the mountains of Nepal, Himalaya. I have spent around two decades shooting in Nepal and the opportunities it has offered me have been incredible. I have done three books on Nepal.

4. Do you remember the first photograph you took? Where was it?

It was on a trek to Sandakphu near Darjeeling, I think in 1976 when I had just finished school from the bungalow of Tonglu looking at the Kanchenjunga range floating above the clouds. This, in fact, fired my interest in photography.

5. Tell us one crazy experience you have had while shooting.

I was trying to reach the Sikkim-Tibet border in North Sikkim at an altitude of 5,000 metres riding a yak; unfortunately, the yak had other ideas and as I was about to shoot some photos it started racing up the valley and threw me off! Luckily, the camera did not suffer any lasting damage!

6. In today’s digital age, everybody owns a high-quality camera. How does one stand out?

You are right. All cameras can take great photos, but it’s the eye behind the lens that’s important; you need to see things in a different way, in a different light, at different times of the day, and to create something different from the run-of-the-mill photo.

7. What kind of traveller are you?

I like to travel light, usually carrying my own backpack.

8. Do you prefer solo or group travel?

I usually travel in small groups, maybe with a few like-minded photographers.

9. What are the three things you must have while travelling?

Well, since most of my work is in the mountains, I would never leave home without a sleeping bag and a warm jacket —  both are essential for survival.

10. What is your most favourite destination in India?

It would be Sikkim, a state where I have spent many months photographing, especially the unspoilt Zemu Valley of North Sikkim in the shadow of Mount Kangchenjunga.

11. What does it take to be a successful travel photographer?

You must be prepared to spend time in the field often in very difficult and arduous conditions. You must also focus on weaving a story around your photos, just isolated images are not good enough and they won’t find a market; most editors will reject them.

During all my time spent in the Himalayas, it’s always been a search for the right light, the right time of the day, the right perspective and the right second, which transforms an ordinary or mundane view. In many of my photographs, there is a story waiting to be told. I hope I have been able to tell it well.

Vittorio Sella Remembered

Today 28th August 2019 is the 160th birth anniversary of the great mountain photographer Vittorio Sella. 

Vittorio Sella  was an Italian photographer and mountaineer, who took photographs of mountains which are regarded as some of the finest ever made. 

Sella was born in Biella in the foothills of the Alps and acquired his interest in Alpinism from his uncle, Quintino Sella. He made a number of significant climbs in the Alps, including the first winter ascents of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa, and the first winter traverse of Mont Blanc. He took part in several expeditions further afield, including three to the Caucasus (where a peak now bears his name), to Mount Saint Elias in Alaska, to the Rwenzori in Africa, and the 1909 expedition to K2 and the Karakoram. The latter three expeditions were in the company of Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi. Sella continued to climb into his old age, and made his last attempt on the Matterhorn at seventy six. The attempt failed when one of his guides was injured in an accident.

The high quality of Sella's photography was in part due to his use of 30×40 cm photographic plates, in spite of the difficulty of carrying bulky and fragile equipment into remote places. He had to invent equipment, including modified pack saddles and rucksacks, to allow these particularly large glass plates to be transported safely. His photographs were widely published and exhibited, and highly praised; Ansel Adams, who saw thirty-one that Sella had presented to the US Sierra Club, said they inspired "a definitely religious awe". Many of the photographs he took were of mountains which had not been previously recorded and so have historical as well as artistic significance; for example by recording the retreat of glaciers in the Rwenzori mountains in Central Africa.

Sella died in Biella in 1943. His collection of photographs is now managed by the Sella Foundation (Fondazione Sella) in Biella. Some pictures of Sella are exhibited in the Museo Nazionale della Montagna "Duca degli Abruzzi"in Turin. [ From Wikipedia }

Some of Sella's photographs are below: 

In the words of Ansel Adams “Knowing the physical pressures of time and energy attendant on ambitious mountain expeditions, we are amazed by the mood of calmness and perfection pervading all of Sella’s photographs. In Sella’s photographs there is no faked grandeur; rather there is understatement, caution, and truthful purpose… Sella has brought to us not only the facts and forms of far-off splendours of the world, but the essence of experience which finds a spiritual response in the inner recesses of our mind and heart.”

Useful Links:

https://www.sujoydas.com/SujoyDas/Vittorio-Sella

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2011/02/pioneering-photographers-vittorio-sella/

Sir Edmund Hillary | Centenary Celebrations

2019 is the year of the birth centenary of Sir Edmund Hillary the first man to climb Mount Everest along with Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

To celebrate the centenary a number of events have been planned throughout the world. In Kolkata on July 20th 2019, The Himalayan will present a series of illustrated talks on Sir Ed.

 Bhanu Banerjee will present an illustrated talk on his years with Sir Edmund from 1960 to 1963 in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal. This will be preceded by a presentation of historical photographs on the life and times of Sir Edmund by Sujoy Das. Piyali Basak will share her unique experiences on Manaslu (2018) and Everest (2019). All are welcome  and to attend this talk do send an email to thehimalayan2017@gmail.com

In Kathmandu at the historic office of the Himalayan Trust Nepal there will be a programme on July 20th 2019 from 10 am to 12 noon followed by lunch.

And a number of events have been planned in New Zealand around the same time.

The activity led by the Hillary Centenary Steering Committee begins with an event at Parliament on 23 July, hosted by the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, for Hillary family members and a range of other distinguished guests including politicians, ambassadors, business leaders and members of the creative and academic communities.

At the event, New Zealand Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh will perform her new poem about Sir Ed called Hillary’s Step that is featured on an installation of the same name that was unveiled at Christchurch Airport last week.

NZ Post is also issuing commemorative stamps for the centenary, available from 23 July, which feature images of Sir Ed on his various expeditions and endeavours. Sir Ed was last featured on a stamp just over a decade ago, shortly after he passed away.

This is followed on 27 July by the world premiere of a full-length symphony composed by Gareth Farr in honour of Sir Ed, titled Roar of a Thousand Tigers, performed by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Northey at the Christchurch Town Hall’s Lilburn Auditorium. Commissioned by the Hillary Centenary Steering Committee with the support of Creative New Zealand, the title of Farr’s symphony comes from Tenzing Norgay’s evocative description of the violent winds on Mt Everest.

Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu | Book Launch Kathmandu

Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu was launched in Kathmandu at Dwarikas Hotel on May 28th 2019. The large format book has photographs by Sujoy Das Text by Lisa Cheogyal Drawings by Paula Sengupta Foreword by Sir Chris Bonington and Preface by Dr Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa.
The book is published by Vajra Books Kathmandu Nepal.
The book is available on line as under:

Amazon India

Amazon USA

Vajrabooks Kathmandu


Some photographs of the launch

Everest Reflections on the Solukhumbu | Book Launch Kathmandu May 28th 2019

EVEREST – Reflections on the Solukhumbu

Published by VAJRA Books Jyatha Kathmandu pages 152 size 11.5 inches x 8.33 inches 

Photographer Sujoy Das and writer Lisa Choegyal have collaborated in their second volume, this time capturing the essence of the majestic scenery and reality of daily life in the Solukhumbu. They delve beneath the surface of the Everest region of Nepal to reveal its historical influences, hidden seasons and current pressures. A foreword by leading mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, preface by cultural scholar Dr Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa and drawings by artist Paula Sengupta adds depth to this unusual book about a familiar destination.  The book is published on the centenary of the birth of Sir Edmund Hillary.

The book is also now available on line at the following sites:

Vajra Books

Amazon India

For more information and details please email lisa@choegyal.com or sujoyrdas@gmail.com

Mountain Photography Workshop | April 6th 2019 Kolkata

On 6th April 2019 in Kolkata, India I will be conducting a short workshop of mountain photography. It will be a hands on session with my photographs explaining the  approach, the technicalities, different subjects and situations and the reason behind the photographs.

I will share with the participants my thirty odd years of experience photographing in the mountains.

The programme is organised by  ‘THE HIMALAYAN ’s a Trust, non-profit in nature that was formed in May 2017. It was conceived to attract like-minded people in the promotion of Himalayan lore and preservation, through Travel, Expeditions, Explorations and Adventure, and support of its Nature, Ecology, Culture, as well as the well-being of its people. The primary inspiration has been the vision of Mr. Meher H. Mehta FRGS and a handful of likeminded mountain lovers - a vision that encompasses the incorporation of a balanced, incisive as well as interactive dissemination platform for the reporting of Himalayan Activity–of Climbing, Science, Literature and the yonder, in a manner befit to stimulate the intellectual yearning of the erudite mountain lover, as well as to kindle the fertile mind of the incorrigibly romantic young mountaineer.

Admission is free to register for the workshop do send an email to thehimalayan2017@gmail.com

I hope to see many of my friends, fellow photographers and mountain lovers at the workshop.

The Boardman Tasker Prize Short List 2018

One of the most prestigious prizes for Mountain Literature - The Boardman Tasker Prize has announced the short list for 2018. As usual the competition for the winner will be fierce and all the books here are worthy of mention.

The shortlisted books are below. For more information do visit  http://www.boardmantasker.com/news/2018/8/29/2018-boardman-tasker-award-for-mountain-literature-shortlist-announced

NICK BULLOCK

 

TIDES: A CLIMBER’S VOYAGE

Vertebrate Publishing

An enlightening memoir by an accomplished writer and climber that provides a window into the nature of extreme climbing now and over the past thirty years.

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PAOLO COGNETTI

THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS

Harvill Secker

A widely praised novel by an Italian author that details the intriguing friendship between a mountain cow herder and a city boy from Milan, played out over three decades in the Dolomites.

---

ED DOUGLAS AND JOHN BEATTY

KINDER SCOUT: THE PEOPLE’S MOUNTAIN

Vertebrate Publishing

An evocative celebration of a much-loved mountain, presented by a partnership between two of Britain’s finest mountain writers and photographers.

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CHRISTOPH RANSMAYR

THE FLYING MOUNTAIN

Seagull Books

A second work of fiction, audaciously told in blank verse by Austrian author Christoph Ransmayr, that follows the journey of two brothers from southwest Ireland as they pursue a quest for an unnamed mountain in Tibet.

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DAVID ROBERTS

LIMITS OF THE KNOWN

W.W.Norton & Sons

An enthralling examination – part history, part memoir – of the motivations of mountaineers and other explorers, related by veteran US author and climber David Roberts.

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DOUG SCOTT

THE OGRE: BIOGRAPHY OF A MOUNTAIN AND THE DRAMATIC STORY OF THE FIRST ASCENT

Vertebrate Publishing

The long awaited full account of the epic accident and rescue on the Ogre in the Karakorum in 1977, together with an enlightening history of the exploration of the mountain.

---

JUNKO TABEI AND HELEN Y. ROLFE

HONOURING HIGH PLACES: THE MOUNTAIN LIFE OF JUNKO TABEI

Rocky Mountain Books

A revealing biography of the life of the first woman to climb both Mount Everest and the Seven Summits, based on her memoirs and completed by Canadian writer Helen Rolfe.

Banff Mountain Book Competition Winners 2018

The Banff Mountain Book competition is one of the most prestigious events for mountain books around the world. The winners of the 2018 competition have just been announced. Here is the winners list courtesy https://www.banffcentre.ca/2018-banff-mountain-book-competition-awards


Adventure Travel
$2000 - Sponsored by Fjällräven

Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road

Kate Harris, Penguin Random House Canada (Canada, 2018)
"In thoughtful, melodic prose, Kate Harris embraces the spirit of adventure in this story about cycling the Silk Road even as she confronts the entangled nature of science and imperialism in the history of exploration. From permits and packaged noodles to sage-speckled horizons, Lands of Lost Borders relates the ordinary, unglamorous details of life on the road alongside moments of beauty and insight. In her travels with Mel, a childhood friend turned cycling companion, Harris also reveals how the shifting contours of a friendship can form new landscapes worth exploring. All the while, Harris maintains a hope in the power of the exchange of ideas to reimagine borders along territories and, perhaps, within the human heart."

- Paula Wright, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Mountain Fiction & Poetry
$2000 - Sponsored by Grimms Fine Foods

The Eight Mountains

Paolo Cognetti, Penguin Random House - Vintage UK, 2018)
"A coming-of-age tale set in the foothills of Monte Rosa, The Eight Mountains is the story of a friendship that forms in the mountains between Bruno, a young shepherd, and Pietro, a boy from Milan. Bruno teaches Pietro how to interpret signs in his alpine world, sweeping the reader up in an exquisite tour of the forests and glaciers. At the same time, the novel shows the cost that forsaking modernity for the mountains may exert, on individuals and their relationships. Sparse in detail but resonating with poetic energy, Paolo Cognetti’s prose glimmers like the surface of a mountain, where even the smallest ripples and fissures may reveal enormous depths. Cognetti reminds us, 'that in certain lives there are mountains to which we may never return.'"

- Paula Wright, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Mountain Literature (Non Fiction) The Jon Whyte Award
$2000 - Sponsored by The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Tides: a climber's voyage

Nick Bullock, Vertebrate Publishing (UK, 2018)
"In Tides Nick Bullock carries us with him on the sought-after dream life of a pro climber, seasonally migrating from Llanberis to Chamonix, and other hotspots along the way. Young want-to-be-sponsored climbing bums beware, all is not glory on this path, for as well as the slippery sea-cliff holds, long runouts and Himalayan storms lie other perils: self-questioning, angst at ageing, failed relationships, and a search for meaning.  Evocative stories which have become campground lore, Nick offers a glimpse into his mind in the life to which he has committed."

- Ian Welsted, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Mountain Environment and Natural History
$2000 - Sponsored by Town of Banff

The Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West

Nate Blakeslee, Penguin Random House Canada (Canada, 2017)
"Cinematic and movingly told, Nate Blakeslee’s The Wolf is the true story of O-Six, an adept hunter and the alpha female of her pack, narrated against the backdrop of the political and environmental history of the American West. Rendered in novelistic detail from the meticulous reports of Yellowstone park employees, O-Six struggles to protect her pack from encroaching wolves as other dangers - in the form of hunters and changing policy - loom. Skillfully crafted in sparse, elegant prose, The Wolf is at its core the bare story wolves and men, a tale older than the mythic American West itself."

- Paula Wright, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Mountain Image
$2000 - Sponsored by Lake O'Hara Lodge

The Canadian Rockies: Rediscovered

Paul Zizka, Rocky Mountain Books (Canada, 2017)
"Paul Zizka has produced an absolutely breathtaking collection of images of the Canadian Rockies.  People from the world over visit the Rockies to take in these views; Zizka captures them at their most magnificent.  Initially recognized for his aurora night photos this collection revisits the area with new themes.  The result is a visual masterpiece."

- Ian Welsted, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Guidebook
$2000 - Sponsored by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides

Squamish Rockclimbs

Kevin McLane and Andrew Boyd, High Col Press (Canada, 2018)
"As Canada's preeminent world-class climbing locale Squamish deserves the exact, loving treatment that Kevin McLane and Andrew Boyd gives it in their guidebook, Squamish Rockclimbs. Eschewing commercial pressures for brevity and select guidebooks, we are fortunate that McLane and Boyd continue to produce this comprehensive guide to all the known climbs.  Enhanced by essays chronicling the local climbing history and ethic, the volume is the reference of record and an essential tool alike."

- Ian Welsted, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Mountaineering Article
$2000 - Sponsored by the University of Alberta and the Alpine Club of Canada

Contraindications

Alison Criscitiello, Alpinist Magazine (USA, August 2017)

“A heartbreaking story beautifully told. It would be almost impossible to imagine what it must have been like to experience this tragedy except that Alison has opened her heart and shared her experience so deeply. The story honours Anna and their time together and is, I feel, a deeply important read for anyone who travels in the mountains and values love, life and friendship.”
- Larry Stanier, 2018 Book Competition Jury

*Jury member Paula Wright (Associate Editor of Alpinist Magazine) recused herself from adjudication of this category.


Mountaineering History
$2000 - Sponsored by Rab

Honouring High Places: The Mountain Life of Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei and Helen Rolfe, Rocky Mountain Books (Canada, 2017)
“The story of a young woman who begins climbing in Japanese Mountain Club culture in the 1960’s is a tale worth reading in itself. From this complex and often tragic social beginning Junko Tabei goes on to a rich life that manages to include family, teaching and climbing all over the world well into her late 70’s while supporting causes related to the value of a life connected to nature and the mountains. It is a well named and well put together piece of history.”

- Larry Stanier, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Special Jury Mention
Bert Riggall's Greater Waterton: A Conservation Legacy

Beth Russell-Towe, Fifth House Publishers (Canada, 2018)
“Bert Riggall’s photographs from the first half of the 20th Century frame some fabulous writing about the people, terrain and history of the Greater Waterton Region. The images alone tell a fabulous story. Sid Marty’s Mistakis-The Backbone of the Earth and Kevin van Tighem’s God’s Breath should be required reading for anyone who travels to southwest Alberta. This is a story of the origins of a regional conservation legacy that to this day strives to include the landscape, flora, fauna and people who live in this very special part of the world.”

- Larry Stanier, 2018 Book Competition Jury


Special Jury Mention
Atlas of a Lost World

Craig Childs, Pantheon Books (USA, 2018)
"With the aid of archaeological findings and anthropological research, Craig Childs travels from the present to the prehistoric past to meet the inhabitants of the Ice Age. Across the Harding Ice Field, Paleolithic burial sites, and more, Childs illuminates the fragile humanity within the seemingly mythical past. At the same time, Childs issues a warning for a warming planet as he reminds us, 'Going ahead without stories or family is like falling off the edge of the earth.'"

- Paula Wright, 2018 Book Competition Jury

For more information on the event and the Banff Festival November 2018 do visit
https://www.banffcentre.ca/