Joe Tasker, alpinism and its Savage arena

Being able to dream implies being fortunate, there are no walls nor barriers, dreams overcome all obstacles. If, in addition to dreaming, you’re lucky enough to be a dreamer, then it makes for a perfect match! In the never ending story of mountaineering there are, and will always be, dreams to be realized and dreamers capable of making them come to life.

I purchased a book, placed it on the shelf called "stories of dreamers," a book that discusses snow, cold, fatigue and friendship... All of us, perhaps almost all of us, or at least many of us know about the incredible undertaking on the West Face of Changabang, carried out by British mountaineers Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker... it’s a chapter about human tenacity, in climbing mountains believed impossible, in a pure and crystalline style.

Stories and dreamers has a title, it’s called "Savage arena", and was written by Joe Tasker. The book talks about British mountaineering in the Greater Ranges. It’s a difficult form of alpinism, something not for everyone. An alpinism driven at times beyond the normal, where the reader’s fingertips, while flipping through the pages, will tingle, lose sensitivity. Where the reader will become both hungry and thirsty!

I devoured this book avidly, during a rainy weekend, helped by the inability to take to the mountains, and I recommend it because climbing vertically has almost disappeared altogether, it’s old and out of fashion and, rightly or wrongly, it’s well suited to “remember".

In just under three hundred pages you can visit the North Face of the Eiger in winter, retrac footsteps on Dunagiri and Changabang, attempt K2 and gasp the the thin air on that immense giant which is Kangchenjunga, all described in a typical English manner!

If you are not used to dreaming, or your dreams lead you elsewhere... it will be simply be a good book!

Enjoy the read

by Ivo Ferrari

Joe Tasker was born in 1948 in Hull, UK. He started climbing at a young age and immediately moved on to climbing in the Alps. He soon progressed to the Himalayas, where he quickly became one of the first to attempt highly technical faces at altitude, such as his first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang (together with Peter Boardman) and countless other ascents. In 1982, he and his climbing partner Peter Boardman took part in a British expedition to attempt the unclimbed NE ridge of Everest, from which both never returned. The two also had another special talent, namely writing. In order to commemorate their lives, in 1983 their families and friends established the "Boardman Tasker Award", which even today is recognised as the world’s most prestigious award for mountain literature. In the 70’s and 80’s Joe Tasker was a staunch supporter of the alpine style mountaineering on world’s biggest mountain faces and he is considered one of the purest of most outstanding alpinists of all times.