HIGHER THAN THE EAGLE SOARS
A Path to Everest

Stephen has now written a full autobiography which explores how and – more importantly – why he became a mountaineer. Starting from childhood, he describes many previously unpublished adventures, including early alpine climbs, winter Scottish journeys, Afghanistan before the Russian invasion, the North Face of the Eiger and a fantastic journey through the heart of the Karakoram mountains, following in the steps of Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman.

At the book’s climax Stephen revisits his dramatic success without oxygen on the Kangshung Face of Everest, described by Reinhold Messner as the most adventurous in Everest’s history and by John Hunt as ‘one of the most remarkable ordeals from which men or women have returned alive’.

As Stephen writes: ‘Although we didn’t go seeking deliberately an epic near-death experience, it did turn out that way – the ultimate endurance test for which all the previous adventures seemed, retrospectively, to be a preparation.’


"Having spent time with Stephen on the Eiger, I know what good company he is. He has huge talent and a remarkable story to tell. His Everest climb was one of the great adventures of our time, but what is really fascinating is the life journey which took him to the top."
Ranulph Fiennes

 "There can be no dispute about the magnitude of his achievement …. Venables is superb on the terror and exhilaration of climbing … There is a particularly heart-stopping account of a journey up the north face of the Matterhorn. Insightful into his own character, Venables is honest enough to face up to the selfishness that mountaineering requires and the strain it puts on relationships."
Sunday Telegraph, Books of the Year

"If you’ve never climbed, Higher than the Eagle Soars can still be read for its old-fashioned, self-effacing humour, as the story of a cultured man determined to place himself inside a tradition he loves. Or you can read it for the thrills and spills."
Guardian

"The story of his descent after a night spent near the top is … both harrowing and deeply moving."
Sunday Times

Hutchinson 2007 ISBN-10: 0091795613 ISBN-13: 978-0091795610 Paperback Arrow 2008 ISBN-10: 0099505444 ISBN-13: 978-0099505440

Winner 
Mountain Literature Prize
Banff Mountain Book Festival
 Canada

Shortlisted for
THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE
www.boardmantasker.com