The Ogre: Biography of a Mountain and the Dramatic Story of the First Ascent

Some mountains are high; some mountains are hard. Few are both.

On the afternoon of 13 July 1977, having become the first climbers to reach the summit of the Ogre, Doug Scott and Chris Bonington began their long descent. In the minutes that followed, any feeling of success from their achievement would be overwhelmed by the start of a desperate fight for survival. And things would only get worse.

Rising to over 7,000m in the centre of the Karakoram, the Ogre – Baintha Brakk – is notorious in mountaineering circles as one of the most difficult mountains to climb. First summited by Scott and Bonington in 1977 – on expedition with Paul ‘Tut’ Braithwaite, Nick Estcourt, Clive Rowland and Mo Anthoine – it waited almost 24 years for a second ascent, and a further 11 years for a third.

The Ogre, by legendary mountaineer Doug Scott, is a two-part biography of this enigmatic peak: in the first part, Scott has painstakingly researched the geography and history of the mountain; part two is the long overdue and very personal account of his and Bonington’s first ascent and their dramatic week-long descent on which Scott suffered two broken legs and Bonington smashed ribs. Using newly discovered diaries, letters and audio tapes, it tells of the heroic and selfless roles played by Clive Rowland and Mo Anthoine. When the desperate climbers finally made it back to base camp, they were to find it abandoned – and themselves still a long way from safety.

The Ogre is undoubtedly one of the greatest adventure stories of all time and this is a nicely presented book. This is the last of Doug’s books printed while he was alive and signed copies are scarce.

Shortlisted for the 2018 Kekoo Naoroji Book Award for Himalayan Literature from the Himalayan Club and the 2018 Boardman/Tasker Mountaineering Literature Award.