High Altitude Heroines

Among the usual stories of mountaineering and early exploration in the

Himalayas are a few hidden gems-pioneering women who beat all odds, defying

the lazy stereotypes about gender, to explore and conquer the high Himalayas.

Contained in this magnificent collection of daring exploration are accounts by

four of these 'high altitude heroines'-Alexandra David-N嶪l, Fanny Bullock

Workman, Henrietta Sands Merrick and Lilian A. Starr.

Alexandra David-N嶪l writes about her 1923 secret expedition to Tibet and

its capital, Lhasa. Accompanied by a young lama, Yongden, she willingly suffers

the harsh travel conditions, frequent outbreaks of disease, the ever-present

danger of border control and the military to reach her goal, becoming the first

Western woman to reach the 'forbidden city'.

American geographer and travel writer Fanny Bullock Workman recounts

her astonishing exploratory adventure in 1906 around Nun Kun, the mountain

massif located on the border of Jammu and Kashmir. Forty-seven years old

at the time, she conquers Pinnacle Peak without any modern equipment and

encumbered in her voluminous skirts, setting an altitude record for women.

Henrietta Sands Merrick narrates her exciting journey through and around

Ladakh in 1931. On her journey, joined by her friends Sandy and Margot, and

her orderlies Happy and Gulam, she travels to one of the deepest gorges in the

world, experiences the 'Devil Dances' at Hemis and spends a night below the

stars at the Khardong Pass.

And, Lilian A. Starr, a nurse from the Peshawar Hospital, journeys to the tribal country of Tirah near the Khyber Pass to rescue a young girl abducted by the Afridis. Encountering fierce tribal chieftains and exploring the surrounding Khanki Valley, she is able to successfully negotiate the girl's release. Filled with riveting tales of breathtaking ascents in sub-zero temperatures, perilous journeys to the unknown, and rare anecdotes of life in the high Himalayas, this is a one-of-a-kind collection for all lovers of adventure and travel writing.