Discover the world's highest mountains with a Cicerone guidebook

Reviews

'High-altitude climbing is a dangerous business, but Hinkes balances nail-biting moments of avalanches, extreme cold and dealing with the 'Death Zone' with memories of great climbing companions, base-camp communities and the pleasure of a good cup of tea once the climb is done. Alan Hinkes, relates his experiences of climbing all 14 of the peaks over 8000m alongside stunning photography.'

Himalaya, Autumn 2013

'Even if you've never clipped a rope through a carabiner or stamped crampons along an icy ridge, 8000 metres is a gripping read. It's an elemental story of achievement and survival, as Hinkes climbs all 14 of the world's 8000m peaks.'

Outdoors Fitness magazine, December 2013

I remember one of the few times I tried a spot of rock climbing. It was on Napes Needle in the Lake District – the climb which actually inspired an entire sport. And while it was Chris Bonington who lowered me down to the ground after I’d done it, it was Alan Hinkes who was free climbing around me, nonchalantly taking photos of me and pointing out where to put my hands and feet as I ascended on what the climbing bods call a “very tight rope”.

I’ve known Alan for over 20 years, and followed many of his 8000 metre peak climbs – indeed, we even met up for a meal in Kathmandu in 1996 as he was about to set off for Everest with Brian Blessed (I’d just finished leading a trek for Doug Scott). It’s taken him a while to produce this account of his ascent of all 14 8,000 metre peaks, but it makes fascinating and very entertaining reading. You don’t have to be a climber to appreciate the humour in his writing – the famous chapatti incident on Nanga Parbat is there, where Alan’s sneeze on some chapatti flour caused him to slip a disc in his back and make UK headlines, and the 1995 Makalu attempt that came unstuck on the trek in to base camp when he slipped off the path and speared his thigh on a branch.

It brings home the point that for every success you have to accept a certain amount of disappointment. But it’s the jaw-dropping, stunning majesty of his photographs, mainly shot on film (remember that?) that really makes the book. It’s something of a departure, too, for publishers Cicerone, better known for their nuts ‘n bolts walking guides. You don’t need to be a mountaineer to appreciate the book, and if you have a coffee table, you’ll certainly want to give pride of place on it to 8000 Metres.

Clive Tully - Camping magazine, December 2013

'I have always been adventurous' are the opening words; a not uncommon boast, but one that Alan Hinkes makes good on. His book is an account of how, over the course of 18 years, he climbed all 14 of the world's 8000 metre high mountains - an achievement that's surely on par with going to the moon.

The 14 ascents required 27 attempts, and each is described here, along with anecdotes garnered from a lifetime of travel. It can seem great fun at times, but these tales of battling mountains are full too, of stories of those who didn't make it back. ' I admire climbers who know their limits and who are able to retreat and survive' writes Hinkes, and there's no suggestion of malice in his words - a successful mountaineer is one who returns safely.

The photographs are as important as the text here, and have as much to say of breathtaking peaks and dizzying heights. Above 8000 metres, there's no emergency service; in the death zone, you're on your own. That Hinkes survived so many of them makes for an absorbing read.

Geographical, December 2013

Read the following on-line reviews and features:

Outdoors Magic

UKClimbing.com

Yorkshire Post