High in the thin cold air

Sir Edmund Hillary

Half of the book is about the search for the elusive yeti -- the abominable snow man. The other half about studies on the physiological effects of high altitude. The team spent a winter at 19000 feet. Whereas Hillary's account is of a technical nature, Doig's is delightful, from the moment that Sir Edmund hires him after one look at his beer belly ('save a soul through mountaineering'), to the Kathmandu restaurant where an American tourist approaches Sir Edmund to ask if he may be interested in sharing a taxi to go out for a sighting of Mr. Everest, and the story of Khunjo Chumbi meeting the Queen! This is written from memory; I read the book about 40 years ago and enjoyed every moment of it.