The bible of the Himalayas is now free
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Everest and Himalayan geeks, rejoice: The Himalayan Database will be free and available to download beginning in November.
The Himalayan Database announced on Facebook on October 8th that the new, free edition of the Database will include updates from Spring 2017 and will be available for free download for the first time. (Historically it has cost $69.95.)
The database is often considered “the bible” of Everest and Nepalese mountain expeditions, as it features records for every expedition in the Nepalese Himalaya from 1905 through present day. The database also includes records of expeditions to Everest, Makalu, and other border peaks, as well as data for first ascents, early attempts, and major accidents.
The Himalayan Database is founded on the work of American journalist Elizabeth Hawley, who began covering expeditions in the Nepalese Himalaya in the 1960s. While originally on duty to report on the area’s political happenings for Time Magazine, she quickly found her calling in region’s mountaineering scene and soon after began covering mountaineering news for Reuters.
While she was never a climber, Hawley, 93, is still respected as one of the greatest mountaineering legends worldwide. Hawley retired from her accomplished and trail-blazing journalism career in 2016, but still lives in Kathmandu. She even has a namesake Nepalese peak, Peak Hawley (6,182 meters), which French ice climber François Damilano named after her following his first solo ascent in 2008.
