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The World Beneath Their Feet

Mountaineering, Madness, and the Deadly Race to Summit the Himalayas

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The World Beneath Their Feet

Written by: Scott Ellsworth
Narrated by: Scott Ellsworth
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About this listen

 Winner of the 2020 National Outdoor Book Award for Best History/Biography

A saga of survival, technological innovation, and breathtaking human physical achievement -- all set against the backdrop of a world headed toward war -- that became one of the most compelling international dramas of the 20th century.
As tension steadily rose between European powers in the 1930s, a different kind of battle was already raging across the Himalayas. Teams of mountaineers from Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the United States were all competing to be the first to climb the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest and K2. Unlike climbers today, they had few photographs or maps, no properly working oxygen systems, and they wore leather boots and cotton parkas. Amazingly, and against all odds, they soon went farther and higher than anyone could have imagined.

And as they did, their story caught the world's attention. The climbers were mobbed at train stations, and were featured in movies and plays. James Hilton created the mythical land of Shangri-La in Lost Horizon, while an English eccentric named Maurice Wilson set out for Tibet in order to climb Mount Everest alone. And in the darkened corridors of the Third Reich, officials soon discovered the propaganda value of planting a Nazi flag on top of the world's highest mountains

Set in London, New York, Germany, and in India, China, and Tibet, The World Beneath Their Feet is a story not only of climbing and mountain climbers, but also of passion and ambition, courage and folly, tradition and innovation, tragedy and triumph. Scott Ellsworth tells a rollicking, real-life adventure story that moves seamlessly from the streets of Manhattan to the footlights of the West End, deadly avalanches on Nanga Parbat, rioting in the Kashmir, and the wild mountain dreams of a New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary and a young Sherpa runaway called Tenzing Norgay.

Climbing the Himalayas was the Greatest Generation's moonshot-one that was clouded by the onset of war and then, incredibly, fully accomplished. A gritty, fascinating history that promises to enrapture fans of Hampton Sides, Erik Larson, Jon Krakauer, and Laura Hillenbrand, The World Beneath Their Feet brings this forgotten story back to life.
 20th Century Asia Modern Outdoors & Nature World Adventure War

What the critics say

"In his lively new book, The World Beneath Their Feet, Scott Ellsworth profiles the single-minded climbers who scaled the Himalayas' tallest peaks in the 1930s...a gripping history."—The Economist
"Mr. Ellsworth provides a chronological appendix of expeditions, a glossary of mountaineering terms and a top-shelf collection of descriptive endnotes. He has done excellent primary research, particularly with German sources... Mr. Ellsworth's revisionist touches help 21st-century readers see the Sherpas as individuals and give the traditional narrative of Himalayan conquest a fairer reading through the lens of imperialism."—Gregory Crouch, WSJ
"A thrilling new account."—National Geographic
"Like if Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air met Lauren Hillenbrand's Unbroken, it's an inviting and engrossing read."—Sports Illustrated
"It is a fine piece of writing, filled with drama, courage, endeavour and, at times, it is easy to put oneself on the mountainside experiencing the freezing gales whistling round one's tent."—Soldier Magazine
"Beautifully written."—Michigan Daily
"An exceptional account of trailblazing mountaineers who persevered during a turbulent time in history."—Booklist
"Vivid, novelistic prose."—Kirkus
"An excellent overview of mountaineering and exploration that will appeal to mountaineers and armchair adventurers."—Library Journal
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What really stands out about this book is that it speaks to a time when all of these Peaks were unexplored. A different era when you could not just put down some money and have a guide take you to the top of Mount Everest. It really was Radical exploration. As well the narration of all these failed attempts really brings to light that Tenzing and Hillary could not have done it on their own, that it it was a huge team effort and they gained Advantage from all the people that went before them.

great adventure story

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Set just before World War II, this book takes a fascinating look at how many different nations approached climbing mountains around the world. I especially appreciate old getting into the thought process of how they thought at the time, as well as the amazing feats of survival and accomplish they demonstrated. Well read and paced by the author himself, this is a definite recommend for fans of adventure and 20th century non-fiction.

Excellent Account of Early Climbing

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I enjoyed the telling of the great and historically significant story on the race to conquer the highest peaks of the Himalayas and Everest.

Excellent account of the race to conquer Everest!

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