May 29, 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the first climbing of Mount Everest. Chris Bonington was the first to scale Everest 'the hard way' - by the south-west ridge - and he has taken part in three other expeditions. No other mountaineer, writer or photographer has as much experience of Everest. His last climb, in 1985 at 50, was a personal summit. Here he tells the story of his attempts on Everest, the triumphs and the tragedies and the changes that have come to the mountain area he loves. The result is an absorbing first-hand account of one man's obsession with a mountain.