22nd March Stephen Venables at The Gala

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On Thursday 22nd March, internationally acclaimed mountaineer, writer and broadcaster Stephen Venables will be at The Gala, Durham telling the story of legendary mountaineer Eric Shipton in this fast-paced, beautifully illustrated talk that blends historical detail with personal experience.

One of the greatest mountain explorers of the twentieth century, Shipton was a team-member on all four Everest expeditions during the 1930’s and found the route that Hillary and Tenzing would follow to the top of the world. He famously missed out on Hillary’s historical ascent after being sacked from the expedition - his small-team, minimal logistics approach to climbing just didn't fit with the grandiose, large-scale expedition style of the British Empire.

Instead, Shipton dedicated his life to exploring untouched mountain ranges all over the world, from the mountains of East Africa to the untouched ice-fields of Patagonia in Tierra del Fuego. Admired by explorers, and loved by women, he inspired a generation of mountaineers, including Venables, who in 1988 became the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen.

In his lecture Stephen will mix readings from Shipton’s books with stories of his own journeys in the explorer’s footsteps, illustrated with photography and film clips.

“Fast-paced, gripping, witty and full of fascinating historical background.” Sir Chris Bonington
When: Thursday 22nd March

Where: The Gala, Durham
Tickets: £11-£13
Box office: 0191 332 4041 or book online here http://www.galadurham.co.uk/theatre/index.php?page=4
Group booking discounts are available on request.

Read more about Stephen's talk here: http://www.speakersfromtheedge.com/thea ... ic-shipton

You can read a review of the talk here: http://www.myoutdoors.co.uk/index.php/e ... pera-house

Rebecca Varley
Speakers from the Edge Ltd

Work: +44 (0)114 2508048