Matt Dickinson, author of Popcorn-Eating Squirrels and The Everest Files, has recently been in China and spent a whole week at Wellington College in Shanghai leading discussions, presentations and workshops on the theme of Mount Everest to the children studying there.

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Here at Shrine Bell, we are really excited about the benefits of audiobooks for young readers, and are thrilled to announce that our bestselling YA series, The Everest Files trilogy, is now available in audiobook format! Perfect for ages eleven plus, the trilogy follows eighteen-year-old Ryan Hart on a gap year working for a medical charity in Nepal. From the get-go Ryan becomes entangled in a series of thrilling and shocking adventures set amid the world’s highest peak. In book one, The Everest Files, Ryan becomes embroiled in a lethal mission to investigate the disappearance of a stricken climber lost on Everest. In the heart-stopping sequel, North Face, Ryan must survive a deadly earthquake and a do-or-die mission to save a friend stuck on Everest’s treacherous North Face; and in the gripping finale, Killer Storm,  a violent terrorist attack at Base Camp leaves a route up Everest’s deadly slopes the only means of escape …

The series is inspired by Matt's own mountaineering adventures in the Himalaya. In 1996 he summited Everest via the North Face, climbing alongside actor Brian Blessed until Brian was forced to abandon the climb. Commenting on the Everest Files series Brian said, 'It brings the mountain to life for young readers in a fresh and wonderful way. I urge all lovers of adventure to read it!'

Professional Voice Artist, Stewart Crank, who narrated the trilogy, said: 'I’m really grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on such brilliant stories for young readers. These books are full of tension and excitement and take you on a simply fantastic journey. I've loved narrating them and you'll love listening to them’.

For more information on each of these titles and to begin listening, check out our page over on Audible.

 

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In today’s blog post we dive into the literary world of adventure to give you eight exciting book recommendations. From staple classics to up-and-coming contemporary titles, you’re guaranteed to find something to inspire your inner explorer …

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The human body has incredible capabilities. It can adapt to deep sea pressure, it can survive extremes of heat and cold. It can rebuild after disease and famine.
 
It also has systems to cope with extreme altitude, but, as climbers know, you have to approach things in the right way or things can quickly go wrong. 
 
Everest is the ultimate test. To take the body to 8,848 metres pushes the human body to the absolute limit. On the summit there is just 30% of the oxygen we normally breathe. This puts the whole body under pressure:
 
- Cells cannot rebuild and repair themselves.
 
- Mental ability and decision making is severely impaired.
 
- The lungs and brain may suffer catastrophic effects ... namely water build up and subsequent failure.
 
- The blood may become so thick it causes strokes or even a heart attack.
 
So, what is the secret? How do Everest climbers manage to adapt? 
 
The answer is to go as slowly as possible, gaining height in a series of gradual stages (with rest days built in) so that the body can produce more red blood cells to cope with the gradually thinning air. The climber's motto is ‘climb high, sleep low,’ pushing the body as hard as possible during the day by gaining perhaps 500 metres or even 1,000 metres of height then dropping back down and sleeping at a lower altitude. 
 
Using this system, it takes about two weeks to be able to live at base camp level, at 5,400 metres. 
 
Even so, sleeplessness, headache, loss of appetite and nausea may still occur. Even the most experienced climbers get these symptoms from time to time. 
 
If you rush to high altitude and get sick there is only one solution: go down as fast as possible. The thicker air will quickly restore normal bodily functions. 
 
On Everest most climbers resort to using supplementary oxygen above 8,000 metres. Fed from a tank, a trickle of air helps the climber to gain height while still remaining warm and strong.

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Travelling to Everest is giving me the perfect opportunity to observe climate change in action. The region is filled with many glaciers and climbers frequently have to travel across them to gain access to the high peaks. Climate scientists have published many papers recording the rapid pace at which these high-altitude glaciers are melting. Controversy has flared up about the likely date at which Himalayan glaciers may disappear but it seems one thing is sure: the majority of Himalayan glaciers are shrinking fast.
 
Earth Observatory provides graphic proof. The organisation takes historic photographs of glaciers from early expeditions and compares them to modern photographs taken from the same position. It is fascinating to see how things have changed. 
 
So, what will happen if the glaciers of the Himalaya do melt away? Will the mountain range become a desert? How will the people who live in this region be affected? 
 
One massive impact would be the gradual drying up of the many important rivers that spring to life in the high Himalaya. Many millions of people in Asia depend on these rivers for their livelihood. If the glaciers disappear so will some very important rivers.
 
Meanwhile, for our expedition, the Khumbu Glacier is our home. We are camped right on it and the creaks and cracks and groans are a reminder that this vast body of ice is moving, like a great icy snake, heading ever downwards, shaping the mountains in amazing ways. 

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EVEREST PORTER! THE WORST JOB IN THE WORLD? 

The trail to Everest Base Camp is a long and hard trek. Even experienced mountaineers find it a challenge to carry an average rucksack (weighing perhaps 20kg) up and down the valley walls that separate each day’s destination. 
 
A daily trek can easily be six to eight hours and the air gets thinner and thinner the higher you go. 
 
Think that’s tough? Think again! It’s nothing compared to the loads that Everest porters carry. 
 
These are the hard men of the Himalaya. They are mostly young (from eighteen to twenty-five), from poor villages all over Nepal. They often carry in excess of 100 kg on their backs! And some of them only weigh fifty or sixty kg themselves so they are carrying twice their own bodyweight. Imagine carrying two of your friends on your back for hour after hour after hour ... up a huge hill! 
 
For each kilogram they are paid just twenty Nepali rupees for a two day trek between villages. That makes a reward of just fifteen to twenty UK pounds for two days of arduous work, often in cold and wet conditions with inadequate clothing as protection. Often they sleep on the floor in teahouses to save money. They have little access to medical care. 
 
It’s back breaking work. Literally. Many of these porters end up with spinal problems and crippling joint conditions which can last a lifetime. 
 
Reputable western tour operators are doing their bit to try to make things better. They subscribe to the work of organisations such as Porters Progress, The International Porter Protection Group and the Himalayan Rescue Association. 
 
The problem is a deep one. Nepal is a poor country. Many uneducated young men have hardly any opportunities to earn money. Many of them reject attempts to restrict the size of their loads because it reduces their earning power. So long as wealthy trekkers and climbers come to the Everest region it seems porters will always be attracted by the work on offer. 

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