Synopses & Reviews
In 1955 Sydney Wignall led the Welsh Himalayan expedition to climb Tibet s highest mountain, Gurla Mandhata. With a rare view of Chinese military operations in Tibet, he and two of his companions were more than mountaineers; they were spies. Not long into their journey they were captured and imprisoned, thus beginning an agonizing ordeal that would draw on their last reserves of psychic strength and physical courage. This is their story.
Imprisoned by the People's Liberation Army of the Republic of China, subjected to freezing, rat-infested cells and to near-tortuous interrogation, only Wignall's incredible courage, humor, and ingenuity enabled them to survive. Eventually, international pressure forced the Chinese to release the three men. Hoping that they would not get back alive, the Chinese abandoned them at the foot of one of the highest passes in the Himalayas -- a pass never before climbed in winter -- starving, exhausted, and physically broken. Their journey back is one of mountaineering's great epics.
"Spy On the Roof of the World" is a riveting and unforgettable tale.