<p><b>WINNER OF THE OUTSTANDING GENERAL SPORTS WRITING AWARD, BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS<br><br>WINNER OF THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE</b><br><br><b>WINNER OF THE MOUNTAIN & WILDERNESS PRIZE, BANFF FESTIVAL</b><br><br><b>WINNER OF THE TONY LOTHIAN AWARD, BIOGRAPHERS¿ CLUB</b><br><br>For the first time, drawing upon previously unseen diaries and letters, rare archive material and interviews, Everest ¿ The First Ascent tells the remarkable story of Griffith Pugh, the forgotten team member whose scientific breakthroughs ensured the world¿s highest mountain could be climbed. A doctor and physiologist, Griffith Pugh revolutionised almost every aspect of British high-altitude mountaineering, transforming the climbers¿ attitude to oxygen, the clothes they wore, their equipment, fluid intake and acclimatisation. <br><br>Yet, far from receiving the acclaim he was due, he was met with suspicion and ridicule. His scientific contributions were, quite simply, at odds with old-fashioned notions of derr