Chris Bonington's Everest

May 29th, 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.