The Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature is delighted to announce that it will now be officially supported by Mountain Equipment, the Manchester-based outdoor clothing and equipment manufacturer.

Established in 1983 to commemorate the lives of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker, the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust celebrates their legacy by awarding the annual Award for Mountain Literature and the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mountain Equipment which was founded in 1961 supplied expedition gear to both Pete and Joe. Richard Talbot, Product & Marketing Director for Mountain Equipment said: "Climbing, mountaineering, and Alpinism in particular, have always been more than just a physical pursuit, and mountaineering literature more than just a physical record. Few other activities can have compelled so many of its participants to express themselves through writing, and even fewer seen so many of its most celebrated protagonists prove their worth as authors, a fact that the Award has sought to recognise and celebrate. For sixty years we have been closely associated with Alpinism and we owe much to Pete and Joe, and those that they climbed with, not only for their achievements but for the generations since that they have challenged and inspired. We hope that by supporting the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature we can encourage others to experience and understand the mountain environment through literature."

 Sir Chris Bonington, CVO, CVE, DL and Patron of the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust said: "I'm delighted with the news that the Boardman Tasker Prize will now be supported by Mountain Equipment. Pete and Joe often relied on Mountain Equipment's high-altitude garments on expedition, so the link is a close one, and I know both parties feel this association is a perfect match on many levels."

This year's shortlist features: 

• The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War and Everest by Ed Caesar (Viking),
• Himalaya: A Human History by Ed Douglas (Penguin Random House),
• Signs of Life: To the Ends of the Earth with a Doctor by Stephen Fabes (Profile Books: Pursuit Books),
• Never Leave the Dog Behind by Helen Mort (Vertebrate Publishing),
• To Live: Fighting for Life on the Killer Mountain by Elisabeth Revol (Vertebrate Publishing),
• Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites by David Smart (Rocky Mountain Books)

Book your tickets for the 2021 Boardman Tasker Award at Kendal Mountain Festival HERE.