Harish Kapaida is a renowned Himalayan mountaineer and author. He has written extensively on the Himalaya and has served as Editor of the Himalayan Journal.
In 2023, along with a substantial collection of images, Harish donated an archive of video interviews to the Alpine Club Library. These interviews feature notable figures from the world of mountaineering discussing their lives in relaxed, informal conversations.
You can browse the archive, which includes such mountaineering luminaries as Sir Chris Bonington, Bernadette McDonald, Doug Scott and Tamotsu Nakamura, below.
Harish Kapadia interviews Nicholas Clinch (1930-2016), the successful American mountaineer and former President of the American Alpine Club.
Harish Kapadia interviews Nicholas Clinch (1930-2016), the successful American mountaineer and former President of the American Alpine Club.
In 2011, shortly after George Band's death, Harish sat down with Susan Band to discuss her husband's life and accomplishments.
Harish interviews Aamir Ali, a climber, author and honorary member of the Himalayan Club about his life and work.
In our 25th episode, Harish talks with legendary British mountaineer and former Alpine Club president Doug Scott.
Harish sits down with Japanese mountaineer Hiroshi Sakai. They discuss the 2002 Indo-Japanese East Karakoram Expedition alongside Sakai's other expeditions, his experiences climbing in the Alps and his family life.
Harish sits down with Japanese mountaineer and fellow Himalayan Club member Yuichi Matsuda.
Harish speaks with journalist and mountaineer Manik Banerjee. They discuss Mr Banerjee's introduction to mountaineering, his family life and his various expedition experiences.
Harish interviews one of the most important figures in Indian mountaineering, Jagdish Nanavati (1928-2011).
Harish interviews one of the most important figures in Indian mountaineering, Jagdish Nanavati (1928-2011).
In episode 19, recorded in February 2008, Harish interviews Indian bureaucrat, politician and writer Manohar Singh Gill.
Ogata san discusses his numerous expeditions to the Himalaya, his infamous ascent of Himalchuli, which saw him temporarily banned from Nepal, and his family life.
In October 2010, Harish interviewed writer, artist, filmmaker and general "renaissance man of climbing" Jim Curran.
In this episode, recorded on 17 February 2008, Braham discusses his early life in the UK and India, his first trip to the Himalaya and his numerous expeditions over the course of several decades, including the famous 1954 Kangchenjunga reconnaissance which helped pave the way for the 1955 ascent.
In this episode, recorded in February 2015, Harish talks with Lindsay Griffin, a man sometimes jokingly referred to as "world mountaineering's brain" because of his encyclopaedic knowledge of mountain history.
Harish and Wielicki discuss how Krzysztof discovered climbing at university and his progression through the Polish climbing system, as well as his first experiences in the Himalaya and his iconic climbs.
Harish interviews Deepak Sanan and Dhanu Swadi about their experiences of Kinnaur & Spiti.
Harish interviews Deepak Sanan and Dhanu Swadi about their experiences of Kinnaur & Spiti.
Harish interviews Deepak Sanan and Dhanu Swadi about their experiences of Kinnaur & Spiti.
Harish interviews Scottish-born travel writer Bill Aitken. The pair discuss Aitken's early life in Scotland, his university studies and his earliest encounters with India before moving on to cover his writing career.
Bernadette and Harish discuss her early family life, her evolving professional career, her time at the Banff Mountain Centre and her early biographies of Elizabeth Hawley, Tomaž Humar and Charles Houston.
An interview with Indian mountaineer Karn Kowshick covering Karn's youth in Bombay, his discovery of the mountains, his experiences of climbing in the US and the role he has played in the development of ice climbing in India.
In this episode, recorded as an audio file in April 2007, Harish interviews the renowned Japanese explorer Tamotsu Nakamura.
In this sixth episode, recorded in February 2013, Harish interviews former Alpine Club president Tony Streather.
Harish and Devidutta discuss Wing Commander Panda's Air Force expeditions (including some first ascents in the Himalaya), his work for the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and some of his other climbs around the world.
Yangdu is the daughter of Nawang Gombu, the first person in history to climb Everest more than once. Yangdu discusses her father, his passion for education, his concerns regarding commercialisation in the mountains and her family's role in the mountaineering industry.
This interview, conducted in August 2022, features Masato Oki who, over two separate recording sessions, discusses his expedition experiences and Japanese alpinism at large.
British mountaineer Stephen Venables, the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen, discusses his climbing career with Harish kapadia.
A wide-ranging interview with famed British mountaineer Chris Bonington.