Boswell the Biographer, by George Leigh Mallory has nothing to do with climbing Mount Everest. I had my doubts, but I saw it in Salkeld's and Boyle's Climbing Everest: The Bibliography with something to effect of "Mallory interest" as an explanation of its inclusion, so I decided to give it a chance. The book was published in 1912 while Mallory was a teacher at Charterhouse, and I thought I might at least glean some biographical details about Mallory. Mallory stays on topic, however, and reveals nothing of himself beyond some thanks to friends for encouragement to write the book in his preface.
The book is still somewhat interesting. It isn't a biography of Boswell, but a defense of his character. Boswell is famous for his Life of Samuel Johnson, the first modern biography, in which the author includes personal traits, conversations, and familiar details excluded in biographies of the time. Boswell was a passionate, though flippant, character who never quite got his life together. (Perhaps there is a tenuous Mallory parallel here...) Mallory argues that he struggled against the influences that could have easily dragged him into mediocrity, and that he possessed an inborn drive that helped him to rise above himself into greatness. (Also something to think about...). As far as books about Boswell go, this one might have been just a little bit early. Ten years after its publication, the bulk of Boswell's papers, including his journals, were discovered in Dublin, giving deep insights into the character of the man. I'm sure Mallory could have had a field day going through them! Next post, I'll be bringing you the biggest book yet published on the biggest mountain.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
High Adventure, by Sir Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Hillary turns from a passionate, but unknown, amateur climber into the world's most famous mountaineer in his High Adventure. The book isn't so much an autobiography as a directed tale of how his first trip to the Himalaya, along with some New Zealand climbing friends, cascaded into his climbing Mount Everest as part of the British expedition. He gives a short introduction to his early life and tells a few details about his New Zealand Mukesh Parbat expedition before leading into his and Riddiford's joining Eric Shipton's 1951 reconnaissance of the southern approach to Mount Everest. Riddiford had sent Shipton a letter requesting that some of his team be able to join the reconnaissance, and Shipton, having pleasant memories of New Zealander Dan Bryant from his 1935 Everest post-monsoon reconnaissance, invited two of them along so long as they could catch up and pay for their own food.
The climbers and their porters had a very difficult trip through Nepal during the monsoon. Normally, the locals don't travel during this time, because the rivers flood, washing away bridges and making crossings perilous. Additionally, the leeches were out in force. After they reached Sherpa country, the weather dried a bit, and they got down to the difficult task of climbing into and assessing the Khumbu Icefall at Everest's southwest flank. In September, the snow was deep and unconsolidated, so after an initial attempt, the expedition split into two parties to do some exploration while the weather cooled and the snow hardened. Shipton took Hillary with him to explore the eastern approaches to Everest, while the other party (including Riddiford, Ward, and Bourdillon) looked over the west. On their return, the combined parties pushed through to the Western Cwm, and made the assessment that it was possible to climb Everest from this route. Hillary noted, however, that they would have to alter their threshold of acceptable danger, both for the climbers and the porters, if they were to spend any time on this route.
Shipton took a liking to Hillary during the reconnaissance, and he invited him back for the 1952 Cho Oyu training climb, along with Hillary's friend George Lowe. The Swiss had been granted permission for Everest in 1952, and the British, somewhat put off, took the opportunity to train on a high Himalayan peak in the vicinity. The Cho Oyu climb was overshadowed by the possibility of an altercation with Chinese communist forces, since the most feasible route up the mountain was beyond the Nangpa La on the Tibetan side. A small party, including Hillary, made a token effort on the route, but Shipton was unwilling to move the full expedition into Tibetan territory, and the climb was soon over. The expedition split up, and several groups made forays into unclimbed areas. Hillary and Lowe climbed the formidable Nup La beside Gyachung Kang and traveled over the Rongbuk glaciers to get a look at the old Everest stomping grounds, and then raced back before the monsoon made the Nup La unclimbable. He later accompanied Shipton to a high pass east of Everest looking into Tibet, completing three-quarters of a circuit of the mountain in a single season. (It would not be until 1981 that Ned Gillette and Jan Reynolds, in Everest Grand Circle, completed the first single-season circuit of the mountain, though they were not able to actually cross the border, but made two stages of their trip.)
Both Hillary and Lowe were invited to join the 1953 Everest expedition on account of their excellent performance on the previous trip in addition to the good impression they made on Eric Shipton. I learned from this book that Hillary's climbing mentor, Harry Ayres, was also originally invited on the climb, but somewhere along the way was dropped from the roles. Col. John Hunt took over leadership of the expedition after some back room dealing by the Himalayan Committee, though hindsight says that he did the job quite well. Hillary took a proactive role on the mountain, both showing off his drive and endurance and requesting to help as much as possible. I found it interesting that even though he was officially just a climber, he took part in the meeting along with Hunt and deputy leader Charles Evans in which they decided who would comprise the summit teams. Of course, Hillary's efforts paid off, and he and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to ascend the world's highest mountain.
Overall this is a fun read. It's a much more personal account than Hunt's official The Ascent of Everest, and my personal favorite of the 1953 books, though I haven't read Tenzing's Tiger of the Snows yet. I appreciated getting a singular perspective from someone who took part in all the climbing parts of the expedition, including the reconnaissance and the Cho Oyu climb, and from someone who played such a pivotal role on the eventual ascent.
The climbers and their porters had a very difficult trip through Nepal during the monsoon. Normally, the locals don't travel during this time, because the rivers flood, washing away bridges and making crossings perilous. Additionally, the leeches were out in force. After they reached Sherpa country, the weather dried a bit, and they got down to the difficult task of climbing into and assessing the Khumbu Icefall at Everest's southwest flank. In September, the snow was deep and unconsolidated, so after an initial attempt, the expedition split into two parties to do some exploration while the weather cooled and the snow hardened. Shipton took Hillary with him to explore the eastern approaches to Everest, while the other party (including Riddiford, Ward, and Bourdillon) looked over the west. On their return, the combined parties pushed through to the Western Cwm, and made the assessment that it was possible to climb Everest from this route. Hillary noted, however, that they would have to alter their threshold of acceptable danger, both for the climbers and the porters, if they were to spend any time on this route.
Shipton took a liking to Hillary during the reconnaissance, and he invited him back for the 1952 Cho Oyu training climb, along with Hillary's friend George Lowe. The Swiss had been granted permission for Everest in 1952, and the British, somewhat put off, took the opportunity to train on a high Himalayan peak in the vicinity. The Cho Oyu climb was overshadowed by the possibility of an altercation with Chinese communist forces, since the most feasible route up the mountain was beyond the Nangpa La on the Tibetan side. A small party, including Hillary, made a token effort on the route, but Shipton was unwilling to move the full expedition into Tibetan territory, and the climb was soon over. The expedition split up, and several groups made forays into unclimbed areas. Hillary and Lowe climbed the formidable Nup La beside Gyachung Kang and traveled over the Rongbuk glaciers to get a look at the old Everest stomping grounds, and then raced back before the monsoon made the Nup La unclimbable. He later accompanied Shipton to a high pass east of Everest looking into Tibet, completing three-quarters of a circuit of the mountain in a single season. (It would not be until 1981 that Ned Gillette and Jan Reynolds, in Everest Grand Circle, completed the first single-season circuit of the mountain, though they were not able to actually cross the border, but made two stages of their trip.)
Both Hillary and Lowe were invited to join the 1953 Everest expedition on account of their excellent performance on the previous trip in addition to the good impression they made on Eric Shipton. I learned from this book that Hillary's climbing mentor, Harry Ayres, was also originally invited on the climb, but somewhere along the way was dropped from the roles. Col. John Hunt took over leadership of the expedition after some back room dealing by the Himalayan Committee, though hindsight says that he did the job quite well. Hillary took a proactive role on the mountain, both showing off his drive and endurance and requesting to help as much as possible. I found it interesting that even though he was officially just a climber, he took part in the meeting along with Hunt and deputy leader Charles Evans in which they decided who would comprise the summit teams. Of course, Hillary's efforts paid off, and he and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to ascend the world's highest mountain.
Overall this is a fun read. It's a much more personal account than Hunt's official The Ascent of Everest, and my personal favorite of the 1953 books, though I haven't read Tenzing's Tiger of the Snows yet. I appreciated getting a singular perspective from someone who took part in all the climbing parts of the expedition, including the reconnaissance and the Cho Oyu climb, and from someone who played such a pivotal role on the eventual ascent.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mein Welt die Berge, by Leo Schlömmer
If you, like me, aren't yet satisfied with what you've read about the 1971 International Everest Expedition, you might try Leo Schlömmer's Mein Welt die Berge. His biography, which includes a number of climbs in the Alps and around the world, also has a pretty significant section on his participation in this controversial expedition. The expedition was to be Norman Dyhrenfurth's next big success on Everest. Like the 1963 American expedition that he led, the climb was to have a double objective, this time of upper West Ridge left unclimbed by the Americans and the completion of the Southwest Face climb started by the Japanese in 1969 and 1970. Schlömmer, along with Don Whillans, Dougal Haston, Naomi Uemura, Reizo Ito, Gary Colliver, and John Evans, was part of the Southwest Face attempt. The expedition was fraught with petty fighting that was exacerbated by nearly universal illness and then ignited by the death of Harsh Bahuguna into a row of nastiness that set the standard for Everest controversy until 1996. The resignation of several climbers ended the West Ridge attempt and infighting and illness put the finishing touches on the Southwest Face.
In all this mess, Schlömmer is a noted moderate. While his is certainly no fan of Don Whillans or his Scottish friend, he continues climbing after the worst of the controversy. He sympathizes with Wolfgang Axt, who was blamed by some for the death of Bahuguna, and says that Axt and Bahuguna were good friends, and while Axt stopped climbing after Bahuguna's death, he never quit the expedition, as purported. Schlömmer also seems to have an interest in the American members, Colliver and Evans, I imagine because his last great adventure before Everest was a trip to El Capitan in Yosemite. I watched out for a particular moment at the end of the expedition that I read about in Dougal Haston's In High Places, in which Schlömmer ascends to help with the route, but is told that he's only a burden if he can't carry his own personal gear to the high camp. He chooses to descend. In Schlömmer's book, the author dodges the issue a bit, saying that Dyhrenfurth purports that he needed a Sherpa to carry his gear starting at Camp II, while he insists that he carried all of his own stuff as high as Camp IV, and then only requested that some of his things be carried from there. Perhaps Schlömmer is justified in saying that the Britons were hogging the route, but then again perhaps Haston is justified in saying that no one else was fit enough to do the work. I'm not about to be the judge!
I enjoy reading about this expedition because there seem to be so many versions of the truth out there. In addition to Schlömmer, a number of climbers have written about the trip. In English, you'll find it in Peter Steele's Doctor on Everest (though he doesn't include much on what happens high on the mountain), Dougal Haston's In High Places, and Pierre Mazeaud's Naked Before the Mountain. I wish I read Japanese, because more than anything, I would love to read Naomi Uemura's perspective on the expedition, as he stayed high on the mountain, hefting supplies to the top of the route for the Britons, but only gets passing mention in anyone else's books. Because I only had very limited amount of time with this book, I unfortunately only read the Everest material. I hope to get access to another copy soon.
In all this mess, Schlömmer is a noted moderate. While his is certainly no fan of Don Whillans or his Scottish friend, he continues climbing after the worst of the controversy. He sympathizes with Wolfgang Axt, who was blamed by some for the death of Bahuguna, and says that Axt and Bahuguna were good friends, and while Axt stopped climbing after Bahuguna's death, he never quit the expedition, as purported. Schlömmer also seems to have an interest in the American members, Colliver and Evans, I imagine because his last great adventure before Everest was a trip to El Capitan in Yosemite. I watched out for a particular moment at the end of the expedition that I read about in Dougal Haston's In High Places, in which Schlömmer ascends to help with the route, but is told that he's only a burden if he can't carry his own personal gear to the high camp. He chooses to descend. In Schlömmer's book, the author dodges the issue a bit, saying that Dyhrenfurth purports that he needed a Sherpa to carry his gear starting at Camp II, while he insists that he carried all of his own stuff as high as Camp IV, and then only requested that some of his things be carried from there. Perhaps Schlömmer is justified in saying that the Britons were hogging the route, but then again perhaps Haston is justified in saying that no one else was fit enough to do the work. I'm not about to be the judge!
I enjoy reading about this expedition because there seem to be so many versions of the truth out there. In addition to Schlömmer, a number of climbers have written about the trip. In English, you'll find it in Peter Steele's Doctor on Everest (though he doesn't include much on what happens high on the mountain), Dougal Haston's In High Places, and Pierre Mazeaud's Naked Before the Mountain. I wish I read Japanese, because more than anything, I would love to read Naomi Uemura's perspective on the expedition, as he stayed high on the mountain, hefting supplies to the top of the route for the Britons, but only gets passing mention in anyone else's books. Because I only had very limited amount of time with this book, I unfortunately only read the Everest material. I hope to get access to another copy soon.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Burgess Book of Lies, by Adrian & Alan Burgess
For the story of a hard-climbing and hard-drinking set of identical twins, try The Burgess Book of Lies. The pair form a formidable team on the mountain, and the book details their development from a pair of talented and driven misfits to non-conformist, but philosophical and intelligent high-altitude mountaineers. The chapters are written alternately, and they cover many of the significant climbs and events in their lives, first in Britain, then the Alps, and then around the world.
You may remember the Burgess' climbing on Everest from one of several sources. They appear in Joe Tasker's Everest: The Cruel Way, in which they participate in his 1980/81 winter West Ridge attempt without Sherpa porters or supplemental oxygen. They return to the mountain a year later, Al for the 1982 Canadian ascent / soap opera (in his Everest Canada) and Aid for Peter Hillary's attempt on Lhotse (in Hillary's Ascent), during which their expeditions become entangled and they end up climbing together anyway. They try once more for the top in 1989 via the South Col route, Adrian making the summit, on the same expedition as Tom Whittaker (in Whittaker's Higher Purpose). Additionally, Jon Krakauer includes a short biography of the twins in his Eiger Dreams.
This book is a treasure trove for stories of Everesters climbing in other, less auspicious but quite exciting places. They climb in the Alps with Tut Braithwaite, Alan Rouse, Doug Scott, and Paul Moores, are accompanied by Don Whillans to McKinley (where they are arrested for stealing 500 beers), meet up with Jim Bridwell in Argentina, and make a winter ascent of Annapurna IV along with Roger Marshall. They write about the unsung power of Braithwaite, give Paul Moores some much-needed literary coverage, show a sentimental side of Whillans that is often overlooked, and are considerably more kind to Marshall than the average writer. As much as anyone, the Burgess brothers are at home in the mountains, and they seem as comfortable on a vertical face in the Alps as in a tea house in western Nepal. They write much about their Sherpa friends, and Alan especially seems to enjoy their company more than that of most western climbers.
The book is a fun read, and often an exciting one. When they are younger, its seems like they face more danger in the pubs than on the rock walls, but as they mature, they face some daunting Himalayan challenges with a level-headedness rare among hard climbers. At the same time, they maintain a level of fitness that allows them to push hard when the opportunity arises for some daunting climbs. On a side note, I was most impressed by their base camp home brewing operations in their later expeditions---an excellent weight-saving solution for having beer for the length of an expedition!
You may remember the Burgess' climbing on Everest from one of several sources. They appear in Joe Tasker's Everest: The Cruel Way, in which they participate in his 1980/81 winter West Ridge attempt without Sherpa porters or supplemental oxygen. They return to the mountain a year later, Al for the 1982 Canadian ascent / soap opera (in his Everest Canada) and Aid for Peter Hillary's attempt on Lhotse (in Hillary's Ascent), during which their expeditions become entangled and they end up climbing together anyway. They try once more for the top in 1989 via the South Col route, Adrian making the summit, on the same expedition as Tom Whittaker (in Whittaker's Higher Purpose). Additionally, Jon Krakauer includes a short biography of the twins in his Eiger Dreams.
This book is a treasure trove for stories of Everesters climbing in other, less auspicious but quite exciting places. They climb in the Alps with Tut Braithwaite, Alan Rouse, Doug Scott, and Paul Moores, are accompanied by Don Whillans to McKinley (where they are arrested for stealing 500 beers), meet up with Jim Bridwell in Argentina, and make a winter ascent of Annapurna IV along with Roger Marshall. They write about the unsung power of Braithwaite, give Paul Moores some much-needed literary coverage, show a sentimental side of Whillans that is often overlooked, and are considerably more kind to Marshall than the average writer. As much as anyone, the Burgess brothers are at home in the mountains, and they seem as comfortable on a vertical face in the Alps as in a tea house in western Nepal. They write much about their Sherpa friends, and Alan especially seems to enjoy their company more than that of most western climbers.
The book is a fun read, and often an exciting one. When they are younger, its seems like they face more danger in the pubs than on the rock walls, but as they mature, they face some daunting Himalayan challenges with a level-headedness rare among hard climbers. At the same time, they maintain a level of fitness that allows them to push hard when the opportunity arises for some daunting climbs. On a side note, I was most impressed by their base camp home brewing operations in their later expeditions---an excellent weight-saving solution for having beer for the length of an expedition!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Lure of the Himalaya, by Dr. K. C. Bhanja
If you ever want to compare the travels of the early Everest expeditions, try Lure of the Himalaya, by Dr. K. C. Bhanja. His book is a geographical take on the trips to and up Everest (1921-1933), and he compares the trips and the stops they make, from Darjeeling to Camp VI. The book resembles a descriptive travel guide, and Bhanja gives details gleaned from the Everest accounts about each of the villages visited, including climate, resources, and the state of the population. I found it an interesting read, because this is the first book I've read that covers the expeditions together and compares their journeys way station to way station, rather than relating them chronologically.
Though Bhanja is very good with his facts, his beliefs are somewhat unusual. In his introduction, as proof of the lure of Himalayas, he says that Jesus visited the Himalayas during the ages of 14-29, and then returned to Jerusalem to fulfill his ultimate mission. Leh is a very holy city, because both Jesus (on his way home from Tibet) and Buddha passed through. Bhanja seems as interested in the supernatural as the geographical,and he gravitates towards the inexplicable aspects of nature in his descriptions of locations, such as a tree known to produce leaves with Tibetan characters on them or a lake that only ever partially freezes. In his history of Himalayan climbing, he attributes Mummery's death to supernatural forces, rather than an avalanche.
In addition to his beliefs, his writing style is also a bit odd, such as his explanation for why someone would climb Everest: "Never vacant is mind; in like manner, man's spirit knows no rest---it has a tendency to unfold itself by unveiling Nature not only in the laboratories while seeking for the unity in diversity, that is to say, forcing her to reveal the laws that rule her varied manifestations and phenomena, but also in her very abode where men prefer to come face to face with her glories, no matter if it would necessitate coming to grips with her raging elements. It is this inspired strivings after the expression of Nature's sanctuaries that constitute an expression of the spirit of man."
All that said, Bhanja writes a good discussion of the early Everest expeditions. I wouldn't read this book for a condensed telling of the trips. If you, like me, have read the early accounts and have wondered how their treks to the mountain differed, then this is your book. Town by town and pass by pass, Bhanja tells how each of the expeditions faced the challenges of the long journey to the base of Everest. Of course you might take his descriptions with a grain of salt, because if one expedition had trouble with a populace, then it is a bad town, or if one of the expeditions met a sand storm at a particular location, then it is a place of sandstorms. His descriptions of the climbing on Everest are right on, and he gives elevations for camps and contrasts the efforts of the expeditions. Because this is a place-centered book, Bhanja doesn't include much in the way of interpersonal details or logistics. He's a particular fan of Frank Smythe and includes many quotes from his writing. Additionally, he never misses an opportunity to promote his other books, including Darjeeling at a Glance, and Wonders of Darjeeling and the Sikkim Himalaya.
Though Bhanja is very good with his facts, his beliefs are somewhat unusual. In his introduction, as proof of the lure of Himalayas, he says that Jesus visited the Himalayas during the ages of 14-29, and then returned to Jerusalem to fulfill his ultimate mission. Leh is a very holy city, because both Jesus (on his way home from Tibet) and Buddha passed through. Bhanja seems as interested in the supernatural as the geographical,and he gravitates towards the inexplicable aspects of nature in his descriptions of locations, such as a tree known to produce leaves with Tibetan characters on them or a lake that only ever partially freezes. In his history of Himalayan climbing, he attributes Mummery's death to supernatural forces, rather than an avalanche.
In addition to his beliefs, his writing style is also a bit odd, such as his explanation for why someone would climb Everest: "Never vacant is mind; in like manner, man's spirit knows no rest---it has a tendency to unfold itself by unveiling Nature not only in the laboratories while seeking for the unity in diversity, that is to say, forcing her to reveal the laws that rule her varied manifestations and phenomena, but also in her very abode where men prefer to come face to face with her glories, no matter if it would necessitate coming to grips with her raging elements. It is this inspired strivings after the expression of Nature's sanctuaries that constitute an expression of the spirit of man."
All that said, Bhanja writes a good discussion of the early Everest expeditions. I wouldn't read this book for a condensed telling of the trips. If you, like me, have read the early accounts and have wondered how their treks to the mountain differed, then this is your book. Town by town and pass by pass, Bhanja tells how each of the expeditions faced the challenges of the long journey to the base of Everest. Of course you might take his descriptions with a grain of salt, because if one expedition had trouble with a populace, then it is a bad town, or if one of the expeditions met a sand storm at a particular location, then it is a place of sandstorms. His descriptions of the climbing on Everest are right on, and he gives elevations for camps and contrasts the efforts of the expeditions. Because this is a place-centered book, Bhanja doesn't include much in the way of interpersonal details or logistics. He's a particular fan of Frank Smythe and includes many quotes from his writing. Additionally, he never misses an opportunity to promote his other books, including Darjeeling at a Glance, and Wonders of Darjeeling and the Sikkim Himalaya.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Irvine Diaries, by Herbert Carr
Herbert Carr brings together a mix of biography, travel diary, family history, and adventure mystery in his The Irvine Diaries. Carr feels there has been an overemphasis on George Leigh Mallory in the retelling of Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine's climb into the clouds on June 7, 1924, and he seeks to remedy the error with an in-depth look at the young adventurer Irvine and the publication of his two travel diaries.
Because Irvine's life was relatively short, his biography is a quite thin as well. Irvine's brother relates some family history before talking about their childhood. Carr then talks about Irvine's school years and his association with his schools' rowing clubs. Even on his trek to Everest, he was keen to know how the races turned out. Irvine did fairly in school, but was notable for his physical strength and stamina. Before leaving for Everest, he also competed quite well in ski racing. He was know throughout his life for his scientific tinkering, and he even managed to send off some fairly complicated invention ideas to the War Office.
The diaries include Irvine's trips to Spitsbergen and Everest. His college's trip to Sptisbergen was supervised by both Noel Odell and Tom Longstaff, both of whom noticed his strength, drive, and mechanical aptitude. On the trip, expedition members manage a sledging traverse of the island in less-than-ideal conditions, carrying out survey work and climbing a couple peaks. On the Everest trip, Irvine becomes the go-to man for anything that breaks, and from Darjeeling all the way to Camp VI he works to repair and recreate the oxygen equipment, coming with a number of improved designs. I was amazed what a losing battle he was fighting with leaking, unreliable canisters, and the generally awful delivery system. That he got several systems working and saved enough gas to make an oxygen-supplemented assault speaks to his determination. I also learned from this book that "Sandy" refers to his fair complexion, and that he was affected horribly by the ultraviolet radiation on the upper reaches of the mountain.
Though I appreciated reading Irvine's diaries, this book didn't contain quite as much information on the young climber as I had hoped. It didn't really discuss how he came about to be chosen for the expedition or talk about his preparations for the expedition. I was curious about how much, if any, climbing he did before leaving on the expedition and also wanted to know a bit more about his boat journey along with other expedition members to India. Though Irvine overall writes a bare-bones diary, I was fascinated by his gradual transition from calling George Leigh Mallory "Mallory" to by the time they reach the mountain, calling him "George." Additionally, he eventually switches to calling Geoffrey Bruce "Geoff," and has clearly made a couple good friends before his trip into eternity. At the end of the book, Carr discusses the several memorials to the two climbers, including a stone monument at Irvine's alma mater, a stained-glass window, and a memorial travel grant to young adventurers.
Because Irvine's life was relatively short, his biography is a quite thin as well. Irvine's brother relates some family history before talking about their childhood. Carr then talks about Irvine's school years and his association with his schools' rowing clubs. Even on his trek to Everest, he was keen to know how the races turned out. Irvine did fairly in school, but was notable for his physical strength and stamina. Before leaving for Everest, he also competed quite well in ski racing. He was know throughout his life for his scientific tinkering, and he even managed to send off some fairly complicated invention ideas to the War Office.
The diaries include Irvine's trips to Spitsbergen and Everest. His college's trip to Sptisbergen was supervised by both Noel Odell and Tom Longstaff, both of whom noticed his strength, drive, and mechanical aptitude. On the trip, expedition members manage a sledging traverse of the island in less-than-ideal conditions, carrying out survey work and climbing a couple peaks. On the Everest trip, Irvine becomes the go-to man for anything that breaks, and from Darjeeling all the way to Camp VI he works to repair and recreate the oxygen equipment, coming with a number of improved designs. I was amazed what a losing battle he was fighting with leaking, unreliable canisters, and the generally awful delivery system. That he got several systems working and saved enough gas to make an oxygen-supplemented assault speaks to his determination. I also learned from this book that "Sandy" refers to his fair complexion, and that he was affected horribly by the ultraviolet radiation on the upper reaches of the mountain.
Though I appreciated reading Irvine's diaries, this book didn't contain quite as much information on the young climber as I had hoped. It didn't really discuss how he came about to be chosen for the expedition or talk about his preparations for the expedition. I was curious about how much, if any, climbing he did before leaving on the expedition and also wanted to know a bit more about his boat journey along with other expedition members to India. Though Irvine overall writes a bare-bones diary, I was fascinated by his gradual transition from calling George Leigh Mallory "Mallory" to by the time they reach the mountain, calling him "George." Additionally, he eventually switches to calling Geoffrey Bruce "Geoff," and has clearly made a couple good friends before his trip into eternity. At the end of the book, Carr discusses the several memorials to the two climbers, including a stone monument at Irvine's alma mater, a stained-glass window, and a memorial travel grant to young adventurers.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Sky's The Limit, by Anna Magnusson
Anna Magnusson tells the story of Vicky Jack, the first Scottish woman to complete the Seven Summits and the oldest British woman to climb Mount Everest, in her The Sky's the Limit. Vicky Jack's biography is told from a non-mountaineer's perspective, and is the story of a driven woman who makes a career in the gender-biased world of HR consultancy, climbs all 283 Munros (Scottish peaks over 3000 feet elevation), and then scales the highest peak on each continent. For the armchair mountaineer, this book is an interesting peak into the world of the commercial mountaineering expedition.
I was surprised when I realized this is only my second Seven Summits book (Robert Mads Anderson's Summits being the other). Jack picks a fairly logical order to her lists, climbing Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Vinson, McKinley, Carstenz, and the Everest. Her first aim was to climb the highest mountain in Europe, initially thinking it was Mont Blanc. Though Elbrus is quite high for a first tall mountain, the cable car to the accommodations near the top makes it a matter of hoping your body adjusts, and then one day of climbing. Kilimanjaro is a bit more difficult, as it is generally a multi-day climb, and its a big elevation change from bottom to top. Jack decides to work on altitude and then cold. On Aconcagua, she does well with the altitude and helps a friend in a nasty retreat from the park. She scales Vinson in beautiful weather, though she faces a tremendous blizzard on her return to Patriot Hills. She also meets David Hempleman-Adams (author of Toughing It Out) while waiting for the flight to Antarctica. Jack nearly doesn't climb McKinley when her expedition leader thinks she has altitude sickness near the summit, and then almost doesn't return because of a fall. I was amazed at the way she was smuggled to Carstenz Pyramid through the open-pit mine. It seemed like quite the scary experience---both the smuggling and the hands-off leadership of her most technical climb to date.
And then she tries Everest. She signs up with Henry Todd to make a spring 2003 attempt via the South Col. Reading this seemed like a good opportunity for me to put Michael Kodas (author of High Crimes) to the test. Jack, as Kodas predicts, had a near-miss with her oxygen, and she turns around at the Hillary Step and runs out of gas at the South Summit for a hypoxic, hallucinatory retreat to the South Col. Michael Kodas 1, Grant 0. Jack, however, thinks that the oxygen was a simple mix-up, and that her Sherpa might have grabbed the wrong bottles when they returned to the balcony. After he finds out the bottles are empty, the Sherpa high tails it to the South Col, leaving her to figure out the way back on her own. She returns the next year, again with Henry Todd, and this time makes it to the top for a thankfully uneventful summit experience.
I was surprised when I realized this is only my second Seven Summits book (Robert Mads Anderson's Summits being the other). Jack picks a fairly logical order to her lists, climbing Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Vinson, McKinley, Carstenz, and the Everest. Her first aim was to climb the highest mountain in Europe, initially thinking it was Mont Blanc. Though Elbrus is quite high for a first tall mountain, the cable car to the accommodations near the top makes it a matter of hoping your body adjusts, and then one day of climbing. Kilimanjaro is a bit more difficult, as it is generally a multi-day climb, and its a big elevation change from bottom to top. Jack decides to work on altitude and then cold. On Aconcagua, she does well with the altitude and helps a friend in a nasty retreat from the park. She scales Vinson in beautiful weather, though she faces a tremendous blizzard on her return to Patriot Hills. She also meets David Hempleman-Adams (author of Toughing It Out) while waiting for the flight to Antarctica. Jack nearly doesn't climb McKinley when her expedition leader thinks she has altitude sickness near the summit, and then almost doesn't return because of a fall. I was amazed at the way she was smuggled to Carstenz Pyramid through the open-pit mine. It seemed like quite the scary experience---both the smuggling and the hands-off leadership of her most technical climb to date.
And then she tries Everest. She signs up with Henry Todd to make a spring 2003 attempt via the South Col. Reading this seemed like a good opportunity for me to put Michael Kodas (author of High Crimes) to the test. Jack, as Kodas predicts, had a near-miss with her oxygen, and she turns around at the Hillary Step and runs out of gas at the South Summit for a hypoxic, hallucinatory retreat to the South Col. Michael Kodas 1, Grant 0. Jack, however, thinks that the oxygen was a simple mix-up, and that her Sherpa might have grabbed the wrong bottles when they returned to the balcony. After he finds out the bottles are empty, the Sherpa high tails it to the South Col, leaving her to figure out the way back on her own. She returns the next year, again with Henry Todd, and this time makes it to the top for a thankfully uneventful summit experience.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Climb, edited by Clint Willis
Climb is one of the many adventure compilations put together by Clint Willis. This one is a bit of a greatest hits book, with a lot of famous authors, and seems to focus a bit towards the American climbing scene. There are several Everest-related authors, including David Roberts (co-author of several Everester biographies including Ed Viesturs' No Shortcuts to the Top), Greg Child (Postcards from the Ledge), John Long (The High Lonesome and others), Jim Wickwire (Addicted to Danger), Hamish MacInnes (The Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters, etc.), Andrew Grieg (Kingdoms of Experience), Galen Rowell (Mountains of the Middle Kingdom and other photo books), John Roskelley (Stories Off the Wall). Jim Wickwire's chapter, from Addicted to Danger, tells of the loss of a young friend and climbing partner, Chris Kerrebrock, on a trip to Denali that was meant as a shakedown trip for a Great Couloir attempt the following year. They both fall into a crevasse soon after their drop-off, and Wickwire is unable, with a injured arm, to dislodge Kerrebrock, and faces an epic retreat and impossibly long wait for rescue. Only one chapter in Climb, however, deals directly with Everest: Greg Child's contribution from Postcards from the Ledge, "How I Almost (Didn't) Climb Everest."
In this chapter, he goes to Everest to film an old friend, Tom Whittaker (author of Higher Purpose) in his first attempt to climb Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg in 1995. They make it up to the Northeast Ridge together, but Whittaker has to turn back, and he encourages Child to continue on without him. As he ascends, Child catches up to Bob Hempstead (whose trip to the top to become the highest rope-slinger in the world is covered in David Noland's Travels Along the Edge) in time to see him slip and fall down the mountain on his back, head first, coming to a stop at the edge of the snowfield, just before the really big fall to the bottom of the mountain. Child finds a rope, and pulls him to safety along with Ang Babu Sherpa, and they again head for the summit.
Greg Child is possibly my favorite climbing author. He approaches Everest with a bit of a disdainful eye, but he makes the most of it and through intelligent humor manages to make the story enjoyable in spite of the insanity around him. Maybe Michael Kodas (High Crimes) could get a couple lessons from Child in not taking things so personally while still dishing out the details. Child still talks about the thefts, the suicidal fools, and the generally lawlessness, but manages to stand apart from it. (He really is a different breed than the average Everest climber). I highly recommend Child's book, Postcards from the Ledge, from which this is excerpted. The Mountain Library recently released a review of it in case you'd like to learn more.
In this chapter, he goes to Everest to film an old friend, Tom Whittaker (author of Higher Purpose) in his first attempt to climb Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg in 1995. They make it up to the Northeast Ridge together, but Whittaker has to turn back, and he encourages Child to continue on without him. As he ascends, Child catches up to Bob Hempstead (whose trip to the top to become the highest rope-slinger in the world is covered in David Noland's Travels Along the Edge) in time to see him slip and fall down the mountain on his back, head first, coming to a stop at the edge of the snowfield, just before the really big fall to the bottom of the mountain. Child finds a rope, and pulls him to safety along with Ang Babu Sherpa, and they again head for the summit.
Greg Child is possibly my favorite climbing author. He approaches Everest with a bit of a disdainful eye, but he makes the most of it and through intelligent humor manages to make the story enjoyable in spite of the insanity around him. Maybe Michael Kodas (High Crimes) could get a couple lessons from Child in not taking things so personally while still dishing out the details. Child still talks about the thefts, the suicidal fools, and the generally lawlessness, but manages to stand apart from it. (He really is a different breed than the average Everest climber). I highly recommend Child's book, Postcards from the Ledge, from which this is excerpted. The Mountain Library recently released a review of it in case you'd like to learn more.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
High Crimes, by Michael Kodas
Michael Kodas tells of the darker side of climbing Mount Everest in his High Crimes. Kodas is a reporter for the Hartford Courant, and he relates the story of the controversy surrounding the death of Nils Antezana on the Southeast Ridge of Everest in addition to the tale of his own troubled expedition climbing on the other side of the mountain, both in 2004. In addition, Kodas weaves in a load of bad news about the mountain, from guides to clients to Sherpas, and also tells of his return to witness the controversial 2006 climbing season. There is so much information on Everest in this book, that I feel somewhat overwhelmed trying to cover it in a blog post.
Nils Antezana was a relatively wealthy client who hired a less-than-qualified guide, Gustavo Lisi, to lead him up the mountain to become America's oldest summiteer. The pair, along with two Sherpas, make a painfully slow ascent on a sketchy day, and on the way down Antezana is left to his fate after a deathly slow retreat. Kodas probes the question of responsibility for Antezana's death, and also writes about Antezana's daughter's attempts to put the pieces together to find out what happened to her father.
On Kodas' own expedition, the Connecticut Everest Expedition, the team is rocked by petty fighting, assaults, thefts, threats, and abuse. Their leader, George Dijmarescu, changes from a friendly, happy citizen of Connecticut to veritable Frankenstein's monster of an expedition mate, causing one member to quit, and the author and another to turn back early to avoid being under his care high on the mountain. Both Dijmarescu and his wife, Lhakpa Sherpa, have ascended Everest several times, and they make for a colorful, if highly controversial pair.
Kodas reports on the many crimes that occur on and around the mountain and tells of the questionable actions of several of the guides. He tells of the questionable actions by several well-known guides, including Henry Todd, Jon Tinker, and Harry Kikstra. He also gives examples of thefts on the mountain that put climbers in serious jeopardy, as well as exposes the "sin city" that is the north side's Base Camp. On the 2006 season, he reports on the death of David Sharp as well as the rescue of Lincoln Hall (You can read his Dead Lucky for more details.), and shows that things have not improved in the two years of his absence.
Overall, I found this book overwhelming. I think the Antezana story or the Connecticut expedition would have made pretty good books on their own. Heaping the additional angry mess on top of that as well as the 2006 season made it difficult for me to really give anything worthwhile thought, and when I was finished reading, I felt more disillusioned and frustrated than educated. I realize there's a lot to say with everything that's happened on the mountain, but to me the book came off more as a rant than a thesis. Additionally, unlike either Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) or Ken Vernon (Ascent and Dissent), Kodas does not really acknowledge the messiness of being both an expedition member and a journalist on his 2004 trip to the mountain. The information in this book is worth reading, especially if you're shopping for an expedition to join and are considering a cheaper expedition, but it might be good to take your time and really give some of what Kodas writes some thought.
Nils Antezana was a relatively wealthy client who hired a less-than-qualified guide, Gustavo Lisi, to lead him up the mountain to become America's oldest summiteer. The pair, along with two Sherpas, make a painfully slow ascent on a sketchy day, and on the way down Antezana is left to his fate after a deathly slow retreat. Kodas probes the question of responsibility for Antezana's death, and also writes about Antezana's daughter's attempts to put the pieces together to find out what happened to her father.
On Kodas' own expedition, the Connecticut Everest Expedition, the team is rocked by petty fighting, assaults, thefts, threats, and abuse. Their leader, George Dijmarescu, changes from a friendly, happy citizen of Connecticut to veritable Frankenstein's monster of an expedition mate, causing one member to quit, and the author and another to turn back early to avoid being under his care high on the mountain. Both Dijmarescu and his wife, Lhakpa Sherpa, have ascended Everest several times, and they make for a colorful, if highly controversial pair.
Kodas reports on the many crimes that occur on and around the mountain and tells of the questionable actions of several of the guides. He tells of the questionable actions by several well-known guides, including Henry Todd, Jon Tinker, and Harry Kikstra. He also gives examples of thefts on the mountain that put climbers in serious jeopardy, as well as exposes the "sin city" that is the north side's Base Camp. On the 2006 season, he reports on the death of David Sharp as well as the rescue of Lincoln Hall (You can read his Dead Lucky for more details.), and shows that things have not improved in the two years of his absence.
Overall, I found this book overwhelming. I think the Antezana story or the Connecticut expedition would have made pretty good books on their own. Heaping the additional angry mess on top of that as well as the 2006 season made it difficult for me to really give anything worthwhile thought, and when I was finished reading, I felt more disillusioned and frustrated than educated. I realize there's a lot to say with everything that's happened on the mountain, but to me the book came off more as a rant than a thesis. Additionally, unlike either Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) or Ken Vernon (Ascent and Dissent), Kodas does not really acknowledge the messiness of being both an expedition member and a journalist on his 2004 trip to the mountain. The information in this book is worth reading, especially if you're shopping for an expedition to join and are considering a cheaper expedition, but it might be good to take your time and really give some of what Kodas writes some thought.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Quest for Adventure, by Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington sizes himself up against a range of modern adventurers in his Quest for Adventure. He includes trips across the globe, including journeys on mountains, across oceans, through deserts, in the air, and to the moon in this anthology. Bonington, thankfully, chooses original prose and analysis over the tradition of excerpting the work of others, and he works lessons from his 1975 Southwest Face expedition into his evaluations. In addition to an introduction to himself, the goals of the book, and the adventures ahead and a conclusion that seeks to distill all the adventures down into something they share, there are two Everest-related chapters: one on the 1953 British ascent of Everest, and a chapter about Messner's solo ascent of Nanga Parbat.
I truly enjoyed reading a fairly thorough analysis of the first ascent of Everest by another famous Everest leader. Bonington gives his take on logistics, strategy, climbers, in addition to several smaller facets of the climb. I especially appreciated his comments on Hunt's strategy and leadership. Bonington's focus on the leadership of the expedition included a specific (with names named) telling of what went on in the Himalayan Committee that caused Shipton's ouster and Hunt's placement as leader as well as analysis of many crucial moments in Hunt's leadership of the climb, including during the preparations, his leading from the place of action during the climb, and his role in Britain after the climb was finished.
The chapter on Messner's climb of Nanga Parbat includes plenty of Everest material even if it is focused on another mountain. Bonington includes comparisons to Wilson, Denman, and Larson before heading into a biography of Messner that centers on Messner's relationship to Nanga Parbat, including the 1970 climb in which he lost his brother, his attempts to return, and his eventual solo ascent in 1978. Bonington includes Messner's two Everest climbs in short prose, telling that Messner heard of his acceptance to climb Nanga Parbat while on his first trip to Everest in which he climbed along with Peter Habeler without supplementary oxygen. Bonington also ends the chapter writing about Messner's solo ascent of Everest in 1980, and contrasting it to the large, military-style expeditions that had made it to the top so far.
I truly enjoyed reading a fairly thorough analysis of the first ascent of Everest by another famous Everest leader. Bonington gives his take on logistics, strategy, climbers, in addition to several smaller facets of the climb. I especially appreciated his comments on Hunt's strategy and leadership. Bonington's focus on the leadership of the expedition included a specific (with names named) telling of what went on in the Himalayan Committee that caused Shipton's ouster and Hunt's placement as leader as well as analysis of many crucial moments in Hunt's leadership of the climb, including during the preparations, his leading from the place of action during the climb, and his role in Britain after the climb was finished.
The chapter on Messner's climb of Nanga Parbat includes plenty of Everest material even if it is focused on another mountain. Bonington includes comparisons to Wilson, Denman, and Larson before heading into a biography of Messner that centers on Messner's relationship to Nanga Parbat, including the 1970 climb in which he lost his brother, his attempts to return, and his eventual solo ascent in 1978. Bonington includes Messner's two Everest climbs in short prose, telling that Messner heard of his acceptance to climb Nanga Parbat while on his first trip to Everest in which he climbed along with Peter Habeler without supplementary oxygen. Bonington also ends the chapter writing about Messner's solo ascent of Everest in 1980, and contrasting it to the large, military-style expeditions that had made it to the top so far.
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