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No no, I'm not planning on 'conquering' the big E; I've just read Bonington's book on the '75 SW face expedition, and it's left me with a few curiosities:
- It appears from a cursory Google that Everest is rarely attempted these days (if it ever was) post-monsoon, despite the extraordinary pressures on the mountain in the spring season. I can understand that commercial expeditions would be reticent to plan expeditions in a season where conditions might be even more problematic than normal, but are conditions more predictably more poor now post-monsoon than they were at the time of the '75 expedition? Or, hypothetically, could an expedition attempt it post-monsoon with a reasonable expectation of quiet and with the possibility of acceptable conditions as experienced by good fortune in '75? Or is it a near-certain guarantee that the mountain would be unclimbable now post-monsoon (due to snow and/or the deterioration of the weather into the winter season)?
- Are there any good references or books on purer ascents/attempts on the mountain? I'd never really given thought to the sheer scale of '75-scale expeditions before, and it left me wondering about the attempts and successes of smaller and purer expeditions, particularly on the lesser-climbed routes.
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In reply to tehmarks:
> Are there any good references or books on purer ascents/attempts on the mountain? I'd never really given thought to the sheer scale of '75-scale expeditions before, and it left me wondering about the attempts and successes of smaller and purer expeditions, particularly on the lesser-climbed routes.
My favourite Everest book is Everest: the West Ridge by Hornbein, which describes the successful ascents. It's classic, in my opinion, I read it 3 times. The last stage of the West ridge climb was just 2 climbers all on their own; they also did the only traverse of the mountain as you probably know - coming down the South Col route
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In reply to tehmarks:
Steve Venables's 'Everest, Kangshung Face' is an account of a new route by a team of 4
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In reply to Doug:
> Steve Venables's 'Everest, Kangshung Face' is an account of a new route by a team of 4
Worth noting that the paperback version is called "Everest alone at the summit". A good read.
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In reply to tehmarks:
On his solo of the North face Messner reached the summit on 19 August 1980 which is post monsoon I think.
Goran Kropp's "Ultimate High" is worthwhile - cycling from Sweden with all his gear and climbing solo albeit surrounded by commercial expeditions. The book was withdrawn in the UK due to an accidental libel.
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In reply to tehmarks:
Tim Macartney-Snape's 1984 expedition was outstanding. Here's a film showing the new route climbed by a small team in great style. The shot of them moving to the summit at speed is just superhuman!
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In reply to tehmarks:
Another one on the north side is the amazingly light and fast N Face Direct ascent by Loretan and Troillet at the end of August 1986, in 48 h from 5850m ABC to summit and back. They, Messner and the NZ team were taking advantage of snowed-up conditions post monsoon. All three of these ascents are in a chapter in the Fanshawe-Venables 'Himalaya Alpine-Style' book.
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In reply to tehmarks:
I’m surprised there’s not been a more of a move towards the post-monsoon season, but the issue on the south side is avalanche risk on the Lhotse Face. In ‘93 the (then Himalayan Kingdoms) team had their Camp 3 wiped out, luckily when no-one was in it.
Some of the Everest weather forecasters aren’t too positive about post-monsoon, however. And it’s getting colder each day of course.
In reply to Jamie Hageman: The book of that Aussie ascent is White Limbo by Lincoln Hall and it has some great photos in it.
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In reply to tehmarks:
Not a reference book but I really enjoyed Robert Mads Anderson's 'Nine Lives' on his nine attempts to climb Everest. To me, it made climbing on Everest seem hard and exciting again and reclaimed it from the millionaire's bucket list tick it's become.
https://www.v-publishing.co.uk/blog/v-publishing-blog/2020-10-23---author-i...
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In reply to tehmarks:
Walt Unsworth's book 'Everest' is a good read and provides an overview of activities before things became too much of a money magnet. I also second the recommendation of Steven Venables' book.
T.
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In reply to rif:
> Another one on the north side is the amazingly light and fast N Face Direct ascent by Loretan and Troillet at the end of August 1986, in 48 h from 5850m ABC to summit and back.
Described in some detail in Jean Troillet's biography 'Un homme : des 8000'.
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In reply to Jamie Hageman:
That's a pretty great watch, thanks for that!
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In reply to tehmarks:
I'm reading Joe Tasker's Savage Arena at the moment. When he mentions I think 300 porters for one expedition it really hit home just how big some of these operations are. I had no comprehension of the scale.
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In reply to tehmarks:
Bonnington: Everest, The Hard Way.
The book that got me inspired by 'proper' mountaineering.
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In reply to Jamie Hageman:
> Tim Macartney-Snape's 1984 expedition was outstanding. Here's a film showing the new route climbed by a small team in great style. The shot of them moving to the summit at speed is just superhuman!
Wow. Thanks for that. Just watched it all, an amazing film!
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In reply to nathan79:
That is such a great book!
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In reply to tehmarks:
Thank you all for the information and book suggestions — all of which have now gone straight on my Christmas list.
In reply to GrahamD:
That's what I've just finished reading. The scale and complex logistics of such an expedition are mind-boggling, but 26T of equipment for a protracted siege up the route is so far removed from my romantic ideals of mountaineering that it made me curious about lighter and faster ascents on the mountain.
The idea of an ascent closer to alpine style when it took such massive expeditions in the earlier days just blows my mind, and I think it really shows just how far alpinism has advanced in the last fifty years.
Not to take anything away from Bonington and his team, of course. Minus the tons of detritus left behind.
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In reply to Jamie Hageman:
Oh my goodness! Andi Henderson! I climbed with him most memorably on Snowdon in winter about 1978. He introduced me to zinc cream! Everest didn't go so well. He's still going I think. New Zealand?
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In reply to tehmarks:
Wasn’t it Hammish McInnes who set off solo to Everest with a sack of potatoes as his only food?
In reply to tehmarks:
Woodrow Wilson Sayre and three colleagues in 1962 made an "illegal" incursion into China from Nepal and reached about 7,620 metres on the North Ridge before turning back from exhaustion. The attempt was documented in a fantastic book by Sayre entitled Four Against Everest. Just 4 guys with a bit of training on Denali beforehand, they left their porters and ferried in all their own gear across both the West and East Rongbuk. Waddage.
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In reply to Jamie Hageman:
Thanks for the link, one of my favourite articles in mountain magazine was Andy Henderson's account. Funny and very understated.
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In reply to Fruit:
Hamish went to Everest in '53 with Jonny Cunningham. They acclimatised on Pumori but were avalanched. Their plan was to make use of supplies left by the previous '52 Swiss expedition.
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In reply to nathan79:
> I'm reading Joe Tasker's Savage Arena at the moment. When he mentions I think 300 porters for one expedition it really hit home just how big some of these operations are. I had no comprehension of the scale.
And the more porters you have, the more food, etc., you have to carry to feed those porters, and then you need more porters just to carry those extra supplies for the porters...and before you know it there are 300 porters...
In reply to 99ster:
> And the more porters you have, the more food, etc., you have to carry to feed those porters, and then you need more porters just to carry those extra supplies for the porters...and before you know it there are 300 porters...
The 1977 Japanese expedition to K2 reportedly had 1500 porters ...
In reply to tehmarks:
I attended a lecture by the late Dr Charles Warren, medical officer on the 1930's Everest Expeditions, when I was at school in 1959. It was fascinating listening to him talking about them and his exploits in N Wales with friends like Colin Kirkus. It was him who opened my eyes to the fact that there was a lot more to climbing, particularly rock climbing, than just climbing Everest! I was amazed that people like Charles Warren would drive all the way up to N Wales from Essex for just a weekend's rock climbing after a hard week's work as a hospital consultant, and be back at work again on Monday.
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In reply to profitofdoom:
I've read a few on Everest but haven't come across this one yet. Thanks for sharing!
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In reply to tehmarks:
> Are there any good references or books on purer ascents/attempts on the mountain? I'd never really given thought to the sheer scale of '75-scale expeditions before, and it left me wondering about the attempts and successes of smaller and purer expeditions, particularly on the lesser-climbed routes.
The 1933 expedition was big, but they wore tweed, does that count?
Frank Smyth wrote an excellent book about it, Camp 6. Its written in a very plummy style and recalls a golden era at the end of the empire. Games of polo and tea with the maharaja. It doesnt get more pukka than that!
They obviously didnt get to the top, but its a great read. In fact there are several books by Shipton, Tillman and Smythe from that era. They make me want to gather some officers (British), several hundred porters, 50 yaks and an train of elephants and set of into the unknown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_British_Mount_Everest_expedition
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In reply to tehmarks:
> Are there any good references or books on purer ascents/attempts on the mountain? I'd never really given thought to the sheer scale of '75-scale expeditions before, and it left me wondering about the attempts and successes of smaller and purer expeditions, particularly on the lesser-climbed routes.
The 1933 expedition was big, but they wore tweed, does that count?
Frank Smyth wrote an excellent book about it, Camp 6. Its written in a very plummy style and recalls a golden era at the end of the empire. Games of polo and tea with the maharaja. It doesnt get more pukka than that!
They obviously didnt get to the top, but its a great read. In fact there are several books by Shipton, Tillman and Smythe from that era. They make me want to gather some officers (British), several hundred porters, 50 yaks and an train of elephants and set off into the unknown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_British_Mount_Everest_expedition
Post edited at 20:43
In reply to dread-i: Walt Unsworth ‘Everest’ is a great read and reference. Well worth a read. I am not sure why there was a switch from post to pre monsoon, except pre monsoon it gets warmer and lighter rather than the opposite. I also suspect it allows companies and their staff to do Everest, a lower 8000m peak and Ama Dablam in the same year, but this is conjecture.
In reply to Jamie Hageman:
Cunning plan!
John Cunningham instructed, along with Dick Peart and Derek Walker on a climbing course for Cheshire school kids in 1979, my first exposure to ‘real’ climbing and a total life changer. I may have got it wrong, but I think it was John who got me making him roll ups while he drove the minibus. Different times!! Great memories.
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In reply to dread-i:
> They obviously didnt get to the top, but its a great read. In fact there are several books by Shipton, Tillman and Smythe from that era. They make me want to gather some officers (British), several hundred porters, 50 yaks and an train of elephants and set off into the unknown.
Sounds great, can I come along too? Not so sure about the elephants though - wasn't that Hannibal's expedition?
In reply to Jamie Hageman:
Was that the trip where he had a half sleeping bag with no bottom in it? Half the night with his legs in it, and half with his torso.
Or was that a fever dream?
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