HISTORY: A Climber and his Doll- Viekka Gustafson

A climber and his doll you say? Sure, it may sound a little far fetched, but a man by the name of Viekka (pronounced Vay-ka) Gustafson has gone ahead and become such a famous celebrity in his home country of Finland that an action figure of him was created, complete with crampons, ice axes, base camp tent and other accouterments of his trade. This didn't happen overnight, although if you ask many climbers it did. Viekka, at only 31 years of age, is a young climber given his international fame. He, along with Ed Viesturs, has climbed all of the 14 highest peaks in the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. His story parallels that of Viesturs to a great degree as well. Viekka Gustafson is Ed's go to climbing partner and as such they completed many of the 8000er's together, among them Annapurna (26,545 feet), Dhualagiri (26, 794 feet), and Makalu (27,765 feet) just to name a few. What spurred on his fantastic rise in fame? It was a couple of events actually, starting with his birth. Gustafson seems to have been blessed with a body that is remarkably suited to the high altitude realm. He finds that he is nowhere near as labored while in the death zone (the point above 8000 meters) as many other climbers seem to be, even with more acclimatization and training. The other piece to Veikka's success is his almost unbelievable luck. Few climbers in the world have had so many successful summit bids with so few attempts. Weather, snow conditions, his climbing partners and most definitely his physical ability have all played an important role in Viekka's climb to the top of the mountaineering world. As for his partnership with Viesturs, Ed was quick to say that they get along so well due to their values while climbing high mountains. There are points when both feel a connection, similar to what a married couple may feel, where they no longer need to speak to communicate. Rather, they go with the flow so well that each of them knows exactly what the other is thinking. So what of this action figure? In an interview with Mountainzone.com he was quoted as follows:

"Normally toys are violent, there are guns and things, so I was thinking: Why not? If kids can learn something positive from it, if I can be a positive role model, then it's a good thing."

He obviously has the best interest of both his country and its children at heart.

Veikka Gustafson. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veikka_Gustafsson

Potterfield, P. (2005). A Rapid Climb to the Top. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from Mountain Zone's website: http://climb.mountainzone.com/interviews/2000/gustafsson/html/

HISTORY: The Turquoise Goddess

They year was 1954 and for the first time in the history of Himalayan 8000 meter peaks there were two expeditions on the same mountain at the same time vying for position to be the team to nab the first ascent of Cho Oyu (26,906 feet) the Turquoise. The mountain was named for the huge faces of snow and ice which would glow with a turquoise sheen in the right lighting. Lying approximately 18 miles west of Mount Everest, this mountain had been scouted and used as a training ground for Everest expeditions with names such as Sir Edmund Hillary climbing her slopes in order to prepare for the higher peaks yet never reaching the top of their training mountain. So it was in 1954 that an Austrian expedition led by Herbert Tichy took up the challenge of climbing the worlds 6th highest peak. They, as previously stated, were not the only ones though. A joint team of Swiss and French mountaineers were also working up the mountain alongside Tichy's team. So what set these two expeditions apart? The simple answer is climbing style. The Swiss-French team was using techniques that were classic examples of those used during the time period. Heavy loads, many camps, excessive amounts of gear and plenty of logistical support in the form of porters and Sherpas. This method had worked fine as there had never been competition for a peak like there was for Cho Oyu. The Austrian team, perhaps without even knowing, gave themselves a great advantage. There were a only 3 climbers and 3 Sherpas. What this did for the team was force them to go light, leave what they didn't need, and not waste great deals of time ferrying loads from low camps to high camps. It was, in fact, the beginnings of alpine style climbing, although not in the purest sense as we often see it today. They did set up camps above where they were staying and moved up to them. This served to their advantage, however, when they were able to make a minimal amount of trips between their camps. Tichy did suffer for his efforts though. He was cold, tired, frostbitten, and yet he continued on through sheer moral and physical effort. In the post-monsoon climbing season, on October 19, 1954, The Austrian team was the first to reach the summit of the Turquoise Goddess. There may be some contention to this fact, however. Cho Oyu has a very unique feature at the summit. There is a very large, very flat snowfield with one particular rock that is approximately six feet above the rest of the snow field. Did they find rock and stand atop it? Being experienced Austrian alpinists it is believed they would have noticed this and completed a true summit, but even to this day mountaineers will miss the extra six feet and claim a summit that may not rightfully be theirs.

Of even greater interest is the more recent history of Cho Oyu. This mountain, due to its less than technical qualities (it is often climbed completely unroped) it has become a favorite peak for climbers seeking the 8000 meter experience without all of the 8000 meter danger. Altitude becomes the only enemy rather than avalanches, technical climbing, and steep and exposed sections. Cho Oyu could easily be labeled a walk in the park for many climbers of the world. It is this quality that has attracted a new type of climber to the Himalayan peaks as well. Ski mountaineers, those who climb to the top of mountains to ski down them, have found a special place with Cho Oyu. It's long and wide chutes provide an amazing opportunity for longer ski runs although it has been said that the snow is very sub-par, often crusted, pocked, and very windblown with a pretty high potential for small avalanches.

Cho Oyu. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Oyu

Facts about Cho Oyu. (October 2009). Retrieved May 4, 2010, from Peak Promotions website: http://www.peakpromotionnepal.com/expedition/cho_oyu_2010.php

Cho Oyu: by Favor of the Gods. (n.d.). Retrieved May 4, 2010, from Chessler Books website: http://www.chesslerbooks.com/item/3875-cho-oyu-by-favor-of-the-gods-herbert-tichy-1957-1st-uk-edition-no-dj.asp

Cho Oyu: Tibet's Turquoise Goddess (n.d.) Retrieved May 4, 2010, from American Alpine Institute website: http://www.aai.cc/cho_oyu_article/

HISTORY: Ed Viesturs and Endeavor 8000

The year was 1994 and Ed Viesturs decided it was time to move on. With three 8000 meter summits under his belt (Everest twice, K2, and Kangchenjunga) and a a single long term sponsor (Mountain Hardwear), Ed set out on Endeavor 8000, his epic adventure to climb the fourteen highest peaks in the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. It is an elite club of climbers that have achieved this incredible feat of mountaineering and each year people die while attempting it. In April of that same year Viesturs set off on his endeavor reaching his first summit since his declaration, Lhotse (27,940 feet) on May 16, 1994. Shortly after the monsoons receded from the Himalaya in 1994 he checked his 5th 8000 meter peak of his list with his ascent of Cho Oyu (26,906 feet), reaching the peak on October 6. Working steadily toward his goal and with building momentum and sponsorship, Viesturs was able to summit three mountains in 1995. Makalu (27,766 feet) was completed on May 8th. His next peaks of 1995 kicked off what Ed would come to call a "twofer" where he could use one expedition to climb two mountains. Gasherbrum II (26,360 feet) was checked off on July 4th and Gasherbrum II (26,470 feet) was ascended just days later on July 15th using alpine style. The next few years were fraught with hardship for Ed, with many attempts but few summits, none of which counted towards Endeavor 8000. Important to note, however, was that Viesturs was on Everest during the 1996 disaster which took the lives of 8 climbers, many of whom Ed knew personally. He was the head guide and leading role of the IMAX Everest team and movie. It wasn't until 1999 that Viesturs was able to knock another summit off his list, again using his now tested "twofer" method. Manaslu (26,781 feet) was the first to fall on April 22. Shortly after, again using alpine style, Ed knocked out Dhaulagiri (26,795 feet). Shishapangma (26,289 feet) was summited on April 30, 2001 after a failed attempt in 1993. 2003 brought two summits to be realized by Viesturs, Nanga Parbat (26,660 feet) on June 23 and Broad Peak on July 15 after a prior attempt on each mountain. Endeavor 8000 was finally fulfilled in 2005. Annapurna (26,545 feet), a mountain which had turned Viesturs away two times before due to weather and avalanche conditions, was finally summited on May 12, 2005. On that day he became the first American to climb all of the 14 highest peaks in the world and one of only10 people in the world to do it without supplemental oxygen.

Ed Viesturs. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Viesturs

Viesturs, E. (2010). Ed Viesturs: High Altitude Adventurer. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from Ed Viestur's website http://www.edviesturs.com/

Viesturs, E. (2006) No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks. 1st ed. Broadway Publishing, 2006. Print.

HISTORY: K5, the Hidden Peak

The year was 1856 when T.G. Montgomery spotted it. When he saw the peak he was still 200 kilometers away and had no idea of the true remoteness that was before him. It was during the Great Trigonometric Survey of India that the mountains of the Karakoram were first documented in detail and given basic names for the purpose of mapping. Thus, the world was given K5 (26,509 ft), the 11th tallest mountain in the world and the 3rd tallest in Pakistan, it's K5 designation coming from the fact that it was the 5th peak of the Karakoram that was spotted by Montgomery. It was not until 1892 that K5 received a more appropriate name for the masses, Hidden Peak. Hidden peak was named by mountaineer, explorer and map maker Martin Conway who was subsequently knighted for his surveying efforts in Pakistan. He cited the mountain's great remoteness as the reason for the name. There is no doubt to all who attempt climbing in the Karakoram that the peaks are very, very remote. The mountain stood idle until an international expedition was organized by the Swiss in an attempt to scout and climb the mountain. Two years later an expedition, mounted by the French, made the second attempt on the mountain. They also failed to reach the summit, reaching a new high on the mountain at 22,630 ft before being forced off the mountain. It wasn't until 1958 that the peak was finally realized, this time by an American team. It was Andy Kauffman and Pete Schoening who became the first humans to climb to the top of what would come to be known as the "beautiful mountain" or, left untranslated as Gasherbrum I. Of special interest in this first ascent is a little known fact that the summit team was forced to use makeshift snow shoes to complete the ascent. Using crampons and plywood from food boxes the pair rigged their snowshoes and completed the task at hand, signaling their success from the summit with small mirrors they carried with them. Gasherbrum's history doesn't end with the first ascent, however. It was 1975 and Gasherbrum I was the latest undertaking of Reinhold Messner, world famous climber. Inspired by limited success of an Austrian team on Broad Peak, Messner decided that the best way for him to climb Gasherbrum was in pure alpine style. He and his partner, having only 200 kg of gear between them and 13 kg of gear during the actual climbing, took 3 days to complete their new route. It was the first time in history that an 8000 meter peak had been climbed in pure alpine style.

Clinch, N. (1982). A Walk in the Sky. Mountaineers Books

Corax. (2010, January 29). Gasherbrum 1. Retrieved May 3, 2010 from Summit Post website: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/152035/gasherbrum-i.html

Remembering Gasherbrum I: the first ascent of an 8000 meter peak. (2006) Retrieved May 3, 2010, from Gasherbrum I website: http://www.gasherbrum1.org/

Gasherbrum I. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasherbrum_I

Martin Conway. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Martin_Conway

HISTORY: Into Thin Air

With the date of May 10 just around the corner I feel it is important to take note of one of the most spectacular missteps of Himalayan mountaineering to date. I speak of the disaster on Mt. Everest which occurred May 10, 1996. It was on this day that a set of events unfolded that led to disaster and disarray all over Everest and eventually ended in the deaths of 8 climbers from three expeditions. Analysis has shown one common cause throughout the whole situation-Human error. The delays for the Adventure Consultants team (led by Rob Hall) and the Mountain Madness team (led by Scott Fischer) started shortly after their departure from camp IV on the South Col of Everest. Along certain steps of Everest it is typical to have fixed lines set for ascension by the Sherpas prior to the climbers reaching them. On this day the, as the guides and clients were reaching "the balcony", the Sherpas were still working on fixing the lines. Again, at the "Hillary Step" the clients and guides found they would need to fix the ropes themselves. Now, these delays in and of themselves did not cause the disaster, they did however play an important and ultimately fatal role. Climbers of high peaks carry oxygen bottles, each carefully regulated to assure that a climber will not run out prior to reaching camp or the next cache of bottles. With all the delays encountered it is easy to see how the guides' carefully crafted formula for O2 consumption could go bad. With oxygen in short supply it is difficult to move at the speeds necessary to reach the summit of Everest and return to camp. Also, it is much more difficult for the body to retain heat at such altitudes with out supplemental O2. The teams did reach the summit, although it was much later than expected and accepted by climbers of the high peaks. All of these factors combined made a recipe for disaster, all that it needed was the spark to ignite it. That spark came in the form of a blizzard. High winds, freezing cold, lack of oxygen, whiteout conditions...all of these came together on that night and trapped many climbers above camp IV and deep within the death zone. There were many stories of struggle from that night from all sides of the mountain. Acts of heroism, acts questioned, and acts of heartbreaking consequence. When the storm yielded and climbers were again able to go up and search for the missing it was realized that there was little hope. One of the few who was able to ride out the night and survive until the next morning was Rob Hall. It is the story of Rob which has captured the true heartbreak of Mount Everest. He did all he could to get down. His oxygen mask was choked with ice, which he fixed. His hands and feet were terribly frostbitten, which he worked through as best he could. He finally found himself unable to manipulate the fixed lines and eventually was forced to sit and rest. This is when he radioed to base camp and requested that they get his wife, Jan Arnold, on the satellite phone. Rob helped pick a name for his yet unborn child and reassured his wife that all would be well, ending his final conversation with his wife by saying "Sleep well my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much." With that, Rob Hall passed away. As stated there are many books and accounts of that day, the most famous being Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" but there is also Beck Weather's book "Left for Dead" and Lene Gammelgaard's "the Climb". Some events are also mentioned in Ed Viestur's book "No Shortcuts to the Top".

In memory of May 10, 1996 and the lives lost that day:

Doug Hanson (United States)

Andrew Harris (New Zealand)

Yasuko Namba (Japan)

Rob Hall (New Zealand)

Scott Fischer (United States)

Subedar Tsewang Samanla (India)

Lance Naik Dorje Morup (India)

Tsewang Paljor (India)

1996 Everest Disaster. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 29, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Everest_disaster#List_of_fatalities

HISTORY: The Mallory Controversy

George Mallory is an oft overlooked figure in the realm of Himalayan mountaineering, overshadowed by figures such as Maurice Herzog and Sir Edmund Hillary. What is astonishing, however, is that his final and fatal attempt on Mount Everest (29,029 ft.) could also have been the peaks first recorded ascent. It is generally accepted by the Himalayan mountaineers and records keepers that Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to reach the summit of Everest, along with his Sherpa and friend Tenzing Norgay in 1953 with that years British Expedition. Few people are willing to accept that this could be a historical inaccuracy. In 1924 George Mallory was well on his way to the summit of Everest. At some point during his summit bid (it is unknown to this day exactly when) he vanished along with other members of his climbing team and could not be found. Enter the 1975 Chinese expedition on Everest. Climbers of the expedition reported that one of their members had found what was described as "a British dead" at 26,570 ft. or about 8100 meters but no further attempts could be made to ascertain more information on the body. The issue left unsolved until 1999 when the Mallory and Irvine Research expedition made their attempt to reach the reported body and identify the remains. Sure enough, some 300 feet below an ice axe that was found in 1933 and reported to be that of Andrew Irvine, a member of the expedition and another lost climber, they found the remains of a British expedition climber. Upon Rolling the body they discovered that it was not the body of Irvine that they had discovered, but rather the remains of George Mallory. The remains were remarkably well preserved which is, in part, what led to the controversy. It was said that Mallory always carried a photo inside his jacket which he planned to place on the summit of Everest when he reached it. Although all of his other forms of paper documentation were found intact, there was no picture found. This led speculators to believe there was a good chance that Mallory had in fact reached the summit as the picture would have been found on him otherwise. Another item that led to the belief that Mallory would have been the first to the top was his snow goggles. They were found in his inside jacket pocket, presumably put there during a night descent. Given the circumstances of the expedition it would be unusual for these not to be worn, unless of course he was descending from the summit during the night. Given known departure dates from camp it COULD be possible that Mallory had reached the summit before his fatal plunge down the snow and ice of Everest. That's right, fatal plunge, not fall, not avalanche, not freezing...plunge, and how can we surmise this? Found in Mallory's head was a golf ball sized puncture wound which was viewed as being very similar to that which would be made by an ice axe. It is thought (and widely accepted) that in an attempt to self arrest the axe broke loose from its purchase in the snow and stabbed Mallory in his head while he was attempting to save his rope mate Andrew Irvine. We will likely never know exactly what unfolded before George Mallory and Andrew Irvine but the mystery is an intriguing one. Perhaps some day, beneath the snow and ice on the summit of the highest peak of the world we will find a picture of the Mallory family, frozen in time but rewriting history nearly a century later.

George Mallory (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory

Edmund Hillary (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 28, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Hillary

HISTORY: The hardest route on the hardest mountain; K2's Russian Route

There are a great deal of routes on a great deal of mountains in the Himalaya, nobody would deny that. There is, however, some routes that seem to defy the possible and surpass what anyone would have dreamed possible in the high altitude setting. One such route is the Russian Route up the west face of K2 (28,251 feet) in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan. This route, newly established in 2007, was a wonder of modern mountaineering. Battered by weather and near vertical pitches of rock and ice, the Russian team, led by Pavel "Pasha" Shabalin, forged their way through 7 camps to the summit of K2 on August 21, 2007. Climbing reached as difficult as 5.10 on the way to the top, completed entirely without oxygen and entirely in stiff, insulated mountaineering boots. The team spent nearly two and a half months fixing lines, ferrying supplies, constructing camps, and ultimately reaching the second highest peak in the world following a strict ethic of no oxygen for anything but medical purposes or emergencies. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the whole expedition was the age that these climbers. The superstars of Russian mountaineering who undertook this expedition were quite old for a route so demanding, 3 of them grandfathers and all of them raised in the former Soviet Union. Age, it seems, is no reason not to climb.

Shabalin, P. (2007) K2: The Russian Route. Alpinist 23, 44-51