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.
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".
The Hardest Route on the Hardest Mountain
K2's Russian Route
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 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory
Edmund Hillary (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 28, 2009 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Hillary
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 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Everest_disaster#List_of_fatalities
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 month 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
Remembering the First Ascent
of a
Himilayan 8000 meter peak
of a
Himilayan 8000 meter peak
The date was June 3, 1950. After months of preparation, planning, hiking, scouting and countless other tasks the French expedition team to Annapurna (26,200 ft.), led by Maurice Herzog, reached the summit of an 8000+ meter peak for the first time in the history of mankind. The First to the top was Herzog himself, followed closely by his climbing partner Louis Lachenal. Although they were able to reach the summit they were forced to pay the pricet. Herzog's decision to opt for lighter boots, and the loss of his gloves near the summit allowed frostbite to set in quickly, resulting in extensive amputations on both hands and both feet. So what drove these men to risk both life and limb for a mountain? National Pride, of course! The French were falling behind in the mountain climbing game. Other nations were sending well supplied, well funded expeditions to the Himalayas at the same time with the purpose of scouting new routes and attempting to climb them. What makes the French expedition to Annapurna special is not only the fact that it was the first 8000+ meter peak climbed, it was also the first that was scouted and climbed entirely in one climbing season, a feat not easily repeated, especially in the golden era of mountaineering. For a full account of the expedition check out "Annapurna" written by Maurice Herzog himself. Not only is it fascinating reading, it also contains pictures taken during the expedition.
Herzog, M (1952). Annapurna, first conquest of an 8000-meter peak. New York: Dutton.
