On The Hills And Elsewhere
Everest—The Club had the joy of entertaining to dinner in November, 1933, Messrs. Hugh Ruttledge, J. L. Longland, and its Vice-President, F. S. Smythe, and of welcoming them back safe and sound from a great adventure. A year before we had given them a send-off, and had provided 120 ft. of rope ladder for possible use on the awkward bits of the North Col.
Before the climbers reached Tibet we were much interested in the Houston Flight, which was very awkwardly limited by having to promise to keep off the Tibetan side of Everest. Although only the Daily Telegraph, Manchester Guardian, and Glasgow Herald seemed to consider the mountaineering expedition of sufficient news value to pay for its reports, all the other papers ran the flight. The first lot of photographs was very puzzling. It was pretty clear that several mountains were labelled Everest, but one was distinctly Everest from well inside Tibet. When the second flight was made, the idea spread, one of those impressions which will crop up for decades, that the first had never found Everest. The truth seems to be that the Times sent out the pictures with the name attached wherever it seemed to suit,—a newspaper office has to get a move on, or so it thinks—and the recognisable photo appears to have been a 1924 picture.
Now the book is out, one is forced to the conclusion that while magnificent views were obtained of Makalu and Chamlang, nothing equivalent was obtained of Everest, and that topographical ideas for an ascent from the south will have to be gleaned from distant pictures. The strip of verticals reached the lower peak of Lhotse.
We are all familiar with the course of the attack on the great mountain and with Smythe’s great effort alone. The climbers made a great fight and had some very narrow squeaks, but were fairly beaten by conditions on the very peak. lt is a great thing for future attacks that there were no casualties. As reports came through, we gradually gained the impression that Ruttledge’s men were having a particularly bad time, and finally there came a letter from Smythe to the Editor,in which, provoked by jesting references to rash words about cups of tea and Himalayan camping, he described in burning words what he had been through. Most of this letter was circulated to the Club ; I cannot find it, but I remember some striking bits about never being able to stop to eat, and about the unpleasantness of the slabs.
The expedition was well served by its equipment and the courage of its leader in scrapping the cinematograph and the idea of survey work. The first thing is to explore and to get up. The economy of porters created by this bold and criticised action was just enough to carry the expedition through, and the evidence is that but for adequate force and the warm Arctic tents, which even reached the North Col, they would never have been able to stick out the continuous blizzards. Wager’s film with a small camera gives the only truthful picture of movement on a mountain I have ever seen, at its proper pace.
The idea that Everest is easy is exploded; one writer talked about Olympic athletes “ walking up.” Hazard’s views of its difficulty have been proved correct. What a pity he and Odell had no chance of a shot at it ! On its day Everest will go, but it will, like a big new pot-hole, require a fourth, perhaps a fifth, or sixth expedition, to beat the elements, and then fall easily on the second ascent.
Meanwhile the Dalai Lama has died within a year, because of the interference with the spirits of Everest, as the Tibetans must think, and I suppose another expedition is off until something happens in Tibet. Perhaps Nepal, having been complaisant about Kangchenjunga and the flight, may allow approach from the south.
Skye,Sron-na-Ciche,Engineer’sSlant.–(E. H. Sale and D. L. Reed, June, 1932). If one looks at the excellent diagram of Sron-na-Ciche in the S.M.C. Guide to Skye, one will notice a series of parallel lines sloping down the crag from left to right, at an angle (on the diagram) of 45°. Following the line which marks the West Central route, upwards from the foot of the crags, a branch line is seen to diverge to the right, just below the second “n” on the drawing, marking a cleft which rises at a steeper angle than the other, and then bending a little to the left runs to a point near the top of the Amphitheatre Arête, crossing on its way the Arête of the upper part of the West Central Route.
A small cairn marks the foot of the first chimney, reached by scrambling up the easy rocks at the foot of West Central Gully, past the sloping grassy ledge followed by the West Central route, to a corner higher up. The cairn marking the start of the Parallel Cracks Route is lower down. Once up the chimney the way can hardly be missed, as the line of the rift runs straight ahead. After about seven pitches, the Median route is crossed. Above number ten is a ledge for lunch, and the steepness is varied by a short walk between pitches. Here, too, the Zigzag is joined, and two more pitches lead to a ledge above an overhang on the West Central Arête.
From the ledge a traverse into a basalt trough, and a scramble of 100 ft. or so lead to the final chimney, which runs up to the left of Mallory’s Slab and Groove Route, and comes out on the skyline of the Amphitheatre Arête. The problems encountered are of all sorts, chimneys, cracks, and face climbs, but though all are entertaining, there is nothing that can be called severe. (See also S.M.C.J.,Vol.XIX,p.382,etc).
TheAlps.—F. S. Smythe had poor weather in July, 1932, but climbed the Weisse Frau, Blurnlisalphorn, Gspaltenhorn, the very stiff South East Ridge of Baltschieder Jägihorn, Bietschhorn East Face, etc.
E. E. Roberts, driven abroad by hopeless weather at home, had glorious weather in August, ascending Bieshorn, Matterhorn, and Dent Blanche with Smith and Sutcliffe (Gritstone Club), and Allalinhorn with Turnbull (S.M.C.), with the Rawyl Pass walk as finish.
In 1933 F. S. and H. S. Booth, Reed, Cooper, H. L. and F. W. Stembridge went to Arolla, climbed Petite Dent de Veisivi and Pigne d’Arolla, attempted the Za by the face, crossed the Col d’Hérens, and got most of the way up the Trifthorn, all without guides.
Albert Humphreys, besides making the ordinary tour in the Eisriesenwelt, climbed the Gross Glockner over the Pfandlscharte, and the Wildspitze via Partsch Weg.
Norway—W. V. Brown and Beetham in September, 1932, spent five days of cloud at Turtagrö, and having ascended Skagastolstind in despite of conditions, done some of the Dyrhaugstind Ridge, and walked up Fanaraaken, fled home.
Slingsby was also out, but says he did nothing but a huge walk from Fortun, past Turtagrö, over to Krossbu Hut (closed), and on to Bovertun. In 1933 he got up Skagastolstind and some minor peaks, besides doing several big walks in wretched weather.
W. V. Brown and E. E. Roberts had one really sunny day out of eighteen. One chance was lost through a minor accident, and they were only able to do the spikiest, and easiest, peak, Store Riingstind, using crampons on a bare crevassed glacier, with walks in the clouds on to the Soleitind and Fanaraaken. From the Munkegg above Balestrand there was at least a superb fiord view. Norway is an entirely different country to Switzerland. Worthy mountain groups are few and far between. No doubt the climbing would prove first class, but the depths the weather can sound are British; clouds are the curse, not storms. There is little attraction in tramping through dry clouds over stony uplands, but still Norway is for the walker and traveller, not for a climber on a short holiday. Charming valleys, charming people, excellent food but not in the international style.
To-day it has the stupendous advantage of exceeding cheapness, but the Editor will not dare the North Sea again !
OtherHolidays.—Nelstrop has been a tramp in Rheinland, starting at Cologne, and putting up at Youth Hostels along the Rhine and Moselle.
J. K. Crawford, September, 1932, was in Arran, walking along the Goatfell Ridge, and the Ben Nuis-Cir Mhor-Castles Ridge. Last year he was in the Glen Affric and Glen Cannich region and walked up the Larig.
G. Platten made a pretty clean sweep of the Mendip Caves last March; Coral Cave, Denny’s Hole, Eastwater, Read’s, Aveline’s, Plumley’s Den, Piney Sleights, Long Rift, Gough’s beyond the public tour, Green Ore, Shute Sheave, Emborough.
On a camping tour last June, Reed and Goggs bagged Liathach, Ben Eighe, Suilven, Stac Polly, and Shichallion.
There have been many visits to Skye, and it has become known that at some time Sale and J. D. Brown broke the record along the Skye Ridge, seventeen hours in thirsty weather from Garsven to Sgurr nan Gillean.
The Editor, last Easter, accounted for An Gearanach and Garbhanach, Ben Do and Ben Doran, Cruach Ardran and two satellites, and Ben Eunaich by the Black Spout, and at other times Broad Law and Lochnagar.