THE EVEREST ASSAULT

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 18

THE EVEREST ASSAULT

Factors Whidh. Make the Task Difficult

Two attempts are about to be made to conquer Mount Everest, one in aeroplanes and one by climbers. The.former, now under way, is being made by Group Commander Fellowes and the Marquess of Clydesdale, flying Westland aeroplanes fitted with Bristol Pegasus engines—a similar type to that in which Captain Cyril Uwins recently ascended to eight and a half miles thus setting a new world record. The aim of the airmen is to take photographs of the summit of the mountain and of the surrounding glaciers and peaks. That of the climbers who follow this attempt is to plant foot on top of the mountain for the first time.

The climbers are restricted by circumstances to a limited period. There is only one month in 'the year when it is possible to make a successful assault on the mountain, and that is between early May and early June. In' other words, the assault on Everest largely develops into a race with the south-west monsoon, which arrives about the early, part of June. Until the monsoon comes the northern slopes of the Himalayas are swept by dry cold winds, and although these conditions induce intense cold and fatigue in the climbers, the mountains are safe for climbing. As soon as the warm and humid south-west wind arrives, however, thawing sets in, the snow begins to loosen, and tho avalanche becomes a real danger. On the other hand, the climbers must leave their attempt to the last moment before the advent of summer, because to reach the mountain, there are no fewer than'six high passes to be crossed at an :average elevation of 17,000 ft. Although in April probably only a few inches of snow will be-found on the passes;; the cold is intense, and the effort and fatigue in crossing these heights cost the climbers dear.

Taking all the circumstances into consideration, therefore, the most propitious time to climb Everest is in May and Juno, and this explains why all the preceding expeditions _ have launched; the attack at that time of tho year. .

Then there is the direction of the attack, which is to be made from the north. The south side of Everest is a tremendous ice face, impregnable and unscalable. When the airmen fly over the mountain, they will approach from the south side and fly above and over this tremendous wall of sheer precipice, but to the climbers it offers an impossible approach.

On the north side of the mountain, however, the approaches are more gradual and previous exploration has shown that there is a feasible route via a great glacier, known as the Eongbuk. That is the only', known passage to the summit, and it is up this glacier that the previous three expeditions made their ascent. There are actually two glaciers, the Eongbuk and the East

Eongbuk, and it is the latter which has now become a well-worn trail to the summit.

In the course of the expeditions that have been made in past years, a complete revolution in the technique of climbing has been effected. Formerly it was thought that the best way to win to the summit was by forming a base camp as high as possible, thence making a dash for it. But now ,all that is changed.

It was found that climbers could become acclimatised to the effects of high altitude if they adopted a slow but sure piecemeal attack. It was found, too, that as each stage upwards was progressively attacked, and each camp and bivouac established, as the days passed the climbers lost their mountain sickness, their snow blindness, the fearful lassitude and inertia and the accompanying difficulty in breathing. But it was found, too, that as the last stages were approached, nothing could overcome the great mental and physical strain of the laborious toiling upwards. By adopting Polar methods or relay parties, it was made possible for the actual climbers to have their porterage and other tasks carried out for them by supporting parties,- but even so, the question of breathing , and fatigue had to be met, and it^ was met by the of oxygen flasks. '

The flasks themselves were rather heavy, and some people thought the exertion of carrying them more than counterbalanced the benefit which the climbers derived from the oxygen.' But the new expedition is equipped with the latest and most convenient form of oxygen breathing apparatus, a great improvement on that carried by former expeditions. ■'.-■..

The task of establishing the base camp at about 22,000 ft will be carried out by porters who have taken part in previous expeditions. On the last expedition, when Irvine and Mallory lost their lives when at or near the summit, the last camp, No. 5, was pitched at 27,000ft—2000ft from the top. This year, despite the failures of the past, it is believed that the expedition will reach the summit without fail. .

A successful assault on Mount Everest demands, as experiences of previous expeditions have ' shown, the highest i mental and physical powers. In this respect it bears a close parallel to the tremendous efforts and exertions of Captain E. TP. Scott and his companions to reach their depot in Antarctica. Like the Scott party, the last expedi; tion lost two of its members, Mallory and Irvine, who were last seen climbing the upper slopes near the summit. The expedition this year is commanded by Mr. H. S. Euttledge, and includes picked men who have already demonstrated their capacity for endurance and effort in ' direst extremity.