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MOUNT EVEREST

CHANCES OF EXPEDITION. CAN SUMMIT BE REACHED? (W. P. Crozier in Auckland Herald.) The climbing of Mount Everest is the greatest single feat of exploration and adventure that still remains for man to do. So far on.y pioneering work has been done in the Himalayan ranges. Some of the pioneers are famous men in the annals of climbing, like Mummery, who was swept away by an avalanche on Nanga Parbat, Dr. and Mrs. Workman, who jointly know more of the possibilities of climbing at high altitudes than any man and woman, living or dead, and the Duke of Abruzzi, of the Italian Royal. House, who climbed Mount Elias in Alaska, Ruwenzori in East Africa, and has to his credit the greatest altitude ever yet achieved by man—24,6ooft., which was a bare 500 ft. below the top of Bride Peak in these same Himalayas. One should have said “the greatest mountain altitude.” The aeroplane has passed the mark of 30,000 ft., and judging solely by the experiences of the airmen who reached that height, it would be virtually impossible for anyone to scale Everest, which is just over 29,000 ft. If the conditions of climbing and of flying were the same, the inference would be reasonable, but, as will be seen shortly, they are so different that no firm conclusion can be drawn to the disadvantage of the mountaineer. Some idea of the Himalayan peaks, among which -Everest reigns supreme, may be gathered from the survey of the officers of the Indian Government. In Europe our highest mountain, Mont Blanc, is about 16,000 ft. In the Himalayas, as so far surveyed, there are: 75 peaks over 24,000 ft., 48 peaks over 25,000 ft., 15 peaks .over 26,000 ft., five peaks over 27,000 ft., three peaks over 28,000 ft.

RECONNAISSANCE PARTIES. The reconnaissance parties sent out this last year from the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society discovered, as they believe, that the last 6000 ft. of Everest lies up a snowslope offering no insuperable barrier to the climber—except its growing altitude and the difficulties and dangers which that means. The reconnaissance reached 23.000 ft. The Duke of the Abruzzi on Bride Peak stopped at 24,000 ft. Everest is 29,000 ft. Can that extra 4400 ft. above the Duke of the Abruzzi’s limit be reached? What are the chances? These mountaineers who have come back say that if the attempt were made every year by a properly organised team for a series of years, it would certainly succeed. But they add that in any particular year—and that means in this year, when the attempt is being made—the chances against success are a hundred to one. What, then, are the obstacles? Before the Duke of the Abruzzi's ascent of Bride Peak it would have been thought that the difficulty both of climbing and of sleeping at such an altitude made -Everest unconquerable. But just as “mountain sickness” can ue greatly reduced by careful training ana method on the part of the climbers, so the terrors of much greater heights can be reduced by careful organisation or the stages at which the ascent has to be made. A great deal, one mrgnt almost say everything, depends on the Climber becoming more or less acclimatised as he goes along. For 17 days the Duke of Abruzzi was never below 18,000 ft., and for nine days he was at and about 21,000 ft The successful conquest of Everest will depend in part on the ability of the final party to pitch camp well on the last ridge ana have a little time to become accustomed to the rarer atmosphere in which, as they ascend, the oxygen becomes less and less.

It is elementary physiology that as the* supply of oxygen necessary to the body diminishes, the body meets the emergency by multiplying the red corpuscles which carry the oxygen to the tissues. The more gradual the change, therefore, the more efficiently can the. body produce the red corpuscles, and the less the loss of vital energy.

MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE. Even as it is, the chances on Everest remain precarious. Much hangs on the weather. The Duke of the Abruzzi had one day of fine weather in two weeks. But most of all depends on the climbers being able to start fresh and strong on the last stage. At Bride Peak the duke and his party laid an excellent foundation for the day's labors by pitching camp for 'four nights at heights between 21,000 ft. and 23,000 ft. without suffering from sleeplessness. That achievement was in itself a striking reversal of the personal experiences and the consequent predictions of some distinguished Himalayan climbers. And then during the day. says the chronicler, “they made two steep ascents (at these heights), without lowerirtg the morale, without exaggerated difficulty of breathing, palpitation, or irregularity of pulse, and with no symptoms of headache, nausea, or the like.’’ They were, in short, in such good physical and mental condition and were able to go so slowly that their bodies could sufficiently adapt themselves to the new demands made on them. But even su, a very slight increase of the physical difficulties would have defeated them. Here is a. crucial passage which seriously qualifies the hopeful description which has just been quoted: —“Directly they had to climb with hands as well as feet, great difficulty in breathing became apparent, and their progress was very slow.”

If this was the case between 24,000 ft. and 25,000 ft. it may safely be said that if such climbing is demanded on the last few thousand feet of Everest, that, mountain is not likely to be climbed to the top. The last part of the ascent of Bride Peak is the most illuminating evidence that we possess. It took the duke 11 hours of "strenuous exertion*’ to cover the distance between 22.483 and 24,600 feet—only 2117 feet of vertical .ascent. But in the last 320 ft. only IdOft. were climbed per hour.

Now if steep climbing, “with hands as well as feet,” reduced progress to about 50 vertical yards per hour at a height of only 24,500 feet, and if. as is admittedly the ease, the physical weakness of the climbers increased with every vard. what would be the chances of conquering the 29,000 ft. of Everest if there were any serious ascent of that kind to be made in the last 4000 feet? The historian of Bride Peak declares that the figures which I have given "confirm the opinion that, unless I There are snow-slopes to march upon, the hi; icst summits of the earth will

never be conquered, as the climbing of rocks is, too exhausting at the low atmospheric pressure of great altitudes.” The reconnaissance party which believes that is has discovered “the way reports favorably in tuis

respect. It believes that from 23,000 ft. to 29.000 ft. is the sort of snow slope that makes success theoretically possible. Why, then, are the chances a hundred to one against, success in any given year? Because there are so many possibilities of adverse conditions. The snow slope which thby have hopefully prospected from below may be vastly more difficult than it looks.

Then again, no one can say witn confidence what effect the lack of oxygen may have beyond 25.000 ft. It may be much more serious than anyone supposes. If one member of the party collapses, the Others will be compelled to bring him Lack—even carry him back, and it may tax all their strength and will-power to do that alone and escape with their lives. t'nfavorable weather may easily by itself be fatal to their hopes. They have only a limited time available for the climb, and they must be able not only to carry their camps up high, but also to avoid being rushed in the last stages. A little bad luck in the way of prolonged hign winds or blizzards, especially in those last few thousand feet when it will be touch-and-go whether the body can hold out to the end, and their chances will be small indeed. It is not easy to over-estimate the hardness of the task. Yet there is good reason to hope that its fulfilment is humanly possible, and if that is so, fulfilled it will be. thanks to the accumulated experience and the resolute will of man.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19220418.2.65

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1922, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,393

MOUNT EVEREST Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1922, Page 8

MOUNT EVEREST Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1922, Page 8

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