Fascinating read. Love the connections you make to writers and literature, and the insights into what motivates these climbers in their lives on and off the mountains, and what we might do in their place.
In my opinion, whether they climbed or not, their work was important, the discovery of the east and west Rangboj glacier, the sufferings and hardships they endured, can it be compared with the 1953 climb of Hilary and Tensing?
Hi Ronald, I liked your article. Mallory Irwin's name is associated with Mount Everest. The team of 1921, 1922 and 1924 are the real heroes of Everest because they were not only explorers but also worthy climbers.
Yes indeed. Mallory with Howard Somervell and Edward Norton in particular, climbing without oxygen to well over 8000m on unexplored ground with very basic equipment.
Very clear account of what we know about the sequence of events. Without more evidence, we can never be certain, and that of course is a big part of the fascination of this story.
Most of us who climb/have climbed will have sometimes pushed on a little past the point at which it wuld be prudent to turn around. There are plenty of other cases where we know this happened on the highest peaks: Buhl on Nanga Parbat for example. He got away with it; others didn't. If Scott and Haston hadn't already found the site for a snow cave and begun digging earlier, would they have survived the night? (Possibly.)
Scott Haston were lucky to find a snow hole site. Mallory and Irvine didn't have snowhole technique and given their natural fibre clothing would have vanishingly small chance of surviving the night. Did they even have a lamp? No moon that night until after midnight.
Fascinating read. Love the connections you make to writers and literature, and the insights into what motivates these climbers in their lives on and off the mountains, and what we might do in their place.
Thanks PJ! Nice for me that the follow-up requires a full rereading of A Room with a View - EM Forster is funnier than I remembered!
That IS nice. Have not read Forster since college. At which time I took it all very seriously, so yes it'd be fun to rediscover the funny Forster. 😊
Very stimulating account of this story, Ronald!
Mark
In my opinion, whether they climbed or not, their work was important, the discovery of the east and west Rangboj glacier, the sufferings and hardships they endured, can it be compared with the 1953 climb of Hilary and Tensing?
Hi Ronald, I liked your article. Mallory Irwin's name is associated with Mount Everest. The team of 1921, 1922 and 1924 are the real heroes of Everest because they were not only explorers but also worthy climbers.
Yes indeed. Mallory with Howard Somervell and Edward Norton in particular, climbing without oxygen to well over 8000m on unexplored ground with very basic equipment.
Very clear account of what we know about the sequence of events. Without more evidence, we can never be certain, and that of course is a big part of the fascination of this story.
Most of us who climb/have climbed will have sometimes pushed on a little past the point at which it wuld be prudent to turn around. There are plenty of other cases where we know this happened on the highest peaks: Buhl on Nanga Parbat for example. He got away with it; others didn't. If Scott and Haston hadn't already found the site for a snow cave and begun digging earlier, would they have survived the night? (Possibly.)
Scott Haston were lucky to find a snow hole site. Mallory and Irvine didn't have snowhole technique and given their natural fibre clothing would have vanishingly small chance of surviving the night. Did they even have a lamp? No moon that night until after midnight.