Himalayan Times (1951)

Bight

iSimu'mjau CTimf«

November 25, 1051

EVERSr, 1951

((continued from page 7)
The photograph* taken by the Mount KuMe-t
Flight in 1933, although tlioy flrw over Nepal
and approached the mountain fn>m tin- south, do
not penetrate this puzzle, sine*' their view was
blocked till the lust moments of tic flight by
the great walls of Everest's satellites, Nuptse. the
West I'enk, and Umtse, the South 1'cak. Hidilei
behind these t wo ties nit extraordinarily high walled
horse-hoe, with it-; narrow open end facing west*
It it tui* horse-hoe, and the possible approach
thrjugh it to a point on the ridge linking I.hot»>>
mtth Evt-rfHt itself, that the I9."t| party will pro-
hably explore.

And there in one further |K(int. wliieh m )k< <
the mountaineer's pulse beat nicker. On the north
side of E*ertal, on which nil a tempt- ha\e go
far been made, the dip of the strata i- tot aga nat •
the Climber. The upp-r linn-tone slubs on 'hi-
face have oft an been ooni pnrajl w it h t he or*

I toping tiles on a roof uii'l th.....nse.juenccs to

the elituber are ohvious: no good ledges, handholds
sloping tlie ntnng way. a general feeling of in-
security, and a type of rock formation which a
few inehes of jwwder snow makes liipjnojjljWi to
t ickle. < 'out rari wise, and with a little geological
luek thrown in, the Sjuth Face strata ought to
l" tilted in favour of the climber hold- should
be the right way up, and the possibility ovist
of good flit ledge*, bn'h for tents and for
anchorage while afenbing. A further argument is
that whereas. on the tioith si'le, lodgement on
the North Col leaves the climber with more than
«W> feet -till to go, the Smth Col-that nick in
the ridge between Llulse and Evep-st— ii nearl>
2H.fHMi feet, with tint iamb wore thua 3t«N f« t
between it and the top of the m.-uutabi.

The other nia ii break with t radii i >n is in
the timing of the e\,i ilition. All previous attempts
have been, planned with the hop* of placing the

assaulting parlies in a |M*ition to att.tcfc the last
2000 feet of K\ere* ji>t h-'fore the summer
nioiifo^m was due to arm \ uu.l the hLVsi elunl s
have »u |ar all been im 1>- in 'ate. May or early
dune. Thf r, asou for thta i ObvioOa, Hon oo> condi-
tions bring a reluitl s< t■ ii kening coverture
of Mow which MHiihoTJ the rock* «'t' the North
Face, leaking climbing hnyoaaib|y lal;> rimi*', and
desperately dangerous b,vaii .* of aval inches.
The f.ict t tat the irriv. of the inonsoon shuts
down BmMt for t ;ie ■ aSOfl WAS i nt le.;r'y
undersirtud by the earlie-t expedition*.

The evidence is therefore thst an attack on
Everest (feting the monsoon, at a iy run o i th.-
North Face, has no chauee of success, |„ view
of the evidence it would certainly Bit he fair to
expect Slii|itoti's small party approaching the moun-
tain by a new route an I attucM i{ it up a la.e
which no tie has s,.oii, to Mooted thia ye.tr. It
is. however, worth noting that we do imt know
either the etfect or tllo du a ion if t he timnsoon

on the nwlK side of Ev> re..t ilntiigli we su-peit
that it is \ r I vy . 1 le :t i . There is
just a ba:e poss iltty t!at o, thai side ofmouu-
t tin the ntettaMn will emu u> an fud earlier; and
Lb«nB i a ltil. fail t m po-dbility that bi;o« ma.'
ctmaohdate on t.os. stuth-ward f.uing .... i- ut
a grentCt height tha.i it dm* o.i tiii .it'i - J-.

In abort) this year'* e ;»e 1 t;<>n must, Lot
fe regarded as a toll dr. ss a'i-nipt t. g«q to the
top. It has a very im|iOria it, ind pro1.ably xery
interesting recuniiai Kmce job to do—the pt^sjhiihu
of a n«*w route towards the t< » *hfch may very
pOittfalO enable » Utter | <it\ (n jet to tta t<ip.

Ahri L*ed frt.nt ,ri;;i'.al , (hii-.he, m UtsigrA'
; Lien] Magu/.inc.)

.Mr. Erie ghiufton, Inn] r of the pr^eut
Expedittdn & his p> rty h v« ntaruMl to Khai-
man lu on Uat in.-t Mi , Shi Lou ictu>ed to say
any tiling to l'rc<s <>n In KxjKniition othct than
that his patty will l a\e tor lingland in next