Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For their climbing rope, the three had chosen to take only one sixty-metre 8.2
millimetre rope. Alex described this as 'quite adequate'. Others might feel that on
such a big face, this left little scope for hard technical climbing and the possibilities
of rope damage if there was a serious fall or falling rock. With three climbers, the
leader conventionally went first on a double rope and the two following climbed on
a single rope. This is common practice but not without its dangers on such technic-
al ground.
Alex explained the reason for their retreat: 'I am not out to lose toes on a death
or glory push. I hope to go to the Himalaya time and again, and that does temper
your drive. You have to avoid situations where you might get through, but get
things chopped off in the end. I am not into heroics.'
It was several weeks before I got together with Alex after Makalu. When we met,
he seemed much calmer and relaxed. I decided that Sarah was making a real dif-
ference to his life.
Alex had been hit by a rock during the long descent on Makalu. Fortunately it
was a glancing blow and his helmet took most of the shock. He had come home
and fallen into Sarah's arms, a wounded animal needing care. He told her several
times how being hit had really freaked him out. Sarah was a little perplexed. Alex
seemed a different person to the cocky immortal that had left for the mountain
three months before. There was, for a short time, a reversal of roles; Sarah had to
deal with Alex's uncertainties. Up until now it had been he who had to deal with
her occasional depression and lack of confidence.
'That was when Alex would draw things out of me, and make me feel better just
by talking, by doing things.' But now in her new role, when Sarah tried to laugh it
off, Alex became very angry. He told her she had no idea how serious it had been.
She realised he was depressed.
'He told me it was the first time he had ever known depression: “Now I under-
stand what it's like.” Normally he got angry with people who were unhappy or de-
pressed. He thought it was all self-inflicted and they just had to pull themselves
out of it. But now he had a new perception.'
Then one morning, he woke up as if a single night had transformed him. He was
back to his normal self and said: 'Let's go do something right now.'
Sarah continued: 'when things seemed low, that's what Alex always did, go do
something then and there, no more moping. He tried to fight it, but we all knew
down deep Alex was a kind-hearted person.'
Being very kind to Sarah now seemed to extend to his entire group of friends. His
caustic nature disappeared for a while.
