Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Alex was 28 when he died, so young his life was little more than a preface, but a
preface to what? Alex thought he knew. Just before we left Kathmandu to go to An-
napurna, he completed an article for the
Karrimor Technical Guide
for 1983 -
Karrimor then being among the leading outdoor brands. I have a picture of Alex
sifting through the many sheets he had written by headtorch during a power cut at
the Lhotse Hotel. He was doing a final 'cut and paste' of the article, which meant
just that, cutting bits out and sticking them at a more appropriate place in the text,
or writing a new paragraph by hand and gluing it over the old one.
With uncanny foresight the equal of anything in H. G. Wells, he predicted
changes in modern mountaineering and a revolution in worldwide communica-
tions. Here is the first of his predictions, right at the beginning of the article: 'As
we pack our gear for our attempt on Annapurna south face, we do so in the sure
knowledge that one day, in the not too distant future, some lad will be packing half
as much or less and setting off to climb the wall in a time beyond our comprehen-
sion, backed by a methodology and an understanding of the environment that we
do not have today. Our lightweight sacks will be like dinosaurs. The Himalaya will,
for a few at least, become an alpine playground, while the waiting millions watch!'
In 2013, the Swiss alpinist Ueli Steck soloed a significantly more difficult line to
the right of the British buttress directly to the summit on the south face, up and
down in twenty-eight hours. Steck, dubbed the Swiss Machine, sets speed records
on routes almost every time he steps on a mountain and millions really do watch
films of these ascents on YouTube and television. Such an ascent would have been
impossible in 1982 with the equipment of the day. And Steck has achieved the
highest standards of modern athletic fitness. There are no Olympic events for
climbers, but he is the only gold medallist when it comes to soloing eight-thou-
sanders. Even by the generally very high standards of modern mountaineering,
active climbers today find Steck's achievements amazing.
The gap between a very good climber and an exceptional climber like Steck is
much greater today than it was in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then climbers soloed
routes in the Alps to improve their skills and efficiency. It was training to learn to
move fast on similar ground in the Himalaya. Setting a speed record wasn't part of
the equation. Now speed has become almost a separate sport within mountaineer-
ing. It puts the experience into a new dimension. There is little to reflect on when
writing about a two and a half hour ascent of the Eigerwand. Stopwatches and
sponsors dilute the mystique. And yet what does Steck himself say about his
achievement? 'I am not a better climber than Anderl Heckmair. This is just a dif-
ferent style in a different era.'
