Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On 24 May they left base camp for the south-west face. Alex wrote, 'there was now
a total unity of purpose. Nothing existed to distract us from the climb; no more
ruthless decisions had to be made and problems of calendarisation, of ambition, of
ego had now vanished. Individual method and madness were being channelled in-
to a united drive, the variety of skills and experience in our three-man team could
be collectively pitted against the wall … '
The approach took them to the extreme right-hand end of the face. From there,
to avoid losing altitude, they traversed a dangerous icefall beneath a seemingly
endless ice cliff. It was a huge risk, especially for Nick who had agreed to carry
some of the equipment and food to the bottom of the face. He would have to re-
trace his steps alone. A number of blocks of falling ice missed them; only Nick was
hit a glancing blow. Alex described this traverse as 'gambling time and effort
against the prospects of infinity.'
That night, in perfect weather, the team made the decision to lighten the loads
they were planning to take on the face by eating half the food they had brought
with them. At seven the next morning, they began the ascent.
They made remarkable progress the first day, although tempers flared once again
when Doug decided to climb a rock rib to the left of the ice couloir that Roger and
Alex climbed. Doug shouted across suggesting the pair leave the 'boring' couloir
and join him on the rocky rib. Alex took that as contempt for those who preferred
the ice and shouted insults were exchanged, back and forth from their chosen me-
dia. Roger joined Doug while Alex continued alone up improving ice and was soon
ahead of the pair now struggling on steep compact rock. He sat and ate a Mars bar
and watched with amusement as the others eventually made a difficult re-entry in-
to the couloir. Doug's detour proved to be the hardest technical climbing of the en-
tire climb. It had also cost the team valuable time. But as Doug later pointed out,
Alex had conveniently forgotten that the trio had agreed before they went onto the
face that the rib would avoid the danger of stones falling down the couloir, and it
would also be kinder on Doug's gammy ankles.
Reunited, they made rapid progress to the bottom of the rock barrier that barred
the way to the upper half of the mountain. To make up for his earlier mistake,
Doug took over and led them up the intricate and demanding rock and mixed
ground. The other two climbed together while Doug belayed, Alex taking extra care
not to dislodge rock or ice onto Roger below him. When the pair arrived at the top
of the final rock pitch, Doug quipped: 'Well youths, you seem to have managed to
second that almost as fast as the old man led it.'
In the dusk, they managed to make a fairly level area at the bottom left of the up-
per couloir. Doug failed on the first effort to erect Alex's recently designed tent, so
