Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1978 - South buttress of Changabang: with Voytek Kurtyka, John Porter and
Krzysztof Zurek
1980 - Dhaulagiri east face: with Jerzy Kukuczka, Voytek Kurtyka and René
Ghilini
1982 - West ridge of Pangma Ri: with Roger Baxter-Jones and Doug Scott
1982 - Shisha Pangma's south-west face: with Roger Baxter-Jones and Doug
Scott
1982 - East buttress of Tarke Kang: with René Ghilini and John Porter
All of Alex's ascents were made in a lightweight style developed on the back of his
remarkable ascents in the Alps at the start of this same period. These included the
Bonatti Pillar on the Dru, the second ascent of the Bonatti-Zapelli on the Grand
Pilier d'Angle, the first ascent of the Colton-MacIntyre on the Grandes Jorasses
and the first alpine-style ascent of the Eiger Direct. Alex also climbed several bold
new routes in the Andes in 1979, recorded later in this topic, and made two failed
attempts on the west face of Makalu in 1981.
Many excellent ascents from mountaineers from around the world took place
during this same period, although most continued to use traditional expedition
tactics. However, another new trend above 8,000 metres was shaping how
climbers thought about the future of mountaineering. Reinhold Messner, having
climbed Everest with Peter Habeler in 1978 without using bottled oxygen, returned
to Everest in 1980 to make a solo ascent of the north ridge, again without oxygen
and during the monsoon. That had a worldwide impact. Several eight-thousanders
had been climbed without oxygen by 1980, but what more could be possible? Oth-
ers would soon climb much more technical routes above 8,000 metres, but it was
Messner who added solo without oxygen to the list of possibilities.
Most climbers agreed that going light and without oxygen brought elegance to
any big mountain challenge. It was a particularly attractive proposition for a
younger - and consequently poorer - generation of British climbers. Oxygen was
extremely expensive. It required many more porters to get it to the mountain and
Sherpa support once you got it there. For these reasons it was dismissed as an op-
tion by the younger generation.
Peak fees were not nearly as expensive then as they are today, but eight-thou-
sanders were still costly in terms of time, which, in the Himalaya as anywhere else,
means money. More time was needed to acclimatise above 7,500 metres and
therefore more food and fuel were needed and more porters to carry the necessary
provisions for those extra weeks. Those extra porters required more porters to
