BECAUSE IT IS THERE!!. Review on Everest : A Mountaineering History - Walt Unsworth

Mount Everest <b/>has been a target for explorers and mountaineers since the late 1870's, and was first scaled on 29th MAY 1953 by a British Expedition making Edmund Hillary & Sherpa Tenzing Norgay instant celebrities worldwide, but the real story of how the mountain was scaled after repeated failures is compiled in this awe inspiring work by WALT UNSWORTH (with research done by the famous Everest Historian Audrey Salkfield). An astonishing amount of trivia on the saga of climbing Everest leaps out at you from the pages; these include letters & excerpts from the books of mountaineers who tried to get to the TOP OF THE WORLD. It’s also a virtual history of the great mountaineers of the previous century and their struggle with the mountain “It’s more like WAR then Mountaineering, this time I don’t expect to return”– prophetic words by Mallory, and it’s true that the brave souls who tread on the mountain itself were up against a formidable adversary and faced enormous Difficulties due to the savage weather, storms, snow conditions and jet stream winds.

Unsworth's research shows through the various verbatim letters he quotes from dating back to 1875 and gives a detailed account of the first forays by parties of British Mountaineers & Surveyors through the hinterland of TIBET to reach the mountain.

The initial 1921 reconnaissance & the accounts of the expeditions of 1922 & 1924 make the best read in the whole book itself, it is thoroughly engrossing peppered by letters written by Sir Francis Younghusband, General Bruce, Hinks, Edward Norton, Howard-Bury the men whose efforts resulted in the initial work for the ascent. The accounts and personal letters of George Leigh Mallory {the man whose name will be forever linked to Mount Everest} give an insight to the hardships faced by these pioneers who bravely “WALKED OFF THE MAP”. The accounts of the 1924 expedition, which EDWARD NORTON led and during which Mallory and Andrew ''SANDY'' Irvine were lost somewhere above 8,400 meters during the summit attempt and of Noël Odell’s last sighting of the two climbers moving “expeditiously”, high on the mountain are tantalizing clues to their eventual fate.

The scenarios of what would have happened to them up there where no man had tread before, ensured that there were many who thought they had indeed climbed the mountain first and died during the descent. The debate rages on still. DID THEY SUCCEED IN CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN?? I guess even with the discovery of George Mallory's body in 2002 the mystery remains unsolved.

Unsworth's writing is simple and easy to get entranced in the way he describes the failures again in 1933, 1935, 1938 (Eric Shipton & Frank Smythe, Percy Wyn Harris, Bill Tillman) and the inner workings of the highly Victorian EVEREST COMITTEE gives an insight into the differences between the climbing fraternity of the Alpine Club & The Royal Geographic Society and the question of the use of Oxygen to assist the climbers and the glory sought by each mountaineer who put foot on the mountain, reflect the other side of mountaineering. The fragility of human behavior and the courage required to climb is an anachronism, which often symbolizes the climbing world.

The first ascent was to go to the British and the successful Expedition of 1953, led by John Hunt was like a very well oiled machine. The euphoria of the climb is very exciting and the reader is almost transported to the mountain itself sharing the slog up the Khumbu Icefall, The Western CWM, The Geneva Spur, SOUTH COL, and the South Summit onto the now famous HILLARY STEP, where Hillary says his''solar plexus was tight with fear'' and then finally the summit. The descent and the glourious welcome given to the summit team.

It had taken 8 British Expeditions & 2 Swiss one's before the mountain allowed HILLARY & TENZING to tread the highest point on earth through NEPAL. In the end it took, Mallory's words ''It Was More like War then Mountaineering'' and the best oxygen equipment to climb Everest & the British finally realized his dreams to begin the New Elizabethan Age (the news of the climb was announced on Coronation Day of Queen Elizabeth).

After the first ascent many more expeditions came and went but Unsworth covers only the significant ones, which contributed to the annals of mountaineering history (like the first traverse by the Americans in 1963 Tom Hornbein & Willy Unsoeld climbing to the top through the WESTERN RIDGE & Hornbeins’s Coulior). The Indian Expeditions of 1960 & 1962 - when the Indians had to turn back a mere 400 feet from the top, but in 1965 they put 9 people on top which was to stay a record till almost 30 years. Bachendri Pal's climb too is mentioned with a lot of respect something, which the author doesn't do for some American and International Expeditions, which later came to scale the mountain and often ended in controversy and petty squabbles.

The contribution of the SHERPA community to the eventual ascent and subsequent expeditions is given it's due as without their support and phenomenal stamina and strength to carry loads high up the mountain wouldn't have been climbed.

The other notable climbs mentioned are those of the GREAT REINHOLD MESSIENER (he is the first person to scale all 14, 8,000 meters mountains & who along with PETER HABIELER made the first OXYGENLESS ASCENT (made through the usual route through NEPAL, in 1979. A year later he accomplished perhaps the greatest mountaineering feat ever seen i.e. he climbed the mountain SOLO (he was actually the only man on the mountain) during the monsoon period from a new route both during the ascent & descent & this time from TIBET

It was a truly phenomenal & unparalleled act of courage & determination ever seen in the annals of climbing.

Unsworth reserves special attention to the British Expeditions to climb the South Face and led by the now knighted SIR CHRIS BONNINGTON , whose team first scaled the huge face and set the standards as mountaineering developed from a sport into an industry. The different routes climbed till date 13 in all are mentioned in great detail.

The appendixes and the following statistics of each expedition & each successful climb & the tragic deaths of men who strove to scale this colossus of Rock & ICE known locally as CHOMOLUNGMA ''Mother Goddess of the EARTH''It makes for fascinating reading and it's hard to put down.

In the end Unsworth achieves what he set out for i.e. WHY CLIMB EVEREST?

Mallory said ''BECAUSE IT IS THERE''

Sir Francis Younghusband said IT WILL ELEVATE THE HUMAN SPIRIT''

& the author himself says “No other Mountain inspires the same passion and feeling in a climber because EVEREST is EVEREST”

This book is the next best thing to actually being there and is inspiring and a very good source of trivia and deeds of MEN among MEN, proving that “For those who believe nothing requires explanation & for those who do not believe no explanation is possible”. P.S: Walt Unsworth is a British Writer and has written a lot of books on mountaineering and trekking plus is a famous travel writer. The first edition came out in 1979 and the second in 1989. He has also written a similar history on the highest mountain in EUROPE Mount Blanc A MUST READ!!