Sacred Summits

[Treeshepherd]

The English had an advantage in the early days of the sport of mountain climbing. They had India and Pakistan as colonies. Of course, the Germans, Italians and French have always had the Alps in their back yard.
A tradition of the climber-philosopher grew in Europe in the early 20th century. Most of the great climbers in history have also been very introspective people, and good writers.

I'm reading the Boardman Tasker Omnibus right now. It's actually 4 books; Savage Arena; Shining Mountain; Sacred Summits; Everest The Cruel Way. Joe Tasker and Peter Boardman were Brits, and scholars, and they pulled some gnarly bad acid routes in the Himalayans during the '70s and early '80s. They were last seen from binoculars as two specks up at 27,000 feet as they passed behind Second Pinnacle on the North-East ridge of Everest.

Anyway, I think I'd like to bag Mt. Shasta this spring. That's a good beginner mountain. Maybe do it again in winter. Eventually work my way up to Ranier??? I don't know. We'll see. My interest for the sport has been pricked. And Mt Shasta can be done in a weekend from here. You can add a day to the trip by taking a snowboard or mountain bike to the slopes.

Anyway, I might type up some portraits of climbers and the 'savage arena' in which their sport takes place.

 

[Treeshepherd]

In 2013, Taliban gunmen executed an international team of 10 climbers at the base of Nanga Parbat. Climbing in Pakistan has skidded to a near halt, though a few people hire armed guards as escorts.

Nanga Parbat is one of the deadliest mountains. It killed 30+ alpinists before it was finally bagged in the 1953 by Austrian Hermann Buhl. Along with K2, (also accessed via Pakistan) it has never been climbed in winter. At 26,600 feet, it's the 9th highest peak in the world.

Albert Mummery (not to be confused with Hillary or Mallory) was on the first expedition to attempt Nanga Parbat in 1895. At that time, he was considered to be the leading climber of his day. But the mountain threw an avalanche on him and his body has still never been found.

Nanga Parbat, one of the deadliest climbs in the sport. Add to that the danger of traveling in Pakistan, and it's nearly become unassailable. It's a shame, partly because an expedition should be about visiting a culture and a people as much as it is about the climb itself.

 

[Treeshepherd]

Tasker bought a 300 pound sterling ($500) Ford van in the 1970's, with his climbing partner, and they ferried over the English Channel and drove it from France to India, through Iran and Pakistan. Fucking A. They drove all the way to Delhi, encountering every possible scam along the way. But, they made it to India, and climbed Dunagari. Tasker's climbing partner lost fingers on that trip, due to frostbite. So, he teamed up with Peter Boardman and got serious. Here is a picture of them getting ready to climb the West Face of Changabang.