Summit Fever

by Andrew Greig

  So what’s it all about? Why do climbers climb, why did I do it, what does it mean? Somehow I no longer want to talk or think about it. I’d begun climbing eager to analyse my companions, myself and climbing; now I’m reluctant to draw any conclusions at all. There is no clear answer to these questions, and even if there were it would not be very important. It is in the experience itself that the value lies. I can only really talk about it with other climbers, and with them there is no need to explain. So, standing up on the back of the jeep as we slither through the desert in the brown twilight, cool wind in our faces, I content myself with thinking that the meaning is in everything that happened, and it is the texture of these last months that I wish to convey in the book. There will be no message.

  With self-possession there comes a certain reticence.

  At dusk we came to the outskirts of Skardu. The first faltering electric lights, first shops, first telephone wires. Then scooters, vans and beat-up cars. On the way up, Skardu had seemed the end of the line, as basic as a dwelling place could be. Now it was a hustling metropolis that bewildered the senses. At the K2 Motel, the first shower for two months, the first table and chair, food served on a real plate. It was pleasant but rather baffling.

  I lay sprawled in my first real bed, thinking about home, the Norwegians, my friends. Our connections are so fragile and tenuous. There is no security; climbing just dramatizes this, but it’s as true at home. A peg pulls while we’re abseiling, friends move away, a rope is cut by stonefall, our parents age and die, snow bridges collapse without warning, love drains like water through your fingers.

  I tried to face the truth of the matter: our lives are erected over crevasses and we thread our way through visible and invisible icefalls. Our faith and our sanity hang belayed from a tottering heap of shit.

  And yet we press on. Our protection may be illusory, but we use it. We go places, we achieve things in the face of our fear. With our friends and lovers we live our lives, and laugh and feel happiness more often than ought to be possible.

  Creatures of hope, living on amnesia, riddled as the times.

  Midafternoon on Friday 17 August Mal Duff and I were sitting on the veranda of Mrs Davies Hotel, Rawalpindi. It was the monsoon season and humidity dripped down our arms and tickled our backs. Flies crawled over peeled mangoes, ants zigzagged across the old black and white tiles, the fan whirred overhead. The old flat-footed wallah shuffled past. Peace. Stagnation. We had four days before the flight home; it was all over.

  We’d had some body-swerves to negotiate in ’Pindi. Burt and Donna had left Flashman’s after a week there without paying. They’d also failed to reinsure for helicopter rescue. Burt had in fact written the Pakistan Army a cheque that bounced, and the authorities were considerably less than amused. It took a lot of sweet pastry to placate them and reinstate helicopter cover for the lads on Gash 2. Even Mal, who is forgiving to the point of sainthood or idiocy, was upset about the mess we’d been left to sort out.

  But now it was done. If we were thinking of anything that afternoon, it was of the cool air of home. If we were planning anything, it was making a phone call home. If we were waiting for anything, it was our next jug of coffee.

  I should have known.

  The fourth climber from the Norwegian Trango Peak team flopped down beside us. He’d been waiting for news of his friends. A helicopter had flown past the route and seen nothing. They were certainly dead, but none of us said so; that was in the silence after he gave us the news.

  Voytek came over and joined us. I’d read about this near-legendary Polish mountaineer in the climbing magazines; meeting him I was struck by his youth, his absolute composure, and the startling direct intelligence of his eyes. As we chatted, the Norwegian told us they’d had plans for a north-south traverse of Everest next spring. They had the permits and the trip largely organized, but now two of Norway’s leading climbers were, well, missing. It was doubtful if they could mount the whole expedition. Maybe they’d concentrate on securing a Norwegian First Ascent by going for the standard south side route, and let the China side go.

  There followed some discussion of high-altitude traverses. Mal was lounging back in a cane chair, making an occasional contribution but looking vague and bored. I thought he had a headache or was thinking of Liz.

  Eventually Voytek and the Norwegian drifted away. I went for more cigarettes. When I returned, Mal looked up with a mock-serious, half-challenging grin I’d seen somewhere before.

  ‘Andy, how d’you fancy helping raise twenty grand and coming to Everest?’

  I pretended to give his jest serious consideration. ‘When?’

  ‘Next spring.’

  ‘Sounds all right. I didn’t know you were interested in Everest.’

  ‘I am interested in the Unclimbed Ridge with the Nord’s permit.’ Pause. ‘Shall I count you in?’ He poured out two coffees.

  I sat down, lit a cigarette, felt the familiar rasp in my throat, considered this latest fantasy for a couple of seconds.

  ‘Yes’, I said.

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Mal’, I said.

  Postscript

  Sandy, Jon, Tony, along with Shokat and Alex, set up a Base Camp for Gasherbrum 2. And not long thereafter they one by one got sick with dysentery. They made it up to a Camp 1 but were all still ill and wasted, so came back down again.

  And that was that. They were disappointed but philosophical. At least they had the satisfaction of Mustagh. That would have to be enough for that season.

  The next time we met at the Tinker house in London, it was not so much to reminisce about the trip as to discuss the northeast ridge of Everest.

  Twice a day, every day, an old man hobbles with his bent legs and a stick down and up the cobbled lane outside my window. I take a break from my writing to watch him work his way back up, plastic carrier bag in one hand and stick in the other.

  There is no need for him to shop twice a day. He does it to get out and about. He moves very slowly, with great concentration and care, at much the same speed as we did at altitude. His face is expressionless under his flat cap; his patience is absolute.

  For some reason today my heart goes out to him in a wave of empathy. He pauses halfway up the lane and leans resting on his stick. His legs are very thin, the trousers flap loosely. I think painfully of my father and how he wasted away in the last months. The old man calls to someone passing at the top of the lane; they wave and walk on briskly.

  He shifts his stick, looks up at the top of the lane and moves on, eyes fixed on his objective. As he tackles the last steep ramp his head goes down and he pauses, rocking, between each step. I’m sitting tense at my desk, willing him on. He makes the top, wobbles, then steps down off the pavement and he’s made it. His shoulders sag, he looks around at the trees, the newly returned swallows carving up the air, the kids playing football and the mechanic bent over the car. A perfectly average precious morning.

  Then he straightens up and hobbles on along the road to the right, inching out of my line of vision.

  I am proud as hell of him. It is not sentimental to say that his daily walk exceeds in patience and stamina and stoical courage anything we did on the Mustagh Tower. This is the real thing, done daily, humbly, for no fame or applause, to no end but self- respect and the purchase of daily bread.

  Acknowledgements

  The author and publishers would like to thank Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited and Princeton University Press for kind permission to reproduce material from The I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Richard Wilhelm and rendered into English by Cary F. Baynes.

  Index

  Abdul, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Abruzzi, Duke of, 1

  Allan, Sandy 1; financial support, 1;

  and Brian Sprunt’s death, 1, 2;

  character, 1, 2, 3;

  journey to the mountains, 1;

  and the financial problems, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  along the Braldu river, 1, 2, 3;

  and the eff
ects of altitude, 1;

  in Askole, 1;

  leaves Askole, 1;

  notes from, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  at Base Camp, 1, 2ff;

  at Camp 1, 1;

  sets up Camp 2, 1, 3, 4;

  relations with Jon, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  fixes ropes up to the Col, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

  shaves off beard, 1;

  recovers strength, 1, 2;

  diary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,

  snow at Camp 2, 1, 2, 3;

  summit hopes, 1;

  falls into cornice break, 1;

  reaches the Col, 1;

  returns to Base Camp, 1;

  takes Andrew to Camp 1, 1, 3;

  and the assault on the summit, 1;

  reaches the summit, 1;

  Jon saves, 1;

  descent, 1, 2, 3;

  future plans, 1;

  abandons Gasherbrum 2 attempt, 1

  altitude effects, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Annapurna 3, 1

  Aonach Dubh, 1

  Askole 1, 2; arrival in, 1;

  crisis in, 1;

  Adrian treats the inhabitants, 1;

  first party leaves, 1;

  society and life in, 1;

  second party waits in, 1;

  Duff and Tony arrive, 1;

  second party leaves, 1

  Athletic Arms, 1

  avalanches, 1

  Baltistan, 1ff

  Baltoro glacier, 1, 2, 3, 4

  Base Camp first party sets off for, 1;

  first party arrives at, 1;

  first party at, 1;

  second party journeys to, 1;

  second party reaches, 1;

  life at, 1ff;

  Kathleen leaves, 1, 2, 3;

  the rest wait to leave, 1;

  departure from, 1

  Ben Nevis, 1

  Bin–Men, Alpine, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Boardman, Pete, 1, 2, 3, 4

  Bonington, Chris, 1, 2

  Braldu river, 1

  Brindle, Tony Andrew meets, 1;

  in blizzard on Ben Nevis, 1;

  character, 1, 2, 3;

  and Jon Tinker, 1, 2;

  sets off for Himalayas, 1;

  arrives at Askole, 1;

  goes up to Base Camp, 1;

  sickness, 1, 2;

  high altitude

  Brindle, Tony – cont. cricket, 1;

  at Base Camp, 1ff;

  summit fever, 1, 2;

  reaches Camp 3, 1;

  assault on the summit, 1;

  relationship with Duff, 1;

  diary, 1;

  reaches Camp 4, 1;

  on the summit, 1;

  descent, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  restlessness, 1;

  declines to go to Gasherbrum 2, 1;

  future plans, 1

  Brittingehame Alpine Services, 1

  Broad Peak, 1

  Brown Joe, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Buddha, 1, 2

  Buhl, Herman, 1, 2

  Bumblie, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  Camp 1 established, 1, 2;

  Andrew reaches, 1

  Camp 2 established, 1, 2, 3, 4,

  Andrew makes it to, 1

  Camp 3, 1, 2, 3, 4

  Camp 4, 1

  Cathedral Spire, 1

  Chagaran glacier, 1

  Chamonix, 1, 2, 3

  Changezi, Mohammed Ali 1, 2;

  joins the expedition, 1, 2;

  character, 1, 2;

  journey to the mountains, 1, 2;

  and the expedition’s financial problems, 1, 2, 3;

  selects porters, 1;

  looks after the porters, 1;

  along the Braldu river, 1, 2, 3;

  sense of time, 1, 2;

  to go with the climbers, 1;

  leaves Askole, 1;

  at Base Camp, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

  at Camp 2, 1, 2;

  comes to meet second party, 1, 2;

  leaves the mountain, 1, 2;

  and Alex’s future plans, 1

  Chaqpo, 1, 2

  Chongpo, 1

  Clachaig, 1, 2, 3, 4

  Clachaig Inn, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

  Clifford, Adrian leaves for Pakistan, 1;

  reservations about Andrew as author, 1;

  character, 1, 2, 3;

  journey to the mountains, 1, 2;

  treats natives, 1, 2;

  examines the porters, 1;

  cautious nature, 1;

  along the Braldu river, 1;

  in Askole, 1;

  leaves Askole, 1;

  at Base Camp, 1, 2;

  unsure of Andrew’s ability, 1, 2;

  at Camp 2, 1;

  birthday, 1, 2;

  concern about Tony, 1, 2;

  leaves the mountain, 1, 2, 3

  Clifford, Sue, 1, 2

  Col, Jon and Sandy reach, 1;

  Andrew aspires to reach, 1, 2

  companionship, 1, 2

  Covington, 1

  cricket, high altitude, 1, 2

  Dag, 1

  Dailey, Terry, 1, 2

  Dassu, 1, 2

  death-and-destruction, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  descent

  from the summit, 1;

  from Base Camp, 1

  diaries, 1 Donna 1, 2;

  character, 1;

  journey to the mountains, 1;

  and the financial problems, 1, 2, 3;

  along the Braldu river, 1;

  in Askole, 1, 2;

  at Paiju, 1;

  abandons the expedition, 1, 2, 3

  dossers, shuffling, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

  Douglas, 1

  Duff, Liz, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

  Duff, Malcolm invites Andrew to join expedition, 1, 2, 3;

  teaches Andrew to climb, 1;

  background, 1;

  commitment, 1;

  financial support, 1;

  character, 1, 2, 3;

  relationship with Andrew, 1;

  and Brian Sprunt’s death, 1;

  leaves for Pakistan, 1;

  arrival in Pakistan, 1;

  red tape, 1, 2;

  and the financial problems, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

  hostility to, 1, 2, 3;

  finally arrives at Askole, 1;

  goes up to Base Camp, 1;

  and the Icefall, 1;

  diary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13;

  high altitude cricket, 1;

  at Base Camp, 1ff;

  summit hopes, 1, 2;

  indolence, 1, 2;

  and the missing spoon, 1, 2, 3;

  establishes Camp 3, 1;

  assault on the summit, 1;

  relationship with Tony, 1;

  reaches Camp 4, 1;

  reaches the west summit, 1;

  on the main summit, 1, 2;

  descent, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  exhaustion, 1;

  descent from Base Camp, 1;

  future plans, 1, 2

  Everest, Mount, 1, 2, 3

  financial problems, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

  Gasherbrum 1, 1

  Gasherbrum 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  Gasherbrum 1, 1

  Glencoe, 1

  Godot, waiting for, 1

  Golding, William, 1

  Greenspan, Burt 1, 2;

  joins the party, 1;

  character, 1, 2, 3;

  gets sponsorship, 1, 2;

  along the Braldu river, 1;

  red tape, 1;

  journey to the mountains, 1;

  and the financial problems, 1, 2, 3;

  hostility to Duff, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  heat-stroke, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  and Sybil’s departure, 1;

  in Askole, 1, 2, 3;

  health, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

  and notes from Sandy, 1, 2;

  declares himself leader, 1;

  and Duff’s arrival in Askole, 1;

  abandons the expedition, 1, 2, 3;

  leaves behind a mess, 1

  Greig, Andrew decides to join expedition, 1;


  introduced to climbing, 1;

  meets other members, 1;

  practices belaying, 1;

  training; 1;

  exposure anxiety, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  meets Jon Tinker, 1;

  relationship with Duff, 1;

  and his father’s death, 1, 2;

  leaves for Pakistan, 1;

  arrival in Pakistan, 1;

  self-conscious as author on the expedition, 1;

  journey to the mountains, 1;

  at Skardu, 1;

  and the financial problems, 1, 2;

  packs for Base Camp, 1;

  moves up to Askole, 1;

  dress, 1;

  effects of altitude on, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7;

  baths in a sulphur pool 1, 2;

  in Askole, 1;

  left behind in Askole, 1;

  and the rope bridge, 1;

  and notes from Sandy, 1, 2;

  relations with Burt, 1;

  and Duff’s arrival in Askole, 1;

  goes up to Base Camp, 1;

  at Paiju, 1;

  attitude to climbing, 1, 2, 3, 4;

  arrives at Base Camp, 1;

  resolves to make Camp 2, 1;

  looks at the Ibex Trail, 1;

  and the Ibex Trail, 1, 2, 3;

  and Kathleen’s departure, 1, 2, 3;

  introduced to the ice, 1, 2;

  finds companionship, 1, 2;

  fits in, 1;

  on the Mustagh glacier, 1;

  happiness, 1, 2;

  plays high altitude cricket, 1;

  goes to Camp 1, 2, 3, 4, 5;

  misses Kathleen, 1, 2;

  failure in the Icefall, 1;