ON THE HIGHEST LEVELS

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26877, 1 November 1952, Page 6

ON THE HIGHEST LEVELS

[By WHIM WHAM] Swiss mountaineers, trying to conquer Everest, have reached 19,500 feet . . . Mr Eric Shipton, leader of last year’s British reconnaissance expedition, said: “It is a great pity that an international competitive spirit is creeping •into the campaign to conquer Everest. Moutaineering is not a competitive sport.”—News item. In Mountaineering Circles, in which I’m Not privileged to move, there is sublime Indifference to. Hardship and to Risk —Breezes on Everest, I’m told are

brisk, To say the Least; there’s no experir enced Guide m To steer you safely up that Mountainside. j Myself, I’m fond of Mountains, I can revel ’ In Alpine Panoramas, at Sea Level ) Great Peaks inspire me with no Sense ; of Mission: With Admiration, maybe, not Ambition 1 —You have to watch your Step you ; mustn’t slip. You need huge Lungs, sharp Eyes and a firm Grip; It’s you for the High Jump or else the , Long Drop, if you put one Foot or Finger wrong. No Signposts mark the Himalayan Passes, Bridgeless, and Bottomless are the Crevasses; The higher up, the weaker and the wearier You get. the Air’s notoriously inferior (Take my Advice, don’t try to breathe the Stuff: Brin® your own Oxygen, there’s not Enough). —Desoite these Dangers and Deficiencies, Up go the Climbers, on their Hands and Knees. Teetering and squirming towards the ' TOP—and then? And then? Why, to the BOTTOM once again. Swiss, British. French are cracking on the Pace. The Thing takes on the Appearance of a Race; The TOP’S the Prize, for What it may be worth. Of Victory in the Coldest War on Earth. —An Abominable old Snowman whom I know Deplores this Rivalry, he says it’s Low: Everest likes a gentlemanly Ascent And not an International Event And begs the United Nations, of its' • Charity, To veto such competitive Vulgarity. ’ —(A Moscow Sportsflash tells me that ! the Peak J Was climbed by Comrade Summitski last Week. 1 U.S. Army Chiefs regard the Claim 1 As Part of Moscow’s Propaganda ' Game. < Come on. you Jokers, let’s see Who’s s ■> the cleverest. < Picking the Winner of the Race up < Everest),