Himalayan tragedy

Press, 27 December 1980, Page 13

Himalayan tragedy

A Sunny Day in the Himalayas By Peter Hillary. Hodder and Stoughton (N.Z.), 1980. 166 pp. Maps and photographs. $15.50. (Reviewed by Colin Monteath)

The “mother’s jewel box” — Mount Ama Dablam, the 22,500-foot centrepiece of Nepal’s Kumbu Himalaya — holds a special place in the hearts of New Zealand mountaineers. Ever since its first ascent via the South-west ridge in the late winter of 1961 by a New Zealand expedition, Ama Dablam has not only been revered as an exceedingly beautiful mountain, but as a particularly tough and worthy adversary for the strongest of mountaineering teams. For religious reasons the Nepalese ■for tiiiahy years ruled : Aiha ,? T)ablam 'strictly - “off limits.” ' ?A . sudden relaxation in- some ■ -regulations 1 ' has allowed a sprinkling of attempts, to take place during the last couple , of seasons. As recently as October this year Ama Dablam was again in prominence iri New Zealand mountain circles; when a small expedition stemming from Arthur’s Pass made:, an impressive ascent Of the sweeping north ridge. .■■■ ’ Peter. Hillary’s first book, “A Suuny Day in the Himalayas," is not the storyirof a successful venture to Ama Dablam. In fact, Hillary’s 1979 postmonsoon expedition to the Mingbo or western face of the mountain ended prematurely when, within a whisker of success, a crumbling ice cliff took the life of the Dunedin climber Ken Hyslop and shattered the dreams and bodies of the other three; .The subsequent retreat down the face takes the trio to the brink of despair, unfolding a survival story of major proportions. Agonisingly slowly they eke out security with the tattered remains of their equipment as they painfully wend their way down into the lower ice gullies. Finally, they are

shepherded to the security of base camp and eventual helicopter evacuation by an Austrian climbing team also in the area to attempt the peak. The climb on Ama Dablam is the culmination of a year’s sojourn in Nepal for the author and part of the book concerns school and bridge building aid projects in the Kumbu for the Himalayan Trust. Several bold attempts on tthe nearby virgin “Kusum Kang” are made, both pr.e-monsoon and postmonsoon with the newly arrived team from New Zealand as part of their acclimatisation to altitude before venturing onto Ama Dablam. The story spills out in rather plain diary form with some rather awkward grammar in places. In padding out his diary Hillary does not give the reader a great deal of substance, either about modern Nepalese culture or what motivates young climbers to come and tangle with difficult Himalayan routes. The strength of the book surrounds the accident on Ama Dablam and the epic created in getting injured climbers off the dangerous face. Hillary has cleverly woven the tale of this descent using excerpts from each member’s diary. He blends some powerful and revealing thoughts into a very moving chapter. What must be a highly personal series of. events for the three survivors is laid open and made surprisingly public. Although the colourplates are reproduced well, I would have preferred to see only half of the 52 printed. Either bookmanship has lost the art of using space, or economy has forced some annoying montages. Many of the “postage stamp” prints could have been easily dropped and others blown up to full page to enhance some fine Himalayan panoramas. The sketch maps are of immense value in clarifying some otherwise bewildering geography.