PERILOUS CLIMB

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 143, 2 June 1936, Page 8

PERILOUS CLIMB

Everest Expedition Still Has Chance of Success MONSOON ABATES By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright LONDON, June 1. Mr Hngh Ruttledge, leader of the Everest expedition, in a wireless mes•age to the “Daily Telegraph’’ from Camp I. says: “A report from the meteorologist at Alipore on Friday indicated a temporary weakening of the monsoon; simultaneously the wind in |he Mt. Everest region veered Srongly to the north-west and began owing the snow in great sheets from the mountain. This was an opportunity not to be missed, and the elimbing party on Saturday resumed their advance up ths east side of Rongbuk glacier.” Experts point out that in the most favourable circumstances it will take |be Everest party seven or eight days t reach the summit. They will face a ibla peril, firstly, continuance of the winds, in which it has been Mated, no man can live; secondly, the fceturn of the monsoon snows, which would bring avalanches and might cut {iff the elimbers from their base. The timbers only hope of success therefore Hj for the north-west winds now blowfmo the enow from the mountains to %op before they reach the higher mdses and for the lull in the monsoon 'to last until they have safely descend Jft Norton, leader of the Everest p Aty In 1924, thinks that the climbers still have a chance of success. It will jjoka two days, if conditions improve, to reach Camp HI, and another day to (Jamp IV, They may push on to Camp V* next morning and make VI. on the sixth day. /It will take a two days climb on the last pyramid, but it might be done in •ne, with luck. Mr Norton recalls that conditions were almost Identical in 1924, but then they had no wireless and could not discover whether the wind was the monsoon or a local disturbance. He considers that if the monsoon arrives in earnest while the present climbers axe high, things will be black indeed.