THE KINCHINJUNGA CLIMB

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1930, Page 5

THE KINCHINJUNGA CLIMB

CLIMBERS’ HOPES DEFEATED

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

(Received this day at 11 a.m.)

LONDON. June 8

A message from the iba.se camp, dated May 22, states: “Kincliinjunga has beaten us. Our last hope was the west ridge, but our best efforts '-proved the ascent to h c impossible. No mountaineers have been confronted with a harder and more hopeless task than the Kincliinjunga’s northern face, which is more rock, and the ice work has been the hardest and most difficult alpine work we attempted. Blizzard succeeded blizzard, but tip. worst thing of all was the awful avalanches. Kincliinjunga is the awful mother of avalanches. They fall six thousand feet taking miles of level glaciers in their stride. We were convinced Kincliinjunga is impossible by the north ridge route, ahd decided to attempt the west ridge. We breasted the crest and then our hearts Sank as we gazed at that which we lutd hoped to climb. There has never been a mountain face, which has so damped the optimism of human pigmies crawling nt its base.”