History of Mountaineering
The history of Mountaineering
Participation in the art of mountaineering changes people's
life. Currently there are several mountain sports that, in one way or
another, are part of mountaineering, even though they are very different from
each other. With appropriate concepts and techniques, it is necessary to
establish some parameters.
For sure, human being had been walking in the mountains for a long
time. There were people living in regions like the Alps (Europe),
Himalaya(Nepal-Tibet-India-Pakistan etc), Karakorum (little Tibet Pakistan,
Tashkurqan China Ladakh India & Kashmir region) and Hindukush known as
Pamir (Afganistan, Chitral) Therefore, the philosophical practice of
mountaineering (going to the mountains) has been practiced by humans for a long
time. However, what is taken into consideration by historians is;
mountaineering is the fact of climbing high mountains, that required different
ascending and descending techniques.
Early Mountaineering
Some isolated cases of mountaineering occurred in the years 1300 and
1400 AD, for non-recreational or non-sporting purposes, such as religion and
meteorology. The most notable was the first ascent of Mont Aiguille (2,085
m) in 1492. The ascent was designed by Charles VIII of France ,
who ordered his military engineer Antoine
de Ville to climb the “inaccessible mountain“,
which we now know as Mont Aiguille. This is considered the first European climb in history and this
climb is considered the ground zero of world mountaineering.
The reason for wanting to conquer mountain peaks, until then considered
virgin, has a reason: military strategy. For this reason, Antoine de
Ville, who was in the military, was chosen. The team armed themselves with
ladders and ropes and reached the top. The group hoped to find deities,
but instead found only a meadow full of flowers. The group stayed on the
summit for six days, performed a mass in an improvised hut and raised three
crosses as proof of their achievement.
The Mont Aiguille was not climbed again until 1834, because in 1700 people still
beginning to develop the fascination of mountain climbing. But the
practice was still seen as a military activity, not exactly a sport. It
was only for the nobility that mountaineering began to be seen as a sporting
activity.
Golden Age of Mountaineering
Mid-eighteenth century, climbers gathered in the Alps and made the
first climbs of practically all the main peaks in the region. The
expeditions were predominantly led by British climbers and accompanied by Swiss
or French guides. Several key figures from the golden age of
mountaineering appeared at this time, such as John Tyndall (Irish physicist and
mountaineer), and Leslie Stephen (author and mountaineer).
It was during this decade that the Alpine Club of Great Britain was
founded (1857). In addition, during this period, mountaineering became a
fashionable sport among the nobility, with official guides and increasingly
technical equipment. In the mid-19th century, the Swiss developed a circle
of guides whose leadership helped make mountaineering a distinct sport, as they
guided peak after peak across central Europe.
However, in 1870, all the main alpine peaks had been climbed, and
climbers began to look for new, more difficult routes, on peaks outside the
European continent. Therefore, in the late 19th century, climbers turned
their attention to the Andes (South America), the Rocky Mountains (North
America), the Caucasus (eastern Europe and western Asia), Africa and, finally,
the Himalayas.
The theocentric view of the Middle Ages was perhaps
the one that most scared off the mountain adventurers. At this time, it
was believed in Europe that monsters and dragons lived in the
mountains. At this same time, in America not yet found by Colombo, some
indigenous tribes gathered at the foot of a volcano, where the land was
fertile. Inside a lake they built a citadel. The lake was named Texcoco,
and the citadel TenochtlƔn.
Modern Mountaineering
Mountaineering was organized. In
the second half of the 19th century, schools of mountain guides began to form
and rivalries between schools and countries also began. After almost all
the important mountains climbed in Eurpe, a race began for those who climbed
the most distant and highest mountain. Sponsored by imperial governments,
mountaineers began to explore the Andes, the Himalayas and Africa.
The first world war interrupted the
realization of great expeditions, but at the end of the conflict, sponsored by
the power of the time that aimed to overcome its influence and importance in
the world, England, the challenge was raised to reach the summit of the highest
mountain in the world. England had lost the race to reach the north
pole. The attempt to reach the south pole had been a complete disaster and
the empire had been humiliated by the Norwegian Amundsen who won this
exploratory race. The Everst was seen for the British Empire as a chance to rebuild patriotism
and raise British morale.
George Mallory's expedition to Everest
For
such a mission, the British Empire had the brilliant climber George Leigh
Mallory. For England to climb Everest was a mission, an
order. For Mallory it was an obsession, a wish. Mallory once
commented to an American journalist with all his English elegance and
formality, his desire to climb the highest mountain in the world.
ated by the
Norwegian Amundsen who won this exploratory race. The Everst was seen for the British
Empire as a chance to rebuild patriotism and raise British morale.
Mallory
participated in 3 mountain expeditions. At first, he practically just
discovered the access path, from Darjeeling in India to the north face of the
mountain in Tibet. On the second attempt, a year later in 1922, he managed
to break the altitude record at the time, reaching over 8100
meters! However, a tragedy closed the expedition when an avalanche
swallowed seven Sherpas. Two years later, Mallory organized his last
expedition. In need of victory, Mallory and young Andrew
Irvine left Camp 6 at dawn on June 8, 1924, never to return. Even
though he died in his attempt, it is still unclear what happened to English
climbers.
Before
World War II, few expeditions returned to the Himalayas. In one of them,
Englishmen found Mallory's picket at 8400 meters above sea level, but they were
also unlucky enough to reach the coveted summit of Everest. On another notable
expedition, a team of Nazi-axis climbers attempted to climb
the 8125-meter Nanga Parbat in
Pakistan. However, before they were able to climb, they were arrested by
British officers and sent to a concentration camp in northern India.
This
expedition was attended by the legendary Austrian climber Heinrich
Harrer , who fled India and took refuge in Tibet. Harrer's story
recently became a Hollywood film: "Seven years in Tibet".
Ending
World War II. France, which had been destroyed in the conflict, and was
experiencing an international identity crisis, decides to sponsor an expedition
to reach the summit of a mountain of eight thousand meters. The expedition
had a great political acceptance and soon the best climbers in the country went
to the west of Nepal to climb a mountain, that they did not know if it was
going to be the Annapurna of 8091 meters or the Dhaulagiri of 8167
meters, located opposite each other.
The criteria for choosing between the two eight thousand meter mountains
to be conquered, depended on the accessibility to them and the ease and safety
of the chosen route. They ended up electing Annapurna, after almost two
months of exploring the land.
They
ended up reaching the summit Maurice Herzog and Louis
Lachenal on June 3, 1950. For the first time, the man touches the summit
of a mountain of eight thousand meters. However, at what
price! Herzog and Lachenal reach the summit the day a monsoon reached the
Himalayas. They get stuck in a crevice, suffer from an avalanche and have
to bivouac more than 7 thousand meters.
When they descend, they begin to suffer in order to return to
civilization, there are 5 weeks of trails and an indescribable
suffering. Herzog loses all his fingers gangrenized by freezing, and has
to amputate them cold, in precarious conditions.
In 1953, in a post-war climate where the main ex-powers were trying to
regain their hegemony, the British decided to try Everest again. This
time, they hire experienced Sherpas and took their best climbers.
After
a long phase of acclimatization in stages, John
Hunt's expedition finally reaches Everest's southern
lap. Composing a second attempt team to the summit, the New
Zealander Edmund Hillary and the sirdar sherpa Tenzing
Norgay stand out and manage to set up a camp on the South col, thus being
the highest camp ever established, at 8500 meters of altitude. Suspicious
and afraid, Norgay and Hillary set out on the morning of May 29, 1953, to take
the summit.
After
overcoming a complex stretch of rock and ice, which would later be called the
Hillary echelon, they unexpectedly reach the summit. That was how finally,
at 11:30 am on May 29, 1953, the human being reached
the highest point on earth. On the same day, Elizabeth II is crowned Queen
of England. In appreciation, the queen ordered the New Zealand beekeeper
to be named "Sir".
Hillary
and Tenzing's achievement erased an even greater achievement. On July 3 of
the same year, a young Austrian man left his tent at Camp 5, at 6900 meters
above sea level and, alone, contrary to the orders of the team leader, left
towards the highest point of Nanga Parbat, which is considered by many the most
difficult eight thousand of the 14 that exist. This Austrian was Herman Buhl .
Buhl reached the top of the mountain at dusk the same day. He had to
bivouac more than eight thousand meters and returned with only a few
freezes. Buhl was one of the most influential climbers of his time and his
climb is as important to the mountain world as it is to conquer the highest
mountain in the world. However, too much promotion and speculation about
Everest obscure these great achievements.
In the
year that followed, other eight thousand mountains were being
climbed. French (some of Herzog's 50s) conquer Makalu, Italians K2 . Little by little the biggest mountains
in the world were being overcome. Other great mountaineering feats
therefore took place on the other side of the world.
In
1953, Lionel Terray , also a former companion
of Herzog, overcomes the icy and dangerous walls of Cerro Fitz Roy ,
at the end of the Patagonian world, until then considered impossible to
climb. The climatic and environmental difficulties of the mountain were
the biggest obstacles to be overcome, in addition to the almost 1500 vertical
meters of rock and ice to be climbed.
In the
onslaught, the climber Jacques Poincenot was a victim of the wild
nature of Patagonia, died dragged by the current of a river. Terray's
suffering caused his climb to be portrayed in his literary masterpiece, which
was named " The Conquerors of the Useless ".
On the way back to France, Terray also passed through Mendoza and
designed the first climb on the south side of Aconcagua. Climbing carried
out a year later by another French team led by the guide LuciƩn Berardini,
which took seven days to reach the summit, performing one of the greatest
Andean feats. The base camp on this side of the mountain was named Plaza
Francia in honor of this brave French team.
Five
years later, also in Argentina, the Italian Cesare Maestri and the Austrian
Toni Egger reach the summit of Cerro Torre , an imposing granite
tower next to the Fitz Roy. On the way down, the pair is hit by an
avalanche and Egger is dragged down the wall. Maestri is rescued almost
lifeless. Few believed in the conquest of the duo, and Maestri is
ridiculed by climbers from his own country!
Maestri
returns to the mountain in 1970 motivated to prove that he is capable of
climbing the imposing mountain. This time he takes a giant and heavy
compressor to drill the wall and fix the security
points. Undoubtedly, Maestri becomes the first to reach the
summit of Cerro Torre, but his climb was not considered ethical for the entire
alpine community and is refuted by almost everyone.
Three years later Casimiro Ferrari returns to Cerro Torre and reaches the
summit using traditional methods. Which made many consider him the first,
in fact, to climb the mountain. After the climbs on the South Face of
Aconcagua and the incidents in Patagonia, one thing is clear for
mountaineering. It doesn't matter if you made it to the summit, what
matters is where you got to, and how! Ethics and personal skills are what
start to be worth more than the summits you have achieve sport
specializes. At the end of the 70s, a generation of equipment arises that
allows climbers to overcome technical problems that were previously
impossible. There are mountaineers who start to develop the rock climbing
part better, and others in high mountains, with ice and altitude. Great
names and individual achievements emerge, especially in the Himalayas, which
was based on teamwork to achieve the great 8 thousand meters.
The
South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner is the one who best
identifies himself with this phase, in which the man managed to overcome
challenges previously considered impossible and until today has been rarely
repeated. In 1978, Messner put his project into practice and decided to scale
Everest without supplemental oxygen. After 4 days from the
base, Messner reaches the summit of Everest, thus proving to mankind,
that the human being does survive, at almost 9000 meters of altitude.
In addition to Everest, he was the first to climb an eight thousand in
alpine style (Gashebrum I), the first to make a crossing between two eight
thousand (Gashebrum I and II), the first to make a completely solo ascent to an
eight thousand, (Nanga Parbat), and the first to climb all eight thousand, and
without oxygen. He did even more, climbed the 7 highest peaks of each
continent, crossed Greenland and Antarctica on foot! Messner became the
“Pele” of the mountain. Controversial, he is adored by some and hated by
others.
In one
of his most impressive achievements, Messner climbed the Nanga Parbat Rupal
Face, one of the most inhumane climbs ever made. On the way down, his
brother passed away and Messner was blamed by many for the accident. In
another curious incident, Messner said he saw and followed a "Big
Foot". He even went on an expedition in search of the “ Yeti ”, as the Orientals call the
legendary creature.
Gradually, needless to say, almost all the mountains in the world have
been unraveled. There are few taller and beautiful walls that have
remained untouched. The inevitable happened. After everything had
been achieved, sponsorship were running out. In order to make a living
from climbing, some climbers entered a vicious and deadly cycle, in which to
stand out they had to face increasingly impossible challenges, until the
mountain won.
Almost all climbers, to continue having their lives in the mountains,
started to live as guides or climbing agents. The mountain began to be
explored for tourism. The effort to continue living on the sport and the
latest technology equipment, started to allow anyone to reach the summit of
even, Everest. To climb it today, anyone can join commercial expeditions
and pay for the ascent as if it were a tour package.
Obviously, this increase in the flow of climbers has had serious impacts
on nature. In the most famous mountains, where there are more people, the
camps are almost unhealthy. The trails are saturated with people and draft
animals that carry the mountaineers' equipment, which only helps to silt the
rivers and compromise all their enormous hinterland. Not to mention the
increase in accidents, often caused by inexperienced mountaineers, as was the
famous case of the 1996 Everest tragedy, and as they occur every year in much
easier mountains such as Mont Blanc and Aconcagua.
The achievements of the new generation of climbers end up becoming those
of climbing the mountains along the most different routes and ways
possible. Some go because they would become the first in their countries
to conquer the summits, while others go to break speed records. People
become the only ones to descend Everest by paragliding or even
snowboarding. Countless fatalities happen and the number of deaths on the
mountain explodes. Alarmed by the consequences, scientists warn of the
dangers of destroying these fragile environments, which in no way was made for
human habitation, but which arouses so much interest in us.
Because of this, the UN declared 2002 as the international year of the
mountain. We have reached the present, and mountaineering appears divided
into several strands and styles. Finally, to be able to evaluate climbers
and create competitions, sport climbing was created, and then indoor climbing,
imitating the artificial walls of a rocky escarpment. In our urban
industrial world, major equipment brands are major sponsors of the sport.
An increasing number of practitioners has been growing year after
year. The mountains have never been so full, it is true, but there have
never been so many climbers who have never been to a mountain. Another
paradox of the modern world.
Standing out in this more than explored medium is difficult. For
climbers of the 21st century, it is enough to be aware of their actions on the
mountain. Learning from the past, we must avoid mistakes and seek
solutions so that mountaineering has a future, and that preferably, in this
future the mountaineer finds a mountain as in the past the pioneers found, a
territory free, wild and ready for new adventures, as it should never have
stopped being.
“Those
who grew up in the mountains can live for years in the city, develop scientific
work and enrich their intelligence, but what they cannot do is remain forever
down there. When he sees the sun appear among the clouds and feels the
wind on his face, he feels like a child with new adventures in the
mountains. This is exactly what happens to me"
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