First of all, I should start by confessing that I bought this book, Everest – The First Ascent
This is a biography of Griffith Pugh, one of the early pioneers of high altitude medicine and sports science, the man who designed much of the equipment for the 1953 expedition (from boots, windproof jackets and goggles, to tents, sleeping bags and cooking stoves), and who took part in it himself. He is also the author’s father. But make no mistake, this is not a sentimental memoir written by a doting daughter – they had a very difficult relationship and did not reconcile by the time of his death and before Harriet embarked on the writing of the book. It’s a very objective, warts-and-all tale of a man she never actually liked, but who, as she found out during her research for the book, was very different from the man she had known as her father.
It’s a book meant to set the record straight. I revel in this kind of books. As a physician and scientist, Pugh was a key part in the success of the 1953 expedition (after 10 failed expeditions and 29 years from the first attempt). A truly remarkable man, who dedicated his life to his work and research, and who, first and foremost, loved the mountain and was a climber himself. Acclimatisation, hydration, oxygen flow rates, food intake, energy balance, hygiene, proper equipment and sleep, coping with the cold, such things are taken for granted in expeditions today, but, for Pugh’s team mates, such simple instructions were a revelation that considerably improved their performance and which have served as template from then on to the present day. It’s always the details that make the whole, and it’s always the details that make the difference.
Yet, Griffith Pugh’s merits had never been acknowledged, not even remotely, and not even by the members of the 1953 expedition. The experiments he conducted prior and during the expedition, and practically the role of science in its success, were often regarded with scepticism and suspicion, even derision. This is why the book is so poignant. It is an important tribute to all of the many unsung heroes who make essential contributions to the success of high altitude mountaineering expeditions. And, quite frankly, a tribute to the unsung heroes in many fields. It’s always going to be the leading participants who take center stage. But I am glad that there are voices who make themselves heard and who remind us what a concertated effort from an entire team one person’s (or, in this case, two persons’) win really is.
Everest: The First Ascent opened my eyes in one other regard, too. The first ascent of Everest was not exactly a romantic triumph of the sporting spirit, as I myself thought and, quite honestly, liked to think in the past. It is not portrayed as a heroic triumph for Britain either, but rather as a story of incompetence and failure, sparing no criticism towards the beurocratic and diplomatic scheming involved in the process. Not only does Harriet Tuckey describe how the British failed seven times to climb Everest before the war, but how they also used their position of power and influence in India and Tibet to deny other nations the opportunity of climbing it themselves. The conquest of Everest was such an important moment in the history of humankind, and I appreciate a book meant to get the facts right.
On an ending note, here are other books I am planning to read – can’t think of a better read for the season ahead:
• Tiger of the Snow, by Tenzing Norgay – because the Sherpas are some of the unsung heroes, too.
• The Ascent of Everest
• Touching the Void
Changing the topic a little, here are a few travel books I am finally getting around to reading:
• The Great Railway Bazaar
• A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush
• The Sun Also Rises
photos by me
