Boysen, Estcourt, Haston and Whillans worked together establishing Camp IV, but the situation at Camp III became critical after several attempts to supply it from Camp II had failed because of deep snow and avalanches. Eventually, an overnight carry was successful, and it generally seemed that snow conditions improved the higher one got up the mountain. [70] You have to be positive and aggressive to get up Don's routes. But, if you do crank yourself up to that pitch, then they cease to be particularly difficult. That's the adversarial nature of his climbs. You have to fight them.' I were climbing up this steep face and I pulled up to a ledge and there were this huge tarantula staring me in the face, so I smashed it wid me peg 'ammer and it spiralled all the way to the ground a thousand feet below like a dead helicopter".

First Britons conquer Everest". BBC On this day. 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008 . Retrieved 17 January 2020.Whillans was a heavy drinker, which harmed his career after the expedition to Annapurna and may have contributed to his early death. Although he was only 5' 4" tall, he had a reputation as a brawler and stories of his prowess circulated. Hamish climbed with a truly golden generation of British climbers at a time when the great mountains of the world were still isolated and enjoying early ascents. Perhaps it remains as the most rewarding time to have been a young, ambitious, invincible mountaineer. The eight-day trek route from Pokhara went up beside the Seti Khola river and then the Modi Khola (a tributary of the Gandaki river). Bonington notes passing through Naudanda, Lumle, Chondracot (now Chandrakot), Ghandrung (now Ghandruk), Chomro (now Chhomrong), Thomo and Hinko Cave. [23]

Siegfried Herford Way ahead of his time. Imagine looking up at an unclimbed CB with only a hemp rope to help you. Edwards, John (16 March 1971). Annapurna: Hardest Way Up (television production). John Edwards (producer), Jeremy Isaacs (executive producer). Thames TV . Retrieved 30 December 2018. – clip from full documentary The Hardest Way Up It was a huge success, not only because the summit was reached, but was a difficult technical climb to the summit of a major world peak. [102] In mountaineering circles, the expedition was recognised as a paradigm shift in alpine-style climbing. The expedition was at the beginning of a trend that shifted away from taking the easiest route on a high Himalayan peak towards choosing a more direct and difficult route. [103] Bonington and Clough took over the work of extending the route, reaching Camp IV on 27 April. Sometimes, they advanced only 10 feet (3.0m) in an hour. [73] At Whillans' suggestion, they arranged for Sherpas to carry all the climbers' supplies up to Camp III, so that when climbers went down to rest, they only needed to go to Camp III rather than Base Camp. [74] After a few very difficult days, and without being able to regain the crest of the Ice Ridge at a higher point, Clough went down to be replaced by Haston. On 3 May, Whillans, Frost, and Burke carried a box tent up to Camp IV while Bonington and Haston with very difficult ice climbing reached a col at 21,650 feet (6,600m) where the Ice Ridge terminated and was replaced by a snow slope leading up to the Ice Wall. [75] The next day, they carried a load of ropes to the col, and Haston ran out 500 feet (150m) of rope towards the Ice Wall. At 22,350 feet (6,810m), the slope suddenly changed from 45° to vertical, and this point was intended to become Camp V [note 11] where a 18-pound (8.2kg) hooped tent was set up, capable of sleeping three. Supplying a camp at that height was a logistical problem: it took at least five days for anything to arrive from base camp. [77]

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It was in this era that climbers throughout the country began developing and experimenting with new methods of aid and protection. As ideas and innovations spread, more and more climbers advanced to the outer limits of their vertical environment. With the safety element raised, thresholds of difficulty were pushed even further, and the demand for more refined equipment continued to escalate. Consequently, like many others nurtured in this exciting time of expanding frontiers, three people, who were later to form Troll, Alan Waterhouse, Paul Seddon and Tony Howard, each individually became involved in developing new concepts in climbing gear. Curious how hard it can sometimes be to separate the influence of two climbers – Bancroft/Allen, Brown/Whillans, Moon/Moffatt. Bonington, Chris (1986). The Everest Years: a climber's life. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0340366907.