'DARK SHADOWS FALLING' by JOE SIMPSON
The leader of a Norwegian expedition has been quoted as saying: 'Friendship, closeness to nature, building up a relationship with the mountain has gone. Now it's attack, in old fashioned siege style, and climbers have to reach the top at any price. People are even willing to walk over dead bodies to get to the top.'
Referring to the plight of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, seasoned mountaineer and adventurer Joe Simpson here investigates, in profound detail, the varying attitudes that people who are intent on reaching the summit of the mountain possess.
The idea for the book largely came about after reports circulated that a few members of an Indian expedition on the mountain in 1992 unnecessarily perished when another expedition ignored their plight and near-death throes. It seems 'competition to conquer' is valued, by some, over a willingness to act humanely in such extreme conditions.
'The pragmatists overlook the very basic and, to me, obvious need for consideration of one's fellow human beings. Even if the victim will inevitably die, does that mean you should offer him absolutely nothing, not a drop of fluid, a comforting presence? How can anyone climb past a dying man and still think reaching the summit is worth anything?' Simpson is a sucker for asking some damn difficult yet essential questions.
Aswell as his investigation into the ethics and morals of modern-day mountaineers, most of whom are sponsored by big companies to go and climb the mountain, Joe recounts some of his more hair-raising exploits in the mountains, and in particular on Pumori, which lies South of Everest.
Simpson argues that with air travel being so relatively easy and cheap these days, many of the people who set out up Everest aren't really experienced enough to be doing so, which obviously introduces safety fears for all concerned. Trekking companies that organise trips to Everest obviously feel under pressure to get their customers successfully to the summit, but with so many people on the mountain at the same time, problems easily arise, especially if the weather takes a turn for the worse. Indeed, one freak storm in 1996 resulted in numerous deaths of expedition members. One of the guys in the expedition who survived, coincidentally, is the author of one of my all time favourite works of non-fiction. The book is 'Into The Wild,' the author Jon Krakauer - who's just as skilful at writing as he sounds to be at mountain climbing.
Simpson's writing is very similar to Krakauer's and Leo Dickinson's (the latter who recounted 'Ballooning Over Everest' with breathtaking verve, and some overwhelmingly beautiful photos to prove everything), and while the romance of setting into the mountains is rejoiced loud and clear, a stark warning to inexperienced climbers ultimately prevails.
The mountains, literally above all else, should be respected and most certainly not taken advantage of for one's own vain, personal gain.
(Steve Rudd)
ISBN 0-224-04368-4 (JONATHAN CAPE; first published in 1997)