MOUNTAINEERING'S
BIGGEST MYSTERY - CHAT ONLINE
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| Graham Hoyland believes Everest was
ascended in 1924 |
Everest chat Mountaineer Graham Hoyland answers
YOUR questions about who really was the first to conquer Mount Everest
- and his own Everest expeditions.
How come you found the body in 1999? If people are
climbing Everest all the time, why wasn’t it found before then?
Dave, Leeds
We were looking for it. Most expeditions tread the same
path and they are intent on either getting to the summit or returning
safely from it, and most climbers wouldn't deviate from the route for
more than 50 yards.
Mallory was off the route by 400 yards or more. We had
a report from a Chinese climber that he had seen the body of an English
climber in the 70s, but he himself was killed on the North Col the day
after he had told his story, so we were going looking on very thin evidence.
I now think the body he saw was that of Sandy Irvine, not Mallory.
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Did you know your uncle well, or has the fascination
with climbing been passed down through your family?
Susan, Derbyshire
My father's family were all interested in climbing, but
unfortunately my father's half brother John was killed on Mount Blanc
at the age of 19. This made him reluctant to support my interest in Himalayan
climbing.
It was the meeting with my great-uncle Somervell when
I was 12 that really sparked my interest. Beware what you talk to children
about when they're at an impressionable age!
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| Graham practises
in the Lake District |
Mallory and Irvine didn’t make it back down - so even
if you found the camera and photographic evidence that they did reach
the top, would they really be the first to ‘climb Everest’? Don’t you
have to make it down too?
Phillip, Cheshire
It's a good point. Some people say it only counts if
you get down alive. But I always say they might have been the first to
reach the summit.
If the Apollo 11 astronauts had been stuck on the surface
of the moon I bet people would say they had achieved their aim even though
they failed to return alive.
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Have Hillary and Tensing ever commented on Mallory
and Irvine?
Mr Collinworth, Blackpool
Yes, it was always in their minds.
When he reached the summit Hillary looked for traces
of Mallory- but the summit constantly changes as it is made of snow. And
when he got down to the South Col he said, "Wouldn't Mallory have been
pleased?"
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Will Mallory’s body be left to rest where it is? Would
Irvine’s if his body is found too?
Mrs Graham, Lancashire
I desperately hope Mallory's body is left in peace-
it was interfered with enough.
Personally I'm only interested in the camera so if Irvine
is found I hope he is buried in rocks with a service read over him just
as Mallory was.
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Did Somervell make it back down safely and did he
think that they made it?
L. Wilson, Yorkshire
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| Somervell's camera
like this could solve the mystery |
Somervell did get down safely and had a great life as
a medical missionary in Southern India.
I think all of the members of the 1924 expedition thought
that Mallory and Irvine could have made it to the top because of their
spirit and motivation.
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How does it feel when you get to the top of Mount
Everest?
James, Cumbria
The night before, in the highest camp, it’s so windy
you think you’ve woken up inside a spin drier.
Just pulling on your boots will have you gasping for
breath because of the lack of oxygen, and breakfast is a muesli bar which
you don’t really want.
You leave the tent at midnight if you want a good chance
of getting back from the summit.
Climbing up the dark mountain in the solitary pool of
light from your head-torch will make you very glad of the dawn, but it
will be the best dawn you will ever see.
If you stand on the summit later in the day your brain
will be addled from the lack of oxygen and you will be fraught with anxiety
about getting back to the tent before nightfall. But you will have the
best view in the world, and you will remember it for the rest of your
life.
My oxygen set wasn't working properly and I remember
that I had almost no emotions at all, only fear of not getting down alive-
I think feelings are the first thing to go with the lack of oxygen.
I remember a very strong gale of wind and an incredible
view- I could see the curvature of the earth's surface, and could see
over a hundred miles away.
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How much and what type of training do you have to
do before you climb Mount Everest?
Mr Compton, Leigh
You won't believe this but I never used to train at all,
as a) I'm extremely lazy and b) I seemed to be naturally fit.
In later years I thought I ought to do training so I
tried carrying a barrel of water up hills near my house. When I got to
the top I would let the water out so that I didn't strain my knees on
the way down. I got so many odd looks from other walkers that I only did
it a couple of times.
There's some evidence that you can over-train. If you
do too much running and get very thin you have no fat reserves for when
you're not eating properly at high altitudes.
So my training used to involve eating double puddings
and drinking Guinness.
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How many people go on one of your climbs? Do all the
people in the team make it to the top?
J Henry, Newcastle
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| Mallory's watch
was one of the items recovered from his body in 1999 |
Sometimes there's only four of you on an expedition,
more usually it's about 10.
About two out of 10 seems a rough average of those attempting
it succeeding.
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Is it easier to climb Everest now and do most people
who attempt it succeed?
Jane, Leicester
It's really odd, this. In the twenties and thirties the
best climbers in the world with huge resources failed again and again
to climb the mountain.
But now relatively inexperienced climbers can reach the
top on the same (North) route. Why? Maybe it's the psychological certainty
that it's possible. But probably it's because of the pioneers' endless
experience of proper hydration, proper food, the help from the Sherpas
and working oxygen sets. "If we see further than others it is because
we stand on the shoulders of giants."
But every generation seems to set a higher standard,
which is why ‘real’ climbers aren't climbing Everest these days, they're
doing really hard stuff on lower mountains.
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How long does it take to climb Everest?
Stephen, Liverpool
I've been on five working (filming usually) trips on Everest and they
take an average of 10 weeks overall.
What you do is to build up to it by carrying food and
gas up to each of four camps, each time going further and further up the
mountain.
When you are acclimatised to the altitude, after about
seven weeks, it's time to make a summit attempt.
You go from base camp up to the last camp (in about three
days), then you leave your tent at midnight, try to get to the summit
and return to the tents before nightfall- that's another day.
Then you have to get down again - maybe another four
days as you are clearing up the tents behind you. So you could say the
actual climb takes about eight days.
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How much does it cost to climb Everest?
D. Robinson, Manchester
If you go with a commercial expedition it can cost up
to £30,000, plus air fares. And there's no guarantee that you'll climb
it the first time.
I've known people who have tried and failed up to 8 times-
that's a lot of money.
But if you just want to visit base camp it’s best to
go before or after the monsoon, in April-May or October-November. You
could try Exodus or Himalayan Kingdoms.
It could take as little as 14 days, and it would cost
between £1,210 and £1,695 to visit the Nepali side.
In my opinion Nepali is more lush and beautiful and the
people are delightful, but you can hardly see the mountain Tibet is harsh
but the views of Everest unforgettable.
It’s £3,495 if you want to visit both the Nepali and
Tibetan Base Camps, and that would take 16 days.
If you want to see the very rarely visited East face
of Everest, there is a trip going out to Tibet on September 3 for 11 days
for £3,195, but I have to declare an interest- I’m leading the trek!
Read
Graham's full story |
