Chapter 20 Chapter 17 Other Conclusions

It was the conclusion of the expedition that there had to be a second camp above the North Col (one at about 25,000 feet and the other at about 27,000 feet) in order for the climb to be successful without oxygen.On the mountain, progress must be very slow, no matter how efficient the climbers are, and no matter how adapted they are to the local water and soil, they have to take several breaths with each step.They have to pay attention to streamlining effort, maintaining balance, maintaining energy, and giving rhythm to the movements.Even with all this care, we can't expect them to go faster than 300 feet an hour for the last 2,000 feet.At such a high altitude, it is almost impossible to start early in the morning.And once they reached the summit, they had to allow themselves time to come down, preferably back to the North Col if possible.The travel rate may be three times that of the uplink, but four to five hours must be prepared for the downlink.Therefore, the starting point for climbing to the top must be as close as possible to 27,000 feet.And what that means, anyone who has ever seen the 26,600-foot Nanga Parbat from Kashmir will know.Then it is necessary to find a pick to bring the useful items to that huge height, so that climbers can reach the top of the mountain from there.That's the conclusion.

Another lesson learned from this experience: climbers must not be too old for forty, but as close to thirty as possible.If it is too old, it cannot adapt to the water and soil quickly.It was a valuable experience, because it was not known what age group was better to be older or younger.This must have been the case: the older, the calmer, the more experienced, the more able to bear the strain.But no matter how hard they can endure, they just can't adapt to the high mountain environment and can't adapt quickly to the new situation at high altitude.As a result, climbing ability at very high altitudes is not as good as that of younger individuals.

On the other hand, if the climber is too young, he may acclimate quickly to high altitudes, but may collapse from overwork; he may not have that stamina.Thirty years old seems to be the ideal age to climb Mount Everest. Moreover, he must be tall, with a short waist and long limbs, that is to say, he does not have much weight to carry, but has a pair of long legs to support his body. Good lung function is clearly necessary.Both Malory and Finch said: At high places, deep, long and powerful breaths must be taken.Somerwell, on the other hand, found that quick, short breaths worked best for him.It is too early to draw conclusions.Everyone must study themselves carefully, and then take the method that is best for them.But whether you take deep or short breaths, strong lungs are essential.

Climbers will have decent speed as long as they can trek up smoothly, but if they have to commit to more unusual endeavors, their progress will be greatly affected by distractions.Cooking a meal, putting on their boots, getting out of the tent to tie the guy lines, and even going to bed can mess them up.Finding people to do these things well and avoiding their distraction is a much-needed arrangement. Another arrangement that is obviously indispensable is an Olympic aid team.The first echelon expedition suffered terribly from the absence of this arrangement.Men who make great efforts must be able to feel that when they are in trouble, there is someone behind them ready to come and support them, at least on the greatest day, after returning from a job which they are unlikely to do again in this life. There will be a hot meal waiting for them.

When it comes to the obstacles and dangers that may be encountered in Everest expeditions, it is now recognized that Everest is an easy rock in the vocabulary of the British Mountaineering Association.The protruding rock slabs of its north wall, especially when snow-laden, are inherently dangerous and must be dealt with carefully, but they do not constitute an insurmountable barrier.And for the last half-mile that hasn't been climbed, there's no obstacle there; it just stands in the path one goes up the hill. The mountain itself is not an obstacle.What hindered the progress was the terrible wind, the cold, and the snow.The extreme cold can be warded off with warm clothing, but Somerwell offers a caveat that during the acclimatization process, people who are already acclimatized are more likely to suffer from chilblains.Therefore, future expeditions should take precautions against this.

With regard to the danger of snow, the horrific experience of the expedition team will serve as a warning for future expeditions, so I will not repeat them here. The wind is less dangerous than the snow, but it is a more constant hindrance.These violent winds are so frequent that climbers come to the conclusion that howling must be considered the normal state there.When they're raging to the point of extreme menacing, movement is impossible, but given how short an ascent can reasonably be done, climbers can't afford to wait for a windless day.You have to go up whether it is windy or not, unless it is a hurricane.But if this is to be done, they must furnish themselves and their pickers with suitable clothing as impenetrable as possible, and furnish tents which are likewise impenetrable to wind and snow.Any material that is not as hard as steel cannot really withstand the wind on Mount Everest.But there are other substances with different levels of permeability, and now it's about picking the least penetrable substance that can be worn on the body and carried.

These are valuable experiences to be gained, and if the next expedition can benefit from them, the probability of success will be greatly improved.