• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

THE 1954 ITALIAN EXPEDITION TO THE KARAKORUM AND THE CONQUEST OF K2 • BY PROFESSOR A. DESIO HE idea of an Italian expedition to K2 came into my mind as far back as 1929. In that year I had taken part as a geographer and geologist in the Duke of Spoleto's expedition, and had examined that enormous mountain from a climbing point of view. That expedition had also left several scientific problems open, which it was of great interest to clear up and solve. It was in 1936 that, with some friends, I set out to consider the matter seriously: but only in 1939 did I succeed in laying down the plan with the support of the Italian Alpine Club. The war suspended all such activities. In 1949 I began to glimpse the possibility of realising my dream, but serious difficulties, especially of an economic nature, were still in the way. Finally in 1952 the Italian National Olympic Com­ mittee placed the necessary funds at my disposal for a preliminary reconnaissance in Pakistan for collecting essential data for organising the expedition. But an unexpected obstacle dashed my hopes : per­ mission had already been granted by Pakistan to Dr. C. Houston, head of an American expedition, and for supply and transport reasons another permission could not be issued for the same year. I returned to Italy after having submitted a request for authority for a preparatory journey in 1953, and for an expedition to the Baltoro mountains in 1954, with two programmes, one scientific and the other mountaineer­ ing. The latter included the ascent of Kz. The negotiations, lasting almost a year went through varying vicissitudes, but in the middle of July, when things looked very black, I learned that the permit for the preliminary expedition had been granted. My own optimism had in the meanwhile induced me to undertake certain preparations and to seek the necessary financial help, which was, in fact, supplied by the National Research Council. At this point a few words on the geographical situation are advisable. The Karakorum range is on the same latitude as Gibraltar, and is in a broad sense the section of the Himalayas furthest from the sea. For these reasons its climate is somewhat different from that of the Hima­ layan area best known to the public, i.e. that of Nepal, where rises Mount Everest. The monsoon only affects the Karakorum range to a small degree, and it reaches it with its humidity very much reduced, having to a large extent lost it on the mountain ranges and plateaux nearer the sea. The climate is consequently drier, as is seen from the steppe-like and, indeed, desert landscape prevailing in that area, except 4 ITALIAN EXPEDITION TO KARAKORUM AND CONQUEST OF K2 in the irrigated districts, where the vegetation is extraordinarily flourish­ ing, so that ":e come upon smiling verdant oases rich in cereals and fruits. The Baltoro Glacier and Kz (28,250 ft.), the second highest mountain in the world, rising at the end of that glacier are in Western Karakorum, · reached through Pakistan, and more precisely from Skardu. Skardu is also the last inhabited centre towards the north which can be reached by mechanical transport. As I said before, the government of Pakistan had in the middle of July granted me permission for the preliminary journey. \Vithin ten days I had to organise and forward the stores to Pakistan. For the mountaineering part of the expedition I secured the help of Riccardo Cassin, whose expenses were provided by the Italian Alpine Club. On August 20 I left Italy by air for l{arachi, whence I proceeded to Rawalpindi, where I met the Houston expedition on its return from K2, and thence to Skardu, the starting point of the caravan route for the Karakorum range. Before proceeding to Kz, I visited, on the invitation of the repre­ sentative of the Pakistan government, the valley of the Stak, an affluent, on the right bank of the Middle Indus, to study the problem of a glacier which had advanced about eight miles in the course of three months covering the whole valley, and seriously threatening the underlying villages. Thence, over t\vo passes more than IJ,soo ft. high, I joined the main route to K2, reaching Askole, the last inhabited village, 9, 700 ft. high, on September I 8. I then proceeded to the Baltoro Glacier and its chief tributary, the Godwin Austen, reaching the slopes of K2 at about 1 5,3oo ft. on September 26. After carrying out a reconnais­ sance under the Abruzzi spur, I returned to Skardu, and four days later reached Rawalpindi, returning to Italy two months after my departure. We have to remember that during the last half-century, K2 has been attempted five times. The first attempt was in I 902 by the International expedition Eckenstein-Pfannl-Guillarmod ; the second was that of the Duke of the Abruzzi, which during 1909, opened the way along the South-east ridge, then called 'Abruzzi Ridge.' The other attacks were by American mountaineers directed by C. Houston (1938 and I953), and by Wiessner (I 939 ). These expeditions were able to reach the ' shoulder ' of the giant, and \Viessner reached a height of about 27,500 ft. These expeditions \\'ere saddened by the death of five persons, two of them Americans. On my return I learned that the Pakistan government had granted me the desired permission. The plan of the expedition provided for two parties, a mountaineering and a scientific group, the for~er with the task of undertaking the ascent of K2, the latter with that of completing and extending the research carried out by earlier expeditions, and particularly by the Italian expedition of I929. My financial plans were based on t\vo important grants, one from the National Research Council and one from the National Olympic ITALIAN EXPEDITION TO KARAKORUM AND CONQUEST OF K2 5 Committee. The remaining sum \\~ as raised by a subscription of the Italian Alpine Club. The Club, in fact, appointed an ad hoc Committee, consisting of its leading members to co-operate in the mountaineering part of the undertaking, and when, O\Ving to bureaucratic difficulties the contribution of the Research Council had to be temporarily sus­ pended, the Committee, chiefly through the Vice-President, Dr. Vittorio Lombardi, who from the very first had lent me valuable assistance, intervened to organise the financial side of the enterprise. The preparations \Vere based on a fundamental plan, in which I provided in detail for all the various operations and their respective dates from November 25, 1953, to the day of conquest of K2, and thence on to our return to Italy. I here only record the general time-table of the expedition, with reference to the mountaineering part of the undertaking, adding that for each of the four phases of which I shall speak very detailed time­ tables existed, but for reasons of brevity I shall not go into them. 1st Phase : Organisation. Preparations for the expedition carried out in Italy from November 25, 1953 to March 31, 1954. 2nd Phase : Further preparations. Transportation of the members of the expedition and luggage from Italy to the base camp. Acclimatisa­ tion and training. General test of the materials £n loco. From April 1 to June 15. 3rd Phase : Attack. Fitting out the camps on the Abruzzi spur of K2. Transfer of supplies to the higher camps. Final attack. From June 10 to July 20. 4th Phase : Return journey. The return to Italy of the mountaineers from July 21 to August 16. With regard to the scientific activities, all operations as far as Skardu had been arranged in common with the mountaineering party. From Skardu the scientists, in small parties, were to carry out their work independently, at first in the Stak area and then on the Baltoro, where a meeting had been arranged for July 20. All preparations were carried out, as a rule, at the dates previously decided. Only the attack on the summit of K2 underwent a consider­ able delay owing to the exceptionally protracted bad \veather at the time. Before telling the story of the expedition, I shall say something about the technical and organisational conceptions applied in the attack on K2. (a) The ' heavy ' structure of the expedition, i.e. its organisation in such manner as to make it possible to remain for a considerable ~ngth • of time at high levels. _ (b) Complete equipment with pitons and fixed ropes along the whole route of the ascent, from the base on the Abruzzi spur to the ' shoulder ' and beyond. lVe had, in fact, nearly three miles of rope with us. (c) All the camps were provided permanently with all necessities for the mountaineers according to prearranged plan. (d) l\ higher camp was only occupied when the preceding one had been adequately equipped and provisioned. 6 ITALIAN EXPEDITIO~ TO KARAKORUM AND CONQUEST OF K2 (e) Transfer of the loads on the Abruzzi spur by means of windlasses and telepherics whenever possible. I shall now introduce my comrades and collaborators : Prof. Paolo Graziosi, 48 years of age, Professor of Ethnography in the University of Florence, Ethnographer. Prof. Antonio Marussi, 46 years of age, Professor of Geophysics in the University of Trieste, Geophysicist. Dr. Bruno Zanettin, 3 I years of age, Professor of Petrography at the University of Padua, Petrographer. Captain Francesco Lombardi, 36 years of age, Geodetical Expert and Topographer of the Italian Military Geographical Institute, Topo­ grapher. Dr. Guido Pagani, 37 years of age, assistant in the Civil Hospital of Piacenza, Medical Officer.

Load more

  16

Copy Link