The Call of Everest: The History, Science, and Future of the World's Tallest Peak Author(s): Jack D. Ives Source: Mountain Research and Development, 33(4):482-483. Published By: International Mountain Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/mrd.mm125 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/mrd.mm125 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Mountain Research and Development (MRD) MountainMedia An international, peer-reviewed open access journal published by the International Mountain Society (IMS) www.mrd-journal.org Several revered Everest photo- their way of life and the landscape The Call of Everest: graphic archives have made contri- itself. This leads to an introduction to The History, Science, and butions, especially that of the Royal the rapid growth in mountaineering Future of the World’s Geographical Society. This has en- and trekking. One devastating statistic sured a widely embracing photo is that the Khumbu experiences an- Tallest Peak record of Everest’s mountaineering nual influxes in excess of 25,000 Edited by Conrad Anker. history. Understandably there was no trekkers compared to a resident pop- Washington, DC: National Geographic attempt to be complete. The 3- ulation of about 3500. The signifi- dimensional diagram giving a Society, 2013. 304 pp. US$ 35.00. cance of this enormous challenge, ISBN 978-1-4262-1016-7. Khumbu Glacier–South Col perspec- positive and negative, is outlined: tive, used as a frontispiece, is highly from the highly beneficial creation of effective. Similarly, the oblique high- hospitals and schools, initiated by Sir The National Geographic Society altitude photograph (pp 144–145) Edmund Hillary, to the dispropor- (NGS) has chosen to celebrate the gives a dramatic display of 15 of the tionate number of deaths of Sherpa 50th anniversary of the United States/ major routes to the summit, linked to climbing guides, alcoholism, drugs, NGS team’s ascent of Mount Everest their respective expeditions. Sur- and garbage, not to mention a signif- in 1963 in combination with the 60th prisingly, the impressive second suc- icant Sherpa diaspora. Coincidentally, anniversary of the first documented cessful attempt of 1956 that included Coburn has published a separate book ascent and successful descent. This the first ascent of Lhotse (8501 m) by on the 1963 ascent of Everest giving was the 1953 culmination of the the Swiss is neglected. highly relevant and detailed personal triumph of Hillary and Tenzing In Chapter 1, Conrad Anker information on the primary members under the leadership of Brigadier explores the ‘‘call’’ of Everest from its of the expedition (Coburn 2013). John Hunt’s British expedition. The first sighting, through the early Alton C. Byers, as the only geog- historical depth of the book extends mountaineering attempts, to realiza- rapher among the contributors, ap- back to the 19th-century discovery of tion of the ‘‘American Dream’’ in propriately, has produced Chapter 4, the mountain and the assumption 1963. He proceeds from 1963 to ‘‘The Nature of Everest.’’ This consti- that it was the world’s highest, inci- introduce the subsequent changes in tutes a realistic account of the natu- dental to the monumental British the meaning of Everest. These have ral landscape based in large part on Great Trigonometrical Survey of In- been influenced by improvements in his extensive field research. He pro- dia. The book covers the earliest equipment, techniques, and the on- vides a balanced account of recent reconnaissance and the several at- rush of mass trekking tourism, to the human impacts correcting former tempts on the summit from the serious overcrowding of the last unsupportable assumptions that were northern, Tibetan, side prior to 20 years. Regardless, his beliefs are presented as authoritarian conclu- World War II. It is beautifully exe- couched by his final chapter sub- sions. While this has been published cuted with exquisite photographs heading: ‘‘Forever Everest.’’ previously in the scientific literature that we all, long since, have come to In Chapter 2, David R. Lageson following his early fieldwork in the recognize as the hallmark of the NGS. provides a substantive account of the 1980s, its reiteration here is neces- The presentation is broken down birth of Everest from the Ordovician sary in the context of a possible into 8 chapters. Preceded by Tom life forms on the seafloor of the uninformed general readership: Hornbein’s Foreword, each chapter is Tethys Ocean, via plate tectonics, to massive deforestation was not occur- written by a specialist in the relevant the fossiliferous sediments (The Yel- ring in the 1970s and 1980s, and field: the meaning of Everest, geo- low Band) close to the summit of there is strong evidence for human tectonics, anthropology, natural today. En route he introduces Sir entry into the Khumbu centuries history, climbing history, medical George Everest and the British Sur- prior to the conventionally accorded research, an account of 1 season on vey of India, as well as 2 geological 16th/17th-century immigration of the mountain, and the future. There pioneers who went before him: Noel Sherpas from eastern Tibet. He also are recommendations for further Odell and Augusto Gansser. introduces the current concerns reading, mini-biographies of the Brot Coburn uses Chapter 3 to about climate change that is leading contributors, illustration credits, and illustrate the special people of the to glacier retreat and thinning and an index. Apart from accounts of the Khumbu, the Sherpas. He gives an the growth of potentially dangerous early British attempts from the north overview of their original culture, glacier lakes. The conspicuous side, the book emphasizes the south- religion, sacred places, and way of life. change in the glaciers is convincingly ern approach as well as the entire The impact of the closing of Tibet by demonstrated by his replication of Khumbu region of the Nepal Himal. China in 1949 is emphasized as photographs dating from the 1950s. The scientific accounts are attuned marking the beginning of the vast Bernadette McDonald intro- for a general readership. changes that have overtaken both duces the reader to many of the Mountain Research and Development Vol 33 No 4 Nov 2013: 482–483482 http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/mrd.mm125 ß 2013 by the authors MountainMedia mountaineering pioneers. Her chap- medicine far outweighs the death concludes on an optimistic note, ter includes several iconic photo- score per se. Critical medical insights ‘‘Enduring Rewards,’’ and, to return to graphs. The chapter contains an are provided for the treatment of sea- the beginning, ‘‘The Call of Everest.’’ intriguing vignette of George Mallory level ailments, for instance, of heart The book, as a whole, is a historic (p 153: box by Audrey Salkeld) that failure. In 2010, some six million treasure house of mountaineering includes a snapshot of a seemingly patients in the United States experi- history, philosophy, tales of adven- lethargic Cambridge undergraduate enced heart failure at a cost of nearly ture, and precious landscape and prior to World War I. Another box, US$ 40 million. people photographs. There are only 3 written by Tom Hornbein (p 188), Mark Jenkins (Chapter 7) empha- minor quibbles: the dust jacket has a provides insights into his West Ridge sizes the ‘‘trophy’’ climbing of today: determination to curl up; the binding traverse with Willi Unsoeld and the more than 95% of the climbers are is so tight that the book will not helicopter evacuation of the frozen- paying clients. Against this, heroism, smoothly lay open on one’s lap for footed Willi and Barry Bishop. The inspiration, and spiritual uplift are easy reading; and the layout of chap- chapter goes on to introduce the new emphasized, epitomized, for instance, ter headings and interior quotations technology, new routes, ascents with- by President Kennedy’s presenting are set in violently conflicting colors out oxygen, and, finally, the present- Norman Dyhrenfurth with the So- with variably sized block capitals that day madness and risks associated with ciety’s Hubbard Medal, the 2012 render them almost illegible. irresponsible overcrowding. Legacy Climb team, and the great Under the apt title ‘‘The Agonies of scientific advances. Nevertheless, this Everest,’’ Bruce Johnson provides a does not obliterate the ghastly pho- gripping chapter on high-altitude tograph on page 264 showing the REFERENCE medical research. He provides a de- long line of climbers plodding Coburn B. 2013. The Vast Unknown: America’s tailed, nontechnical, description of through the Yellow Band, all facing First Ascent of Everest. New York, NY: Crown the human body’s physical challenges the acute danger of simple conges- Publishers, Random House. Jenkins M. 2013. Maxed out on Everest: How to fix to surviving at extreme altitude. This is tion of too many would-be the mess at the top of the world. National accompanied by a revealing graph that summiteers. Jenkins also raises some Geographic 223(6):84–103. plots the number of deaths against the criticisms of National Park and total number of climbers between World Heritage management, a topic 1975 and 2012.