This blog will document an artistic collaboration between Ben Coode-Adams and Kris Cohen. The final work, to be performed from 28th-30th May at the Banff Centre, will stage simultaneous, real-time re-enactments of three related events: the first ascent of Everest in 1953, the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, and a commericial climb of Everest in 1996 which ended in disaster.

 


This is the team photo of my school 1st XV for Rugby. In the photo are myself, Peter Evans, (seated third from right) the son of Charles Evans who reached the South Summit of Everest on 26th May 1953 and Roderick Newell who murdered his parents.
posted by Ben at 11:57 PM

 
There seems to be a wider gulf between the experience of the journey from home to base camp in 1953 and 1996 than one would expect. Hunt describes the former as a pleasant stroll through magnificent scenery populated by delightful sherpas. It seems a journey of unalloyed pleasure. Nepal had only been open to Westerners for 4 years and although the path to Everest had been busy, for the ordinary traveller there can have been no chance to visit Katmandu let alone the rest of Nepal. Except for flying, the only route into Nepal was on foot. All goods had to be carried along a system of rope pulleys including the 7.5 tons of expedition equipment.

By 1996 the route was extremely well traveled by climbers and trekkers. All climbers flew into Katmandu having maybe traveled for 24hrs with various stopovers. From there they were flown by helicopter to Lukla reaching base camp within two weeks. From Lukla an 'ambrosial' trek took them via Lobuje which Jon Krakauer described as a grim place. 'Huge stinking piles of human faeces lay everywhere; it was impossible not to walk in it.'

Even though the 1953 expedition was organised with remarkable speed, in case the Swiss were successful in 1952 scuppering any British attempt, the pace was incredibly slow by 1996 standards taking over 7 weeks for the first climbers to reach the base of the Khumbu Icefall, modern Base Camp. This can only have had a beneficial affect, in bonding the team, in acclimatising thoroughly and in training climbs carried out around Thyangboche. The climbers that arrived at Base Camp in 1953 must have been in a completely different state of mind to those arriving in 1996. In that year Beck Weathers left the sophistication of Dallas for base camp, only to find that that sophistication had followed him there, with Starbucks sponsorship and satelite phones and faxes. James Morris struggled with runners in 1953 to send back dispatches to the Times, taking up to four days to reach Katmandu (a distance of 200 miles) . Sandy Hill Pitman was communicating instantly with CBS.
posted by Ben at 11:57 AM

 


Ben and George Band
posted by Ben at 6:18 AM

 
I have had a very busy weekend which has lurched from the sublime to the ultra mundane. On Saturday I met George Band, the youngest member of the 1953 Everest Expedition. It was a privilege to meet him. I can't think of a less clichéd way of saying it, but he is a very nice guy and I am very grateful to him for agreeing to meet me during what must be a very busy few weeks leding up to the 29th May. It was interesting to hear him discuss Everest, in the context of what has been a very full life. Having just completed the excellent official history of Everest he knows everything there is to know about the mountain. In fact having been at the heart of British mountaineering for over 50 years he pretty much knows everything there is to know about climbing from a UK perspective.

We discussed the route up the South East Ridge and George was able to give me a description that considerably added to my knowledge, which had been based on a 1:25,000 map, videos, photos and descriptions which apart from the map were pretty general. There is a new 1:5000 map which would vastly increase the accuracy of our models.

We talked about the difference in how the teams worked in 1953 and 1996. Team selection in 1953 was carefully undertaken by Hunt to ensure a cohesive and workmanlike group. In 1996 there were no teams in 1953 sense, only groups of people sharing little but a cook tent and an ambition. I had written here rather catily 'which they seem to have been ill equiped to fulfil'. But this is actually quite unfair. In 1996 the climbers were probably much fitter before they started, as they trained, which no one did in 1953. However in 1953 the team members were very rested form the boat journey from England (except for those that flew) and they then walked from Katmandu to train at Thangboche. They would never have dreamed of running up flights of stairs in tower blocks as Ken Kammler describes, or undertaking Beck Weathers punishing training schedule.

Until practically the last minute no one knew who would make up the assault parties. Hunt seems to have made all the right choices which I can't help comparing to Captain Scott at the top of the Beardmore Glacier making all the wrong ones. George described how they were all disappointed not to have a crack at the summit but realised that the opportunity for reaching the summit was very small, due to weather, fitness, but mostly material at the South Col, material they had all worked incredibly hard to push up the Lhotse Face. There was a slim chance of success in September 1953 but after that the French and Swiis had permits for succeeding years, so this was the one shot. They all seem to have been completely motivated to this goal knowing that only one or two could make it, but that was all that was needed. In 1996 all 32 climbers wanted to reach the summit, a whole different type of achievement.

From talking to George there was a real sense in 1953 that the success of Hillary and Tenzing was not only the success of the whole team but the succes of all preceding expeditions as well.

The ultra mundane part of my weekend was putting up Ikea shelves.


posted by Ben at 3:16 AM