The Appeal., 1921-01-15
STORMS BALK
ASCENT OFPEAk
Mountaineers Make Daring At
tempt to Climb Giant Of
the HimaIayas.
WILL RENEW ATTACK LATER
British Explorers Get 21 900 Feet Up
Mount kinchinjupsa and Are Com
PEELED to Stop hk Bad Weather.
EncounterkDif difficulties,

Manchester, England.-A Manches.
ter Guardian correspondent at Calcut-
ia remarks that great interest has
been aroused by ah attempt to climb
Mount Kinchinjunga, one of the giants
of the Himalayas.
Harold Raeburn, editor of Noun
taineering Art, and G. G. Crawford of
the Assam civil sevice, both men,
lbers of the Alpine club, were known
to be conducting preliminary explora-
tions in the hope of finding an easy
access to the summit.
More than onei skirmish in the
vicinity Of Kinchinjunga was made,
though the rains at the time were
heavy and the ever-shifting ice fields
in the mountains were likely to come
down in terrific ayalanches, making
all climbing impossible without seri-
tous risk to life.
Their explorations led the climbers
falong the course Of the Talung river,
which takes it's rise in the Talung
glacier. Here they crossed streams,
the bridges Of which had been washed
away, and passed impenetrable for
ests, through which they had to hew
their way for several days. Un-
daunted by the rainy weather, they
travelled almost straight north to
Pamionghi, across the Giuchu Pass,
16,430 feet, to the Talung glacier,
which Is almost Immediately to the
south Of Kinchinjunga, and there OBJ
4tained a glorious view Of the noun
tains.
Encounter Great Difficulties.
The party returned to Darjeeling
iand made their final preparations, en-
gaging coolies and large quantities of
stores. The rains, however, were so
severe that it was not until September
p that the two explorers were able to
get away. Travelling out by the Sin
galila, ridge, they attacked Kinchin-
11junga- on the southwest side and ex-
plored the glaciers. Access to the
summit by that direction was found
difficult, but the party persevered and
Eventually camped out at a. level Of
10000 feet. I'll
Here more difficulties were met and
bad weather was experienced. Snow
began to fall and the expedition be-
came increasingly hazardous. A fur
ther thousand feet was overcome, but
at this point the attempt had to be
abandoned. -. ,'-.. i
The return was made by new
snow pass about $4,000 feet high. The
weather was at first exceedingly bad,
but conditions became better later.
There was no rain on lower level, al
though occasional snow showers were
met higher up. Considerable difficulty
was experienced when returning, ow-
ing to the depth Of new SHOWS on the
,Sikkhim side, which were probably due
ito the bad weather experienced in the
latter part of September. Finally the
party reached Darjeeling in the mid
die Of October, having been away
over a month. Both the explorers
were greatly impressed by the peaks,
but confident that, given good wealth
er, the summit could be attained.
Attempt Made in 1899.
It is interesting to recall that
similar attempt was made by Douglas
w. Freshfield in 1899. Mr.. Freshfeld
was led to undertake the exploration
by the fact that owing, as he says,
partly to cost and the difficulty Of
travel in Sikkhim and partly to the
obstacle presented by the Nepalese
frontier, no European had up to the
end of the nineteenth century gone
around the mountain. Even Sir
Joseph Hooker did not approach near
enough to explore the glaciers Of the
giant. As fol. official surveys, these,
according to Mr.. Freshf1eld, have al
ternately ignored and caricatured the
glaciers. 49,
Mr.. Freshf1eld did not think much
Of his tour from q climbing point Of
view. =
1T is, OF course, impossible" he
writes, ito 60 up and down Is, 900,
feet without some climbing in the pop
:ular sense of the word, but in the
technically Alpine sense we had far
too little mountaineering for my taste.
Rope and ice-ax played but very
subordinate mart in Ou,. inurnov, :,