CLUB PROCEEDINGS, 1956.

CLUB PROCEEDINGS, 1956.

The Twenty-eight h Annual General Meeting of the Himalayan Club was held at the Little Theatre, Lighthouse Cinema, Calcutta, on Friday, July 27th, 1956. The President , Mr. J : Lat imer, took the chair.

The Minutes of the Twenty-seventh Annual General Meeting held in Calcutta on J une 22nd, 1955, were confirmed. The Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the year ended December 31st, 1955, copies of which had been circulated to members, were accepted and approved. Messrs. Price, Waterhouse, Peat & Co., Ltd., were reappointed auditors for the year ending December 31st, 1956.

Officers, Elective Members of Committee, and Additional Members of Balloting Committee were duly elected as follows:

Officers

 

The Annual General Meeting was followed by two interesting films. The first was a colour film shown by Mr. M. Hruska illustrating a journey which he undertook in 1955 to Northern Sikkim and Eastern Nepal, north of Kangchenjunga and Jannu. The second was provided by courtesy of the Alliance Franchaise and f?ho wed the evolution of mountaineering in the Alps from the days of the pioneers, through an interesting series of old prints, to the modern development of artificial climbing, illustrated by a skilful display of rock and ice technique by Gaston Rebuffat.

CLUB OFFICERS : There were some import a t changes in the Committee. Mr. T. H. Braham resigned from the post of Honorary Secretary and was succeeded by Mr. P. F . Cumberlege. Mr. J. T. Ewing resigned on his departure from India, and was succeeded by Mr. W. B. Bakewell as Honorary Treasurer. Mrs. J. C. Henderson, our very active Honorary Local Secretary in Darjeeling, resigned on leaving India in January 1956. Her departure is greatly regretted by both climbers and non-climbers and, not least of all, by the Sherpas.

EXPEDITIONS, 1956: Once again 1956 was a very successful year in the Himalayas. With almost all. the major peaks now· climbed, it is inevitable that we should gradually see an advance in climbing standards ; and this year climbsrated technically difficult by Alpine standards have been successfully,accompli shed . Of outstanding importance was the double success of the Swiss Expedition led by Mr. Albert Eggler in achieving the second and this ascents of Everest and the first ascent of Lhotse. The seemingly inaccessible Muztagh Tower was twice climbed by a British party (Hartog, Patey, Brown, McNaught-Davis) on July 7th and 8th; and by a French party (leader Guido Magnone) on July 12th; the former by the north-west ridge and the latter by the south-west ridge. We congratulate the Japanese party, led by Mr. Yuko Maki, on their well-merited success in climbing Manaslu on May 9th. An Austrian party led by Fritz Moravec succeeded in climbing Gasherbrum II, 26,360 ft.

TIGER BADGES : Based on recommendations received from leaders of expedit ions in 1955, the Club awarded Tiger Badges to the following Sherpas:

 

MEETINGS : An en joyable meeting and supper party was held in Calcutta on February 27th, 1956. Mrs. J . C. Henderson, on the eve of her departure from India, was welcome that the meeting and was presented with a farewell gift by the President on behalf of the Club in appreciation of her invaluable work in Darjeeling. A magnificent set of colour-slides of the Kangchenjunga Expedition, very kindly lent by Mr. Charles Evans, was shown.

On the evening of June 26th the Swiss Consul in Calcutta kindly invited a few members to meet the successful Everest team on their way through Calcutta.

On November 14th a meeting was held to say farewell to the President, Mr. V. S. Risoe, on his departure from India. The Honorary Treasurer thanked Mr. Risoe warmly for the valuable work he had done for the Club in recent years; and latterly for helping to see the Journal into print in India. The film of the 1953 Nanga Parbat Expedition was shown by arrangement with the German Consulate in Calcutta.

The Delhi Section as usual was most active. Several meetings were held, and members of visiting expeditions were met and entertained, notably on July 1st when a reception was held at the Roshanara Club for members of the Swiss Expedition,

OBITUARY: We record with regret the deaths of the following members:

The Club was greatly grieved to learn of the death of Tom Bourdillon in a climbing accident in the Bernese Oberland on July 29th, 1956. An Obituary Note appears above.

 

 

CLUB PROCEEDINGS, 1957.

The Twenty-ninth Annual General Meeting of the Himalayan Club was held at the Little Theatre, Lighthouse Cinema, Calcutta, on Wednesday, August 28th, 1957. Mr. C. E. J. Crawford took the chair.

The Chairman addressed the meeting and briefly reported on the Club's activities during the year, in particular thanking Mr.
V. S. Risoe the out-going President for his work during his tenure of office.

The Minutes of the Twent y7eighth Annual General Meeting held in Calcutta on July 27th, 1956, were confirmed.

The Annual Report and Audited Accounts for the year ended Decen+ber 31st, 1956, copies of which had been circulated to members, were passed. Messrs. Price, Waterhouse, Peat & Co., Ltd ., were reappointed auditors for the year ending December 31st, 1957.

Officers, Elective Members of Committee, and Additional Members of Balloting Committee were duly elected as follows:

Officers

 

After the meeting two films were shown. The first, provided by courtesy of Th British Council, illustrated the work of the Outward Bound Schools in Britain. The second film, shown by Maj. N. D. Jayal, Principal of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, described the expedition organized by the Institute in 1956 to the Kar akoram, and the attempt on Saser Kanwi.

EXPEDITIONS, 1957 : Although in the past few years many of the : physical and psychological barriers associated with Himalayan climbing seem to have faded, political barriers have assumed far greater importance. The Rules for Expeditions, introduced in 1956 by the Government of Nepal, have been published in full in our Newsletters. There is no doubt that these will deter the smaller lightly equipped expeditions planning a climbing holiday devoid of both the encumbrances and also the financial backing of larger expeditions. There has been an increase in the number of expeditions to the Karakoram, and although the concentration there of major unclimbed peaks is undoubtedly one reason we feel that it is not the only one.

NEPAL : Of exceptional interest was the ascent of Machhapuchhare, 23,000 ft., a striking peak on the southern rim of the Annapurna range by a small British party led by Maj. J. O. M. Roberts. This brilliant success was a model of good planning and judgement. R. R. E. Chorley, a member of the team, was unfortunately stricken with paralysis at Base Camp and had to be flown home.

The Annapurna range was the scene of another ascent in May, when Charles Evans and Dennis Davis made the second ascent of Annapurna IV, 24,600 ft., in the course of what they described as a 'climbing holiday'.

We record with deep regret the deaths on April 18th of Capt. Crosby Fox, leader of the Yorkshire Ramblers Expedition to the Jugal Himal, and two Sherpas, Mingma Tenzing and Lhakpa Norbu, who were killed by an avalanche whilst traversing a glacier. at 18,000 ft. Mingma Tenzing w·as the son ·of Dawa Tenzing of Everest and Kangchenjunga fame.

GARHWAL: A team from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute under Maj. N. D. Jayal attempted Nanda Devi. The attempt was foiled by a snowstorm which struck their Camp IV at about 23,500 ft .

KARAKORAM : We have learnt with great regret of the death of Hermann Buhl on June 27th during an attempt on Chogolisa, 25,000 ft. Buhl was killed when a cornice broke away whilst he was ascending the south-east ridge. His body was not recovered. He was a member of a 4-man Austrian team to the Upper Baltoro glacier. The expedition had earlier achieved its main objective by climbing Broad Peak, 26,414· ft., all four climbers reaching the summit. Oxygen was not used and no porters were used beyond Base Camp at 16,000 ft. Masherbrum , 25,660 ft., was attempted by a team from Manchester, led by Mr. J. Walmsley.

An Anglo-Italian Expedition, including Alfred Gregory, Dennis Davis, and the veteran It alian Alpinist Sig. P. Ghiglione, made an attempt on Distaghil Sar, 25,868 ft.

A Briti sh part y of five led by Capt. Tony Streather made an attempt on: Haramosh, 24,270 ft. The climb was unfortunately abandoned following an accident in which two climbers were killed.

An expedition from the Imperial College Mountaineering Club, led by Mr. Eric Shipton, spent three months in the Saltoro area. The main objectives of the party of eight, which included three scientists, was explorat ion and scientific work.

It is sad to record a number of accidents in the Himalayas; and to note that in the Alps also an alarming number of accidents have occurred. Of course it is true that mountaineering activity has increased, and that proporitonately perhaps the number of accident s remains the same. But one pauses to consider whether, with its advanced technique, the psychology of modern climbing has undergone a fundamental change; and whether judgement and discretion together with traditional standards of safety have been allowed to take second place.

MEETINGS, 1957 : During February and March, meetings were held both in Calcutta and iJ?. Delhi for Dr. Jurg Marmet. Dr. Marmet, who was a member of the first summit team, gave talks illus rated by a beautiful set of colour-slides of last year's Swiss E verest Expedition.

In April, members both in Calcutta and Delhi had the opportunity of meeting Gaston Rebuffat who was on a world tour showing his ma gnificent film ' Starlight and Storm'.

OBITUARY : With deep regret we mourn the death of Lt .-Col. H. W. Tobin, D.S.O., O.B.E., who passed away peacefully at his home in Lymington , Hampshire, on J anuary 8th, 1957. An Obituary Notice appears elsewhere in this volume.

EXPEDITIONS, 1958 :

Swiss to Dhaulagiri, 26,795·ft., under the leacters h ip of Werner Stauble.

Austrian to Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I), 26,470 ft¹, led by Fritz Moravec.

French to Jannu, 25,294 ft.¹ A party of three led by Guido Magnone carried out a reconnaissance in October/November 1957.

 

British to Distaghil Sar, 25,868 ft.

Indian to Cho Oyu, 26,750 ft., organized by K. F. Bunshah; the party of four includes Maj. N. D. Jayal and Pasang Dawa Lama.

In addition Mr. P. J. Wallace of Nairobi has receiv!3d permission from the Nepalese Government to attempt Annapurna I.

We must not forget the Yeti Expedition organized by Mr. Tom Slick of Texas, U.S.A. I-t is understood that the expedition will be equipped with hounds, rifles, nets and camouflage tents to lure our abominable friend out of his seclusion. The team of five Yeti hunters left for the Barun Valley towards the end of January 1958.

ALPINE CLUB CENTENARY: We offer our heartiest congratulatio11.s to the Alpine Club which celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in December 1957, the first of any mountaineering clubs to do so. Many special functions were arranged to celebrate the event.

A Meet was organized in North Wales during the week-end May 24th-26th, 1957, and a Dinner attended by 75 members and guests was held in Llanberis on May 28th, 1957.

An Alpine Club Centenary Meet was held in Zermatt, between August 19th-29th, 1957. The Meet opened with a Dinner on August 19th at the Monte Rosa Hotel which has many historical links with the Alpine Club. During the Meet a dist inguished caravan of Himalayan dimensions accomplished two fine climbs from the Monte Rosa Hut—the traverse of the' East and West peaks of the Lyskamm and the Younggrat or Klein Triftjigrat of the Breithorn. The Lyskamm party included the leaders of three Mount Everest Expeditions, Dr. Wyss-Dunant, Sir John Hunt, and Herr Albert Eggler. On the Breithorn, the two latter were accompanied by Fritz Luchsinger, who reached the summit of Lhotse in 1956, and by John Tyson, John Hobhouse, Chris Brasher and George Band. In the van was a guide and client who had started from the Gandegg Hut. George Band, not realizing that he was addressing a guide, offered to take over the lead whenever the latter felt tired and at one stage even asked him whether he was sure where the route went. And so on this great and very enjoyable climb, Himalayan veterans were able to demonstrat their adaptability to a strenuous Sherpa-free and oxygen-less environment.

A Centenary Dinner was held at the Dorchester Hotel, London, on November 6th, which was attended by a very distinguished company of climbers of the past and present generation, including representatives invited from all the major climbing clubs in the world. Mr. V. S. Risoe, our Vice-President, attended on behalf of the Himalayan Club.

A Centenary Reception was held in the Great Hall, Lincoln's Inn, London, on- December 9th, 1957. Many members of the Club and their ladies were fortunate in being present at the last of t he more formal celebrations which was attended by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. After being received by the President, Sir John HUDt, the Queen and Prince Philip walked through the Hall and inspected a selection of the photographs, paint ings and show-cases from the Centenary Exhibition. They then separated and mingled with the company, conversing informally with those introduced to them. Among those presented were the following who are known for their Himalayan climbs, many being members of the Club: F. Spencer Chapman, Roger Chorley, Mike Banks, David Cox, Eaton Cromwell, G. I . Finch, Eileen Gregory, John Hartog, John Kempe, Peter Lloyd, Terris Moore, Bernard Pierre, N. E. Odell, Howard Somervell, Tony Streather, John Case.

HIMALAYAN JOURNAL, VOL. XXI: It is hopedto publish the next volume early in 1959, and all papers intended for publication should beforwarded to the Honorary Editor, c/o The Himalayan Club, Post Box No. 9049, Calcutta 16, so as to reach him not later than December 1958. It is requested that sketch-maps should be sent to accompany articles; these should be clearly drawn in Indian ink with references given, if possible, to the existing Survey of India sheets. Photographs should be half-plate size or larger, printed on glossy bromide paper and should show as much contrast as possible.

JOURNAL BACK NUMBERS : Unfortunately, these are now very scarce indeed. All the early volumes are virtually unobtainable and we believe that the existence of a complet e set in the collection of individual members must be exceedingly rare. The Honorary Editor would be glad to hear from members how many such sets do, in fact, exist. The early volumes available for sale to members at the present time are as follows :—

Vols. XVII, XVIII, XIX, which are priced at Rs.7/50 per copy. Enquiries should be addressed to the Hon. Librarian, The
Himalayan Club, Post Box No. 9049, Calcutta 16.

DESPATCH OF THE JOURNAL: Accompanying this volume is a slip which it is hoped all members will return with the necessary corrections, whose addresses are not correctly shown in the Club's List of Members. Responsibility for non-delivery of the Journal cannot be accept ed if members do not notify their change of address. Considerable expense is caused to the Club in re-addressing Journals returned, and duplicate copies cannot be sent except on payment.

 

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