'Mountaineering isn't always about reaching the top'

MUMBAI: Twenty-three years ago,when he reached the summit of Mount Everest as a member of a Norwegian expedition, Chris Bonington was already a legend in the mountaineering fraternity.
Today, in the wake of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest, Sir Chris said he was deeply disturbed by recent displays of heartlessness in Himalayan mountaineering.
The celebrated British mountaineer, who ranks among the world’s leading motivational speakers, was in the city to deliver a business presentation entitled ‘Peak of Achievement’ for the Himalayan Club on Monday evening. Sir Chris is also going on a month-long trek to the remote Sainj Nalla region in the Kulu Himalayas with friends, including Harish Kapadia, who on June 2 received the so-called Patron’s gold medal awarded by the Royal Geographical Society from the Queen in London.
Sir Chris told TNN that in the obsessive rush to get to the top, money-minded Everesters, who pay as much as $25,000 for a shot at the summit, just walk past climbers lying seriously injured on the mountainside. “There’s no way they are going to sacrifice their chance of going to the top of the world in order to help this stupid nerd who’s got himself into trouble,’’ he said. “It’s as simple as that. They are prepared to let someone die so that they can realise their own ambition.’’
Later, as he took his select audience through his Everest expedition, Sir Chris made links between what he does so successfully in the high-altitude world and the high-pressure environment of business today—illustrating the virtues of visionary leadership, empowerment, synergy in teamwork, and planning and organisation with cautionary tales backed by superb slides of mountaineering.
Sir Chris said a case of unsporting mountaineering was reported live when he was speaking on May 29, at the 50th ‘Everest Endeavour’ anniversary celebrations at Leicester Square, London, in front of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. At the end of his speech, the compere, Sir David Attenbourough, handed a mobile phone to Sir Chris saying, “We’ve got a message for you.’’
It was a Royal Marine who had reached the top of Everest earlier that week. But what was even more interesting, Sir Chris said, was that on its way down the British team came across a climber with a broken leg from a guided party—he had been hurt when another climber from a commercial party slipped and banged into him. “The guy who had slipped first was unhurt,’’ Sir Chris explained. “He just picked himself up and carried on to the top!’’
Ultimately, it was Dave Pierce, a climber from the Royal Marines’ expedition,who helped the injured man down as far as he could, until they reached another Royal Marines team on its way up. The second Royal Marines team “didn’t think twice’’, Sir Chris said. “They just turned around, sacrificed their chance at the summit as they helped the injured man down to their military base camp. And that is what mountaineering in its truest spirit should be like.’’