The Hindu : dated February 12, 1953: Conversing during mountaineering

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Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003

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dated February 12, 1953: Conversing during mountaineering

From the Editorials: "Mountaineering calls for a variety of qualities and qualifications. But one of the latter, though obvious, is not always insisted upon. According to the correspondent of a letter in the London Times, deficiency in this skill might prove to be fatal to the success of any expedition and to some of the personnel involved. John Morris, who was a member of the 1922 and 1936 expeditions to the Mount Everest, has said that Sherpa porters play a crucial part in the climbs. A reasonable familiarity with their language, Nepali, should be required on the part of the members of expeditions, since, at times of crisis likely to occur during bad weather, the importance of language is crucial. Mr. Morris says that the French expedition to Annapoorna nearly ended in disaster very largely because no one was able to communicate directly with the Sherpas. Though many Sherpas are not trained climbers, they are asked to incur considerable risks. One of them involved in the Swiss Expedition of 1952 actually took part in the final assault. Sherpas, therefore, have the right to demand that those, in whose charge they climb, have the ability, especially in times of danger, to explain what action is necessary for safety. It is possible that Sherpas know a few words of English or French, just as the expedition members know a few words of Nepali. Mr. Morris thinks that such limited skill is not at all sufficient. We trust that the Himalayan Club will give careful consideration to his suggestion that in every expedition there should be members able to speak in a language intelligible to Sherpa porters.

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