Word: mountainize
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...factor must have been very considerable. And I really felt that night, with the wind blowing as it was, that we might have trouble with the summit. I have never been the sort of person who is absolutely confident that he is going to reach the summit of any mountain. I was always very much aware of the fact that weather conditions or snow conditions could make getting to the summit difficult or even impossible. But early in the morning the wind had eased off. There was still wind all the way up, but it wasn't anywhere near...
...never stop working. No, even on top of Everest, I was still looking at other mountains and thinking of how to climb them. When we got to the top I didn't really have a tremendous feeling of ecstasy or joy. I didn't leap around, or throw my hands in the air or something. We were tired of course, and I was very much aware of the fact that we had to get safely down the mountain again. I think my major feeling was one of satisfaction, I really did have a feeling of "Well, we've finally made...
...then there was all that confusion about Tenzing getting on top first. When we got back to Kathmandu Valley, we were met by Communists - there was quite a strong Communist movement on the mountain and in the villages. Now, I'm not anti-communist by any manner or means, but there was no question they felt that it was most important that they should stress that Tenzing had got to the summit first. Whereas to the ordinary mountaineer, of course, it's a matter of complete indifference. So they got Tenzing aside, and they really batted away...
...harder than Everest? Oh no. It was very different in many ways. The problems of snow and ice were similar, but on a big mountain like Everest, there were more immediate dangers - the possibility of avalanche or falling off the mountain or going down a crevasse. In the Antarctic the temperatures on the whole were colder, the distances were vast and it was a much longer sort of business really. So in our trip to the South Pole, we were under constant tension, for long, long periods. For hours we'd be under great tension. Whereas on a big mountain...
What did you think of your son Peter's continuing to climb? That was entirely up to him. He decided he wanted to do it and he went off. I've never climbed with Peter on a big mountain. He did more and more of it and became surer, a much better technical climber than ever I was. He was always trying difficult routes, wasn't interested in climbing easy routes. He had quite a few accidents. He nearly killed himself once, and I think four members of his parties died on the mountains. So I felt relieved when...