Valley of Flowers, Garhwal

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We, the team are climbing the mountain for our own satisfaction – the only real basis or point of any kind of climbing. I think that vicarious adventure, whether it be sailing around the world, crossing the pole or climbing, has a useful function in our society – and if we all stopped doing anything except worry about the economic ailments of the country, what a dull place it would be.

Even on a slightly jingoist note, I think one of Britain’s problems at present is a lack of self-confidence. I know that climbing the South-West Face isn’t going to solve any problems, but sometimes slightly irrelevant things, like winning the World Cup or some other event, can have a beneficial effect. I think this is the case with Everest.

Such spirit had once made the British Empire where sun never set.

(Chris Bonington, replying to criticism for returning to complete
the South-West Face route on Everest in 1975)

Correspondence

Mountaineering is a vast field, with a motley of people from varying background. There are as many controversies and difference in ideology as there are expeditions, climbers and Clubs.

Harish Kapadia was Hon. Editor of the Himalayan Journal, one of most respected and authentic mountaineering reference in the world with regards to the Himalaya. The Journal always stood out in its quest for truth, point out differences between climbers and state significance of events. The ‘Correspondence’ section allowed climbers and readers the freedom to express their diverse thoughts, compliments and comments about some aspect of the Journal or queries about unknown aspects of the range. All these the editor had to carefully consider and reply or throw it open for the readers to respond.

Meadows near Kugti, HP

Here is a collection of letters and exchanges, with many famous mountaineers, gathered from the pages of the Himalayan Journal, covering many events, many writers and subjects. In a way it makes an interesting read about what climbers thought during various stages of the sport and mountains over the years.
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