Conrad Anker's throwback expedition will forgo ladders, use vintage gear.
June 11th, 2007
Conrad Anker’s Altitude Everest team is on their final push on Everest’s north side, according to MountEverest.net.
The site reports:
Five climbers and cameramen, plus 15 Sherpas departed the North Col earlier today, toward C1 at 7,500m. They hope to reach the summit on Thursday, June 14.
According to plans, the expedition would climb at least part of the route in vintage replica clothes and gear. Filming a documentary on Mallory and Irvine’s 1924 ascent, Anker's expedition members previously stated they would remove ladders and ropes from the Second Step, in order to free-climb it as Mallory and Irvine supposedly did.
Conrad Anker’s Altitude Everest Expedition includes British climbers Leo Houlding, Kevin Thaw and Gerry Moffat, Americans Jimmy Chin and Ken Sauls, plus a filming crew in charge of making a documentary of the climb, focusing on a remake of Mallory and Irvine’s 1924 ascent. Jimmy will be the expedition’s photographer and Ken has been designated as the high-altitude cameraman.
The filming is also the reason for such a late arrival at the mountain: “We cannot shoot a 1924 period piece with other climbers in the shot,” Moffat explained. “The basis of Mallory’s film requires our expedition to wait until the commercial expeditions have completed their attempts.”
Anker, who will play Mallory, hopes to climb in 1920s clothes similar to the ones Mallory used when he set off for the summit in 1924; Conrad himself found the film in 1999. Leo Houlding will play Irvine.
The team needs the scene to look exactly as it was in 1924 – which means not only entering the death zone in wool, silk and leather boots, but it also means the ladders on the Second Step have to go!
“We will wait for all the expeditions to leave, and then, as we attempt the summit, we will take away the ladder,” Kevin told ExplorersWeb. That way the team will follow the supposed route of Mallory and Irvine – and just like them, they will try to reach the summit.
