III. The mountains beckon. The fabulous beauty of Lake Mzy. When the mountains beckon

III. The mountains beckon

After graduating from the seven-year school, Tur entered the eighth grade in the fall of 1928. For him, like for most of us, the transition to the second stage was difficult. New teachers, in their introductory conversations, essentially read the waste of childhood. Our childhood years are over, from now on we must learn to think, speak and behave like adults. We were advised to read newspapers and good books, and in newspapers the most boring things are the most important. Reading will help us become independent thinkers and “contributing members of society.” And we wanted to be children a little more, we dreamed of sports, of adventure. I remember not being at all happy about the idea of becoming an adult.

And Tur was the least in a hurry to say goodbye to his childhood. Younger in age, he did not keep up with the others in development. It was immediately felt that he was uneasy. It was at this time that our friendship was formed. We were introduced to a toy boat made of pine wood, but what really brought us together were common dreams and views, similar impressions. Near Tur - this is his Master's Pond. I just have a barrel of water. But what an incomparable barrel! My father was a gardener. In one of his greenhouses there was a huge barrel where he filled a watering can with water. Sometimes there were rose bushes or other plants in the barrel, prepared for planting, but most often only twigs and duckweed floated in the dark water, and at the bottom there was a mysterious forest of some nameless sprouts. As a child, I, reaching with my nose to the edge of the barrel, often looked at the unknown world in the water column, coming to life in a new way every time the slanting rays of the sun pierced the glass of the greenhouse. Forming bizarre combinations, the colors shimmered, at the bottom - like dark red velvet, at the edges - a poisonous green edge. All kinds of small things scurried between the stems, panicles and mud; from time to time shiny bubbles rose upward, as if someone was muttering there, in the depths. And the sun goes down, and I see myself in the barrel - brown hair and a nose covered in freckles, which I kept trying to pick off with my fingernail.

When I became a high school student, I also found my way to forest ponds and was fascinated by their inhabitants. Newts are like miniature lizards... Once upon a time, their ancient relatives roamed the earth, leaving a trail wider than a car track. They lived, fought for existence, but powerful natural disasters destroyed them. Tur and I saw this in the action movie “ lost World" And we talked about dinosaurs, brontosaurs, plesiosaurs and other antediluvian giants. There was no shortage of topics for conversation, only we avoided talking about ourselves, for fear of revealing any weakness of ours. Back then, youth problems were not discussed on the pages of newspapers and magazines; everyone kept their worries to themselves and tried to cope with them themselves.

At school, Tur still remained average. Mathematics was better than other subjects. He liked the pure logic of equations, and geometric constructions were somewhat reminiscent of a game. Gradually he got better at grammar.

But the passion for natural science has cooled. Having encountered plants in textbooks for the second level, he was disappointed. In them, flowers were not a miracle of creation, but dull exhibits, grouped by the shape of the petals and the number of stamens. Plants were cut, analyzed and discarded. Aroma and beauty did not play a role. Almost the same thing happened with zoology, although we still learned something about the life of animals. Here Tur was still able to outshine everyone, astonishing the class with his knowledge. But there was no former passion. Why? After all, animals were his strong point. And there was no shortage of encouragement; he quickly became the science teacher's favorite. He was set as an example for us, but Tur preferred not to stand out. Often he was given concessions that he did not want. And the class looked at Tur in surprise when he began to come to science lessons unprepared. But when he began to refuse to answer even simple questions, we finally realized what was going on. Only the teacher did not understand anything. However, he forgave Tura everything and continued to consider him his most capable student in all his years.

But the real stumbling block turned out to be God's law. The subject was taught by a priest who knew the Bible very well, but did not know how to touch the soul of the student. Know and memorize long psalms with all sorts of difficult words and Luther’s Small Catechism. For Tur, this was infinitely far from what his father told him. And extremely intricate next to the mother's views on life and evolution.

In general, during these years, school seemed completely divorced from life to Tur. It was difficult to force myself to concentrate on the lessons; thoughts almost drifted far, far away. The pencil tirelessly drew palm trees, thatched huts, and amazing animals on the covers of textbooks.

Perhaps the thing that brought Tur the most grief was physical education. Here he was hopelessly behind the others. He had no ability for football, and he didn’t like it. And when the guys were divided into teams, they remembered him for the last time.

When we went to the sea to swim, Tur sat on the shore and looked. True, few could compare with him in cross-country, but this sport was not in honor.

Apparently, it was then that Tur decided to take charge of himself, because thorough preparations began in secret. At home, in the corner of the yard, my father dug two high pillars with a crossbar on top. I hung a climbing rope, strengthened the horizontal bar and rings. And soon the Tour is doing tricks that we were unable to do. Pulls himself up with one arm and hangs. Why, on one hand - he could pull himself up on one finger! At the same time, he developed self-control. He hits his knuckles on the edge of the table - and no matter what, he doesn’t even wince. We weren’t really tempted to repeat this test after him, and when we had to, we did it much more carefully.

At this time, two brothers obsessed with sports settled in one of the neighboring houses. In the summer they were involved in athletics, in the winter - skiing. Both were sociable guys, and Tur found support from them. They invited him to cross-country and ski trips, even persuaded him to participate in competitions with other guys. But victory didn’t bother Tour; it was important for him to exercise to become strong and resilient. If he got tired during a cross-country race, he would sit down to rest on a stone or stump, then run on. And following the tracks of the beast, he could have left the distance altogether. The protocol with the results of two crosses has been preserved. In one of them, Tur came last. In another, he was fourth out of five participants. And that was thanks to the fact that one of the runners got lost on the track.

The parents also noticed that something was happening to the guy. And the mother realized: it was time to give him more freedom, otherwise he would have a hard time in the adult world. She agreed with her father that exercise was only beneficial.

Heyerdahl Sr. bought and inherited several estates and “shelters”. Most of all, he loved the house in Ustauset, where many people built their summer cottages and one could always meet friends and have fun. Mrs. Alison preferred another house, on the shore of Lake Hurnsjö, in the mountains beyond Lillehammer. The nature here suited her taste: a lot of air, a huge sky, long ridges with heather and dwarf birch going into the distance, shimmering lakes and wide plateaus, in the blue distance - the wild massifs of Jotunheimen and Rondane with caps of eternal snow and ice.

Thor was only five years old when he first came to Hurnsjö. This corner of the mountain wilderness played a big role for him. Year after year he came there for the summer. Once he was allowed to spend the night with a friend in a tent near the house. This was a real event for the boys. They couldn't sleep because of excitement. From the distant forest below came the voices of night birds and animals. The wind shook the tent, and it seemed that someone was wandering nearby.

The first night the guys spent under a spruce tree without a tent was unforgettable. How nice it is in the forest! People have clearly lost something important: they live in boxes, breathe smoke and dust instead of forest and mountain air...

One day in the summer a man came to the mountains with a knapsack on his shoulders, and it was almost as if he had nothing else. His name was Ola Bjørneby. This tanned, seasoned mountain dweller was surprisingly cheerful, despite the hardships he had endured. Until recently, he lived in the house of a wealthy timber merchant in one of the cities of Estland. It turned out that the family went bankrupt. Taking the essentials, Ula went to the mountains to engage in hunting. In the valley east of Hurnsjö he lived in an old sheepfold with an earthen floor. Along the wall between the bottom log and the floor was a hole for sheep. In the corner of the sheepfold there was an iron cauldron on the stones. This is where Ula cooked. A homemade table and two stools - that’s all the furnishings. Ula slept all year round on a high shelf, covered with sheepskins and blankets.

Tur and his mother came here during one of their long walks. Both were immediately fascinated by it an unusual person. For Tur, he was the personification of Tarzan, for Mrs. Alison - a cheerful adventurer with an inexhaustible supply of stories from the lives of animals. Ula talked about his life as a hunter, showing how he carved beautiful bowls and cups from intricately curved branches.

And something completely unexpected happened: fourteen-year-old Tur was allowed to spend the summer with Ula and help him. Tur saw with his own eyes how a city man from a cultured family managed to get used to nature so much that the forest and mountains became the same home for him as for a hare and an elk.

For the first time in his life, Tur really worked. He walked a lot, carried a load, but did not show that it was hard for him, even when his legs gave way from fatigue. If they fished at night, then they slept the day right there on a flat stone.

Ola Bjørneby taught him to read footprints in the grass, explained what a piece of wool stuck to the bark meant, and how to shelter from bad weather. Later, Thor said more than once that the science he studied with Bjørneby was perhaps the most important for his upbringing.

Mountains became a symbol of freedom for Tours. Here he spent summer holidays, best time of the year. The Highlands were a huge playground where adventure awaited wherever you turned. The mountain plateaus with their meager soil, where groves of white-trunked birches give way to juniper and dwarf birch clinging to the slope, modest flowers and stones with wigs of gray, green, yellow lichen - this was genuine Norway, his Norway. Sharp peaks in the hazy distance, forest valleys and a sparkling strip of river far below, as if in underground world...And here above goats are jumping on the stones, cows are ringing their bells, birds chirping and the wind bursts into the fragrance of sun-warmed flowers. Here was his kingdom - secluded mountain farms with gray walls and turf roofs.

From the mountain kingdom he returned every year to his city on the shores of the Oslofjord. Larvik personified autumn and winter, gray days and schoolwork. How could it compare with the highlands - the world of light, freedom, adventure. I had never climbed so high into the mountains, and my city seemed different to me: sunny streets winding up the slopes; beech, spruce and pine approach the houses; football, sun-baked white beach. And the port is the gateway to a big, unknown world. The tour agreed: the latter is indeed a considerable plus. And he will use this someday - when he begins his travels, goes to strange, uncharted lands. But everything is already open, I objected. Africa has ceased to be the Dark Continent. Australia has been on the map for a long time. Only in the Amazon basin there are still little-explored places, but this area cannot be called completely unknown.

“Discoveries can be not only geographical,” replied Tur. - There are still many mysteries in the world, for example, the mystery of Easter Island.

Honestly! He said so, I still hear these words to this day.

Of course, we also talked about girls. Cinema and illustrated magazines had not yet begun to extract profit from youth problems and gender issues. Girls attracted us, but we were terribly embarrassed, Tur especially, he was wildly afraid that someone would notice his interest in them.

Undoubtedly, his mother played a role here, although she probably did not suspect it.

What are you saying, Tur is indifferent to girls,” she said. - He is only interested in zoology.

Hearing this again and again, Tur himself finally decided that it was awkward to admit how much more his girls were interested in than zoology. They were ethereal creatures from another world. Here was his ideal at that time: a girl should be beautiful, warm-hearted and fair. Moreover, it is natural and simple: she does not have to paint her lips or do a manicure. It is absurd to try to embellish what is given to you by nature itself.

In matters of faith, he was greatly influenced by his mother's views. He admitted that there are things incomprehensible to reason, but priests, rituals, psalms and church services are all far-fetched, artificial. Only something original remained in the sacrament, albeit with a tinge of sacrifice and cannibalism, which seemed disgusting to him. He stubbornly, stubbornly talked about it.

From religion there was only one step to the question that occupied Tour's thoughts from a young age and prompted him to make a very important decision. The beauty of mountain freedom, a half-religious admiration for nature and the animal world, minor sorrows that none of us can escape, a feeling of loneliness, difficult home circumstances - all this made him doubt that civilization is a good for humanity. What's valuable about it? Over time, this problem became one of the main ones for him.

During these years the Tour was often left to its own devices. The mother was minding her own business, the father was constantly traveling, his schoolmates were interested in things that did not interest him. At this time he opened his soul to me. We found that we looked at many things the same, while remaining different enough to have something to argue about. I was interested in music. Tur loved it too, but didn’t want to study it. The feelings evoked by music were important to him, not technique and theory. He was even more indifferent to literature. Poems did not reach him; he considered novels a surrogate for life. When his mother advised him to read Hamsun or Undset, he objected with the aplomb of youth that he did not want to be influenced by other people's fiction. It is better to know life yourself, and to find out by closely communicating with nature.

In ninth grade, Tour's thoughts about the contrast between nature and civilization began to form a worldview. He constantly talked about a “return to nature.” Brain modern people stuffed to capacity not so much with his own observations, but with what books, newspapers, magazines, radio and cinema present. The result is brain overload and limited ability to perceive. A person in the uncivilized world loads his brain only with everyday observations and knows only what he draws from his own experience and oral traditions. Therefore, the mind of such a person is always sharp and open to new things, his instincts are not muted, all his feelings are alive.

Of course, this problem is complex and multifaceted. To understand the shortcomings and vices of civilization, you need to see them from the outside. Members of our society themselves cannot judge whether what they have created is good or bad; for this they must have something to compare it with. Civilization is like a house full of people who have never left the door. None of them even know what the house they live in looks like. Someone has to take the plunge and come out of the house to tell others what it's like. Someone has to be first.

I first noticed hesitation in Tours when he talked about his plans for the future. Maybe he won't stop at natural science. Maybe he was destined to walk out the door and see something no one else had seen.

The older Tur became, the clearer it was to him that something was wrong between his parents. Father showed up at home less and less and finally left Larvik altogether. It was said that he was going on vacation to Ustauset, but in reality it turned out differently. While Mrs. Alison lived in the old house, he never returned there. Without Tur's knowledge, the parents agreed to separate. Both tried to keep it secret, and it didn’t come to a legal divorce; they spared their son. Of course, Tour was upset, but everything developed so slowly, so gradually that this outcome was not a blow to him. And he’s used to his father traveling all the time. Realizing that his father would not return, Tur tried to use every opportunity to see him.

The year Tur graduated from school, the rooms in the house were quiet, sad and dreary. But just this year was rich in bright and interesting events, which helped Tur cope with loneliness and sadness. All of us, regardless of our academic performance, were looking forward to the holiday of finishing school, this time of short but vigorous flowering, when we would turn into red flowers in a rather colorless city. We had a lot of things to do. It was necessary to prepare a graduation newspaper and stage a school revue. As always in such cases, the main burden fell on the shoulders of a few enthusiasts. Among them were Tur and me, and, of course, this was reflected in our certificate. The entire school year, in our dreams and in reality, at the table and in class, we thought and talked only about the revue. Almost every day we gathered for important meetings, and I spent almost all evenings in Tur’s room, a cozy “den” with light-colored furniture, next to which the bright red upholstery of the couch stood out. In this room, I, the longest in the class, under the influence of temporary insanity, succumbed to persuasion to perform “The Dying Swan.” And here Tour one evening overcame his shyness and offered to play the main role - the role of the famous Professor Picard, ascending to heaven in a beer barrel, in a play that he himself wrote. Tour on stage! Tour in front of thousands of eyes! Incredible.

The reviews for the review were brilliant. Never before have city newspapers used such epithets. For us, graduates, it was a sensation that Tur performed and showed undoubted abilities in the role of a comedian. We knew what it cost him. But for the Tour itself, this victory was much more important than we suspected at the time. For him it was a test, after which he became a different person. His shyness did not leave him, but from now on he did not shy away from people so much and firmly entered into our company.

That spring, we all went together for graduation celebrations in neighboring cities. And they noticed that the Tour feels much freer than before. He walked the longest at night, sometimes until dawn. The girls started looking at him. At evenings it happened more than once that some girl chose Tur as her gentleman and made him understand that if he was a man, he should take her home after the dance. Of course, Tur was a man, but he always found a way to call on me for help, because he was afraid of turning into a pillar of salt when left alone with a girl. I would like to know how many respectable ladies, who have now reached a dangerous age, remember my tactlessness with an unkind word. I honestly fulfilled the duty of friendship, did not lag behind the Tour one step and pretended to be a fool when we passed by my house and the girl asked:

Wait, Arnold, don't you live here?

Having safely delivered the young and disappointed lady to her native harbor, we became ourselves. They wandered the streets in waves of lilac spirit and spoke passionately about the wonders of nature and the absurdities of civilization. The tour kept talking about how good it was for people before the birth of any culture, when they lived in complete harmony with nature. He took apart our varnished society piece by piece and asked: what genuine, natural joys can it offer us? modern life? We are building a new Tower of Babel, which only complicates everything. And even if we create something good, these are only patches on the evils of civilization.

He pointed to the factory chimneys in the eastern part of the city. After a few hours, they will again begin to spew toxic smoke and steam. In the early morning, workers will enter the workshops illuminated by electric light and emerge gloomy and gloomy only in the evening, when the city lights come on. And so for almost a whole year. He compared these people with the mountain dweller Ula Bjørneby - he is always lively and cheerful, full of strength and health. Yes, when he, Tur, is finally convinced of the correctness of his view, he will act accordingly, he himself will carry out a “return to nature.” He will find a girl willing to carry out such an experience with him. The girl must be strong and firmly believe in his plan, otherwise she will not dare to break with civilization. He asked my opinion: is it possible to find such a girl? Perhaps, I thought, but how and where was he going to look for her?

The tour acted as it did more than once later. I went straight and found her. The girl's name was Liv, she was fair and slender, like a birch tree. At a graduation party in one of the neighboring cities, I suddenly lost Tour. Only late in the evening did I manage to find him in a secluded corner. He sat there with his precious find. I approached, coughing carefully, but he didn’t see or hear anything. Then Tur excitedly told me that a miracle had happened. He met his chosen one, the only one who could handle what he had planned. They were introduced by mutual friends. Tur did not dance, but somehow he had to keep her, and he persuaded the girl to take a walk along the seashore. Here they started talking. She immediately captivated him, and before he had time to come to his senses, he blurted out:

What do you think about going back to nature?

The next second he was ready to bite off his tongue and spit it out into the waves. Messed up everything! She will take him for a madman...

The girl was silent, then turned to him and said sternly:

But it must be a full, real return.

Did he hear right?..

The tour would be betraying itself if it simply parted with her now, as if it were a pipe dream. They agreed to meet at the next alumni evening. But she didn't come. He was terribly sad. It was necessary to come up with something, to help him somehow. One of Tur's comrades borrowed his father's car, and we drove to the city where Liv lived. There we sat for several hours, like detectives, in the car in front of her house. No one could muster the courage to go up and press the doorbell button, let alone Tour, who had lost faith in himself again. So we left with nothing. For many days he walked as if in a fever and kept trying to figure out why she no longer showed up. The only thing he achieved was meeting one guy who, without hiding his gloating, said that Liv had another. The tour couldn't, didn't want to believe it, but Liv no longer showed up at alumni events. And then the holiday season ended. And with her, her school years ended.

From the book Portraits in Words author Khodasevich Valentina Mikhailovna

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From the author's book

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Mountains take revenge To finish with the mountain theme, I’ll get ahead a little. Crowley returned to the Himalayas in 1905. It must be said that he made the most of his first dubious attempt to conquer the “roof of the world.” On all corners shouted about high mountain snows and sparkling Himalayan

Everest is a modern Golgotha. Anyone who goes there knows that he has a chance not to return. Roulette with Mountain. Whether you're lucky or unlucky. Not everything depends on you. Hurricane winds, frozen valve on an oxygen tank, incorrect timing, avalanche, exhaustion, etc.

Everest often proves to people that they are mortal. At least because when you rise you see the bodies of those who are never destined to come down again.
According to statistics, about 1,500 people climbed the mountain.

Remained there (according to various sources) from 120 to 200. Can you imagine?

Here are very indicative statistics up to 2002 about dead people on the mountain (name, nationality, date of death, place of death, cause of death, whether you made it to the top).

Among these 200 people there are those who will always meet new conquerors. According to various sources, there are eight openly lying bodies on the northern route.
Among them are two Russians. From the south there are about ten. And if you move left or right...

I’ll tell you only about the most famous losses:

“Yes, in the mountains there lie hundreds of corpses frozen from cold and exhaustion, who fell into the abyss.” Valery Kuzin.

"Why are you going to Everest?" asked George Mallory.
"Because he is!"

I am one of those who believe that Mallory was the first to reach the summit and died on the descent. In 1924, the Mallory-Irving team launched an assault. They were last seen through binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the summit. Then the clouds moved in and the climbers disappeared.

The mystery of their disappearance, the first Europeans remaining on Sagarmatha, worried many. But it took many years to find out what happened to the climber.
In 1975, one of the conquerors claimed that he saw some body off to the side of the main path, but did not approach so as not to lose strength. It took another twenty years until in 1999, while traversing the slope from high-altitude camp 6 (8290 m) to the west, the expedition came across many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Mallory was found among them.

He lay on his stomach, spread out, as if hugging a mountain, his head and arms frozen into the slope.

The video clearly shows that the climber’s tibia and fibula are broken. With such an injury, he was no longer able to continue his journey.

“They turned it over - the eyes were closed. This means that he did not die suddenly: when they break, many of them remain open. They didn’t let him down - they buried him there.”

Irving was never found, although the bandage on Mallory's body suggests that the couple were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and, perhaps, Irving could move and, leaving his comrade, died somewhere lower down the slope.

In 1934, he made his way to Everest disguised as Tibetan monk, the Englishman Wilson, who decided through prayers to cultivate in himself the willpower sufficient to climb to the top. After unsuccessful attempts to reach the North Col, abandoned by the Sherpas accompanying him, Wilson died of cold and exhaustion. His body, as well as the diary he wrote, were found by an expedition in 1935.

A well-known tragedy that shocked many occurred in May 1998. Then a married couple, Sergei Arsentiev and Francis Distefano, died.

Sergey Arsentiev and Francis Distefano-Arsentiev, having spent three nights at 8,200 m (!), set out to climb and reached the summit on 05/22/2008 at 18:15. The ascent was completed without the use of oxygen. Thus, Frances became the first American woman and only the second woman in history to climb without oxygen.

During the descent, the couple lost each other. He went down to the camp. She doesn't.

The next day, five Uzbek climbers walked to the summit past Frances - she was still alive. The Uzbeks could help, but to do this they would have to give up the climb. Although one of their comrades has already ascended, and in this case the expedition is already considered successful.

On the descent we met Sergei. They said they saw Frances. He took the oxygen cylinders and left. But he disappeared. Probably blown by a strong wind into a two-kilometer abyss.
The next day, three other Uzbeks, three Sherpas and two of South Africa- 8 people! They approach her - she has already spent the second cold night, but is still alive! Again everyone passes by - to the top.

“My heart sank when I realized that this man in a red and black suit was alive, but absolutely alone at an altitude of 8.5 km, just 350 meters from the summit,” recalls the British climber. “Katie and I, without thinking, we turned off the route and tried to do everything possible to save the dying woman. Thus ended our expedition, which we had been preparing for years, begging money from sponsors... We did not immediately manage to get to her, although she was lying close. Moving at such a height is the same. what to run underwater...

Having discovered her, we tried to dress the woman, but her muscles atrophied, she looked like a rag doll and kept muttering: “I am an American. Please don’t leave me”...

We dressed her for two hours. “My concentration was lost due to the bone-piercing rattling sound that broke the ominous silence,” Woodhall continues his story. “I realized: Katie is about to freeze to death herself.” We had to get out of there as soon as possible. I tried to pick Frances up and carry her, but it was no use. My futile attempts to save her put Katie at risk. There was nothing we could do."

Not a day went by that I didn't think about Frances. A year later, in 1999, Katie and I decided to try again to reach the top. We succeeded, but on the way back we were horrified to notice the body of Frances, she was lying exactly as we had left her, perfectly preserved under the influence low temperatures. No one deserves such an end. Kathy and I promised each other that we would return to Everest again to bury Frances. It took 8 years to prepare the new expedition. I wrapped Frances in American flag and included a note from my son. We pushed her body into the cliff, away from the eyes of other climbers. Now she rests in peace. Finally, I was able to do something for her."
Ian Woodhall.

A year later, Sergei Arsenyev's body was found: "I apologize for the delay in taking photos of Sergei. We definitely saw him - I remember the purple down suit. He was in a sort of bowing position, lying just behind Jochen's 'subtle rib' in the Mallory area around 27150 feet. I think it's him." Jake Norton, member of the 1999 expedition.

But in the same year there was a case when people remained people. On the Ukrainian expedition, the guy spent a cold night almost in the same place as the American woman. His people brought him down to base camp, and then more than 40 people from other expeditions helped. He got off easy - four fingers were removed.

“In such extreme situations, everyone has the right to decide: to save or not to save their partner... Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself and it is quite natural that you do not help the other, since you have no extra strength.” Miko Imai.

"It is impossible to afford the luxury of morality at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters"

In 1996, a group of climbers from the Japanese University of Fukuoka climbed Everest. Very close to their route were three climbers from India in distress - exhausted, sick people caught in a high-altitude storm. The Japanese passed by. A few hours later, all three died.

I highly recommend reading the article by a participant in the Everest expedition from GEO magazine “Alone with Death”. ABOUT greatest catastrophe decades on Mt. About how, due to a bunch of circumstances, 8 people died, including two group commanders. Later, the film "Death on Everest" was made based on the author's book.

Scary footage from the Discovery Channel in the series "Everest - Beyond the Possible." When the group finds a freezing man, they film him, but are only interested in his name, leaving him to die alone in an ice cave.

“The corpses on the route are a good example and a reminder that we need to be more careful on the mountain. But every year there are more and more climbers, and according to statistics, the number of corpses will increase every year. What is unacceptable in normal life is considered at high altitudes as normal." Alexander Abramov.

Bodies on the way to the top:

On the trail:

“You can’t continue to climb, maneuvering between corpses, and pretend that this is in the order of things.” Alexander Abramov.

Dedicated
YURI ALEXEEVICH VOROBEV,
DOSAAF instructor.
to our Admiral,
to a good PERSON.

"A man has no right to die in bed.
Either in battle, or a bullet in the forehead."
E. Hemingway

We have always climbed mountains, since we were 12 years old. Fortunately, they are nearby - half an hour by bus. You look from the stinking city at snowy peaks and your soul will ache sweetly, memories will come flooding back: how they sat around the fire, how they sang songs with a guitar, slept in tents, baked potatoes, how in the evening they had to go get water, but no one wanted to. Because it was scary to walk away from the fire into the darkness, in the mountains for some reason you believe in the arguments about the existence of the “SNOW-HEDGEHOG MAN”...

And then they returned home, dirty, or rather just grimy - there is no dirt in the mountains, there is sterile cleanliness, including internal cleanliness. And happy.
On the bus and in the city, people began to look at us and envy us, but we were mouth to ear from what we had experienced and felt a little sorry for the people who were not with us and did not see those beauties and wonders. It was as if you had been on another planet - everything was UNUSUAL: the air, the snow, the clouds above you, or the stars - huge as lanterns. And most importantly - people are different - BROTHERS.
If you meet a person high in the mountains, he smiles at you, and you smile at him, because you are of the same blood! You just know that this is not a scoundrel, of which there are many in big city, not a redneck - he will not throw garbage, an empty tin can anywhere and anyhow, he will not leave an unextinguished fire. And he cares about you.
It is for you that he leaves part of his supplies in certain places, and you will not touch it, unnecessarily, but you yourself will leave it for those who are in distress.
Realizing this makes your soul feel warm and good.

Or if you suddenly come across a tiny flower growing from under a rock or a fontanel gushing out of the ground, your mouth stretches to your ears and you want to do something beautiful.
This is how you walk in the mountains - your soul is wide open.

“The whole world is in the palm of your hand - you are happy and silent
And you’re just a little jealous of those
Others whose peaks are still ahead!
/IN. Vysotsky/

THE MOUNTAINS BECOMING

Knocking your ice-covered pants
Walk along snowy trails with a backpack
Slip and fall. Rise again
And walk again until evening

Shivering in the tent, cursing the cold
And sleeping bags are doubly criticized
In the silence of the night it seems
They don't think about keeping you warm

Sip the drink, smell the acrid smoke
Like an ancient warrior from head to toe
I went through everything and thought: “Enough! That’s it!”
But now I want to go hiking again...

This poem was written after a multi-day hike in the mountains, in winter.
Under the leadership of our ADMIRAL.

One cannot raise one’s hand to write that he died. The stormy river just took him away...
When rafting, he was the first to pass dangerous places and insured the others.
The water is very strong, it bent the aluminum pipes of the overturned catamarans like plasticine, and the crew was hastily pulled out of the water. And it was a wild delight to rush along the river and avoid all obstacles.
We always rafted in helmets, wetsuits and life jackets, but we remembered the commandment of the veterans: “if the water presses under a rock, do not crane don't pull it out!"

He was not much older than us, a true fan of his work. No home, no family. But selfless devotion to nature, the laws of tourism. A REAL GOOD PERSON.
He never raised his voice, but we obeyed without question. At the same time, we had the right to make fun of him and play pranks on him.

One day he drank too much (there was a reason, and we had a prohibition law, and no one smoked), and began to sing Pugacheva’s songs, and his hearing and vocal abilities left, to put it mildly, much to be desired...

And we fools, especially me, imitated his chants for a long time. And he just grinned good-naturedly: “Here you are, bitches!”

We had a large team, and this was a single team:
Couples were not allowed to be alone on hikes,
no special exceptions were made for girls - everyone is equal,
It was impossible to eat on the sly during the hike - everything was shared.

And the main rule: “THE STRONGER SHOULD TAKE MORE WORK.”
This was said casually, but at rest stops, when you really wanted to rest, fall somewhere in the shade or warm yourself by the fire, even the flimsiest bespectacled men straightened their shoulders and, without prodding, LOOKED FOR WORK: putting up tents, collecting brushwood, going for water. ..
A man who left a mark on the earth.

Photo:
Our team, Admiral, is facing the line.

Student years...

Reviews

How familiar THIS is to me :). When I was younger, we climbed to the tops of some rocks in the reserve, which is called “Pillars” and in the winter, by the way, sometimes even on New Year’s Eve! What times were those :)...

We had a tradition New Year in the mountains! True, we didn’t climb that high.
The first group prepared the camp during the day, collected firewood, made a slide, and decorated a live Christmas tree. We slept in tents or agreed with some forester or in a high mountain camp.
Then the main group arrived.
We played children's games: "TREEK", ... I don't remember other names, but there was a lot of laughter...!
This was the only day of the year when I turned FOR MYSELF to my cousin’s wife - she worked as a MANAGER. MEAT DEPARTMENT (!) in the central grocery store!!!
She helped us with groceries at government prices.

The world

How many words and hopes, how many songs and themes
The mountains wake us up and call us to stay! -
But we go down, some for a year, some completely,
Because we always have to come back.

So leave unnecessary disputes -
I have already proven everything to myself:
The only things better than mountains are mountains,
Which no one has ever been to!

Vladimir Vysotsky “Farewell to the mountains”

Which mountains are the highest on earth and which are the most dangerous to climb?

Let's start our journey by getting acquainted with the highest mountain peaks in all parts of the world that climbers call the “Seven Summits”:

1. The most high peak peace and Asia- mountain (8848 m.)
2. highest peak South America - mountain Aconcagua(6959 m.)
3. The highest mountain North America— mountain (6194 m.)
4. highest peak Africa— mountain (5895 m.)
5. highest peak Europe (and Russia)- mountain (5642 m.)
6. highest peak Antarctica— Array Vinson(4892 m.)
7. highest peak Australia and Oceania- mountain Puncak Jaya(4884 m.)

* To view illustrations, move the cursor over the image and click the left mouse button.

* To view the illustration, place the cursor over the image and click the left mouse button.

There are a total of 14 eight-thousanders on Earth. Only 30 climbers have managed to conquer them all so far. But attempts do not stop, and every year, dozens of people die while climbing to the top.

In more detail about the highest mountain peaks of the world, in addition to those indicated, you can find

1. Mountain ( Chomolungma)

Location: V Mahalangur Himal region in the Himalayas.

Height: 8848 meters.

E verest- the highest mountain on Earth. The border between China and Nepal runs along the top of the mountain. Mount Everest includes the neighboring peaks Lhotse (8516 m), Nuptse (7861 m) and Changtse (7543 m).

The highest mountain in the world attracts many experienced climbers from all over the world. From a technical point of view, climbing along a standard route does not present any big problems; the biggest difficulties in conquering Everest are considered to be a lack of oxygen, wind, bad weather and illness.

Mount Everest (Qomolungma) is translated from Tibetan as “Divine Mother of Snows”, and from Nepalese as “Mother of the Universe”. Mount Everest rises annually by 3-6 mm and moves northeast by 7 cm.

The safest year on Everest was 1993, when 129 people reached the summit and 8 died. The most tragic year was 1996, when 98 people reached the summit and 15 people died (8 of them died on May 11).

Nepalese Sherpa Appa is the man who has climbed Everest the most times. He set a record by climbing 21 times from 1990 to 2011.

2. Mountain Aconcagua

Location: in the province of Mendoza in Argentina.

Height: 6959 meters.

A Concagua- the highest peak in South America, located in mountain system Andes. Aconcagua is made up of a number of glaciers, the most famous of which is the Polish Glacier.

The name "Aconcagua" probably means "from the other side of the Aconcagua River" in Araucanian or "Stone Guardian" in Quechua.

From a mountaineering point of view, Mount Aconcagua is a fairly easy mountain to climb. It's best to climb northern route, which does not require additional equipment (ropes, pitons, etc.).

The youngest climber to reach the summit of Aconcagua was 10-year-old Matthew Moniz on December 16, 2008. The oldest is 87-year-old Scott Lewis in 2007.

3. Mountain

Location: in Alaska in national park Denali.

Height: 6194 meters.

McKinley - is the highest peak in the USA and North America. McKinley was previously the highest peak in Russia, before the sale of Alaska to the United States.

Based on the ratio of base to peak, it is the highest mountain on Earth. Local residents call the mountain “Denali”, which means “Great”, and the Russians who once inhabited Alaska simply call it “ Big mountain" The mountain was renamed "McKinley" in honor of US President William McKinley.

It is believed that the best period for climbing McKinley is from May to July. At this time there is lower atmospheric pressure, less oxygen at the top.

4. Mountain

Location: in Tanzania.

Height: 5895 meters.

To ilimanjaro - The highest peak of the African continent. Kilimanjaro has volcanic origin and consists of three volcanic cones: Kiba, Mawenzi and Shira. Kilimanjaro is a huge stratovolcano, which is already over a million years old. The mountain was formed by a volcanic eruption when lava erupted in the Rift Valley region.

Between 1912 and today, Kilimanjaro has lost more than 85% of its snow. According to the analysis of scientists, in about 20 years all the snow on Kilimanjaro may melt.

Interesting fact: About 40,000 people attempt to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro every year. In history, the youngest climber to climb Kilimanjaro is seven-year-old Keats Boyd (climbed to the summit on January 21, 2008).

5. Mountain

Location: in the western part Caucasus Mountains on the border of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia.

Height: 5642 meters.

Elbrus - The highest peak in Europe (including Russia). It is an extinct volcano with molten magma deep beneath it.

The name "Elbrus" comes from the Iranian word "Albors", which means "high mountain". Elbrus has several names: Ming tau (“eternal mountain”), Yalbuz (“mane of snow”) and Oshkhamakho (“mountain of happiness”).

Elbrus is covered by a permanent ice sheet, which is supported by 22 glaciers. These glaciers feed the Baksan, Kuban and Malka rivers.

Every year, about 15-30 people die while trying to climb Elbrus, the main reason for the misfortunes is the poor organization of attempts to conquer the peak and the lack of experience among tourists.

In 1997, a Land Rover Defender SUV climbed to the top of Elbrus, thereby setting a Guinness World Record.

6. Mountain - Vinson Massif

Location: on Sentinel Ridge in the Ellsworth Mountains.

Height: 4892 meters.

Massive Vinson - The highest peak in Antarctica. Its length is almost 21 km and width 13 km. The massif is located 1200 km from the South Pole.

The highest peak is Vinson Peak, named after Carl Vinson, a member of the US Congress. The first information about the Vinson Massif appeared in 1958. The first ascent was made in 1966. And in 2001, the first expedition reached the summit through Eastern route, at the same time measurements of the height of the peak were made using GPS.

7. Mountain Puncak Jaya

Location: in western Papua province in Indonesia.

Height: 4884 meters.

Punchak-Jaya - The highest peak of Australia and Oceania. Puncak Jaya (or Carstens's Pyramid) is the highest peak of Mount Carstens. This peak is highest point between the Himalayas and the Andes.

The summit of Puncak Jaya was first conquered in 1962 by Austrian climbers, led by Heinrich Harrer.

Access to the top of Puncak Jaya requires government permission. Since 2006, access to the summit is only possible through various travel agencies.

The ascent to Puncak Jaya is one of the most difficult climbs, as it has the highest technical rating, but not the greatest physical demands on climbers.

U We can only know with what labor and what sacrifices the peaks of the mountains were conquered by looking at the statistics. Each peak can tell about its victims, but among the most highest mountains peace, there is 7 most dangerous . These are mainly the so-called “eight-thousanders” - peaks more than 8 thousand meters above sea level, but there are lower peaks that reap no less mortal harvest. Here they are.

1. Mountain Annapurna

Location: western region of Nepal. Himalayas.
Height: 8091 meters.

A Nnapurna I - highest point mountain range Annapurna, its length is 55 km along the territory of the Main Himalayan Range. Local names of the mountain: Kali (“Black” or “Terrible”), Durga (“Unapproachable”), Parvati (“Daughter of the Mountains”). Annapurna I is the first “eight-thousander” conquered by man and one of the most difficult to climb.

On June 3, 1950, French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal conquered this peak. This ascent is considered to be the most outstanding achievement throughout the history of mountaineering.

The preparation and ascent were completed in a very short time - just one season, and most surprisingly, without the use of oxygen. It should be noted that at an altitude of over 8000 m, the oxygen content in the air is only 30% of the norm; a person can remain in such conditions for an extremely limited time. The descent from the Annapurna summit lasted almost two weeks.

By the end of the expedition, due to severe frostbite, both climbers lost all their toes, and Erzog also lost almost all his fingers.

This mountain is the most dangerous peak mortality rate among those who dared to conquer it is almost equal 40% .

For comparison, Everest has this coefficient of only 7.4%. It should be taken into account that only experienced climbers go to Annapurna, while Everest is attempted by everyone who has enough money in their wallet.

American top-class climber Ed Vitus, who conquered all 14 eight-thousanders, left Annapurna “for dessert.” His impressions of this mountain are interesting: “Annapurna represents one big danger, it is all covered with ice. One large piece of ice with ice build-up on it. And the whole question is in which direction the next growth will deviate, forward or backward.”

2. Vertex K2 (aka Chogori or Dopsang)

Location: Pakistan and China, Karakoram.
Height: 8614 meters.

V pipe K2 - has an altitude of 8611 meters above sea level and is known among climbers as one of the most technically challenging peaks in the world.

In terms of difficulty of climbing, Chogori is second only to Annapurna. Moreover, Chogori is also the second highest peak (after Everest), but in terms of difficulty of conquest it is much higher than Chomolungma.

K2 was discovered back in 1856, but it was conquered almost a century later, in 1954, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio. It is interesting that in 1902, the famous occultist and climber Aleister Crowley attempted to conquer the mountain, but he did not reach the summit. As of mid-2008, 284 people had been to the top of this mountain, 66 died while trying to climb. A large number of climbers died on the way back.

The Russians left a noticeable mark on the history of ascents to Chogori. The route that our climbers managed to overcome on August 21, 2007 is considered the most difficult. The Russian group climbed the western wall of the peak, which until that time was considered impassable. No one managed to conquer K2 in winter.

Climbing even the easiest route requires crossing difficult glaciers, overcoming steep sections of rocks, overhanging icy pillars and blocks, the so-called seracs, which are very dangerous and can collapse or collapse at any moment. The technical difficulty of climbing this mountain makes it one of the most dangerous in the world.

The mortality rate for hikers attempting to summit Chogori is approximately 24%.

3. Mountain Nanga Parbat

Location: in the northwest of the Himalayas, is their highest northwestern end. Pakistan.

Height: 8125 meters.

Nanga Parbat(Sanskrit “Bare Mountain”), or Diamir (Sanskrit “King of the Mountains”) is the ninth highest eight-thousander in the world. It is one of the three most dangerous eight-thousanders for climbing. In terms of its technical complexity, it is second only to peak K2.

Nanga Parbat is called the “killer mountain” and the “sinker of people”. This is the westernmost peak of the Himalayas. The mountain began to collect its sad statistics from the first attempt to conquer it - in 1895 it “absorbed” the best climber of his time, the British Albert Mummery. Since then, according to statistics for 2011, Nanga Parbat has claimed the lives of 64 climbers. In total, 263 people were able to conquer Nanga Parbat. The mortality rate of this peak is almost 23%.

Pragmatic people explain the reason for such a high mortality rate by the extremely unfavorable sum of climatic factors in the mountain area - the arid climate at the foot causes a huge temperature difference. This makes the weather very unpredictable, and deadly avalanches are also common.

The summit of Nanga Parbat can only be reached along a very narrow mountain range. The southern side of the ridge, whose height is 4600 m, is the largest mountain slope on earth. This mountain has the highest absolute height. When you come close to the mountain, you can see a wall 4.5 kilometers high above you.

4. Mountain Kanchenjunga (Kanchinjunga)

Location: India, Himalayas.
Height: 8586 m.

K anchenjunga - the third highest eight-thousander in the world. It is also called "Five Treasure Mountain".

Aleister Crowley was the first to attempt to conquer the mountain in 1905. Did not work out. Kanchenjunga was conquered only 50 years later. In the entire history of ascents, only 187 people reached the summit safely. Of these, only 5 were women. It is believed that Kanchenjunga is a female mountain, which is why she kills climbers who dare to conquer her.

World mountaineering practice shows that over time, on many peaks the mortality rate decreases, but not in the case of Kanchenjunga.

In recent years, accidents have accounted for 22% of ascents. The main causes of danger are avalanches and dangerous meteorological conditions, technical difficulties on the way to the top.

5. Mountain Eigar

Location: Switzerland, Alps.

Height: 3970 meters.

N Despite its seemingly insignificant height, Eigar is considered one of the deadliest peaks in the world. Agar first submitted to man on August 11, 1858. Several routes lead to the top of the mountain. The most difficult route is considered to be the northern face of Eigar. It was first passed only on July 24, 1938. The difficulty of the route is due to the incredibly large difference in altitude and very unstable weather on the northern slope. Over the years of climbing, the peak claimed the lives of 64 people.

6. Mountain

Location: V Western Europe, Alps

Height: 4810 meters.

M on Blanc - the highest peak in western Europe and the Alps. The peak is located on the massif of the same name, the length of which is 50 km.

More than 200 sq. km of the Mont Blanc massif is hidden under ice. Translated, Mont Blanc means " white mountain" Near ski resorts Chamonix (France) and Courmayeur (Italy). The first mention of the ascent of Mont Blanc, by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel Paccard, is dated August 8, 1786.

The path to Mont Blanc, including mountaineering as a form of sports leisure, was first discovered by two Englishmen Richard Pocock (researcher of Egypt and Turkey) and William Wyndham (military). In 1741, despite sincere warnings local residents, who call Mont Blanc “cursed mountains”, they climbed one of the peaks of the massif - Montenvieux (1913 meters).

Technically, climbing Mont Blanc does not present any great difficulties, however, accidents occur there every year, which is mainly caused by poor organization of expeditions, harsh weather conditions, avalanches.

7. Mountain

Location: on the border between Switzerland and Italy.

Height: 4478 meters.

U What makes the Matterhorn unique is its horn-like shape, which seems to grow from the surrounding valleys. This peak has one of the highest death rates in the Alps.

The main reasons for this: difficult technical conditions, a large number of avalanches and rockfalls in this area, and overcrowding along the routes during peak hours during the climbing season also complicates the journey.