True Summit (32 page)

In the United States, the great mountaineer Tom Hornbein advised me on high-altitude physiology. I am grateful also to Duane Raleigh and the editors of
Climbing,
who published my initial article about the Annapurna controversy, and to Tom McCarthy, an editor at International Marine and Ragged Mountain Press (a division of McGraw-Hill), who first urged me to write a book about it.

As I wrote, several friends read and critiqued my chapters: they include Sharon Roberts, Matt Hale, Marie-France Moisi, Kim Millett, Susan Robertson, and Jon Krakauer. Jon was a fierce advocate of the project from the start, and an invaluable advisor along my path.

At Simon & Schuster—for whom this is my fifth book—I owe a huge debt to David Rosenthal for his belief in the book; to Fred Chase and Gypsy da Silva for their brilliant copyediting; and to Johanna Li, for her calm and ingenious resolution of a hundred irksome snags. Finally, to Bob Bender, the best friend I've made in book publishing and the best book editor I've ever worked with, I offer the weary gratitude of a long-distance runner whom his coach, with many a useful shout and prod, has once again guided to the finish line.

Abrons, Hank,
148

Abruzzi, Duke of the,
162
,
190
,
198

Académie Française,
185
–86

acclimatization,
46
,
79
,
91
,
120
,
142

Adjiba,
76
,
122
,
127
–28

Aiguille de Blaitière,
146

Aiguille de Roc,
147

Aiguille du Midi,
154
,
168

Aiguille du Plan,
154

Aiguille Noire de Peuterey,
165
,
193
,
203
,
210

Aiguille Poincenot,
194

Aiguille Purtscheller,
36

Aiguilles du Diable,
15
,
159

Aiguille Verte,
165

Aila,
88
,
96
,
97
,
116
–17,
178
,
183
,
192

Alaska Range,
23
,
67
,
148
,
198
–202

Allain, Pierre,
28

Alpine Club,
29

“Alpinisme et Nationalités” (Devies),
30
–31

Alps,
16
,
28
,
31
,
35
,
41
,
65
,
74
,
83
,
92
,
96
,
119
,
142
,
144
,
165
,
176
,
197
,
203

difficult climbs of Lachenal and Terray in,
72

six classic north faces of,
37
–38,
39
,
63
,
65
,
146
,
165
,
203

amateur climbers,
78
,
175
,
182

guides as distinct from,
29
–30,
82

American Alpine Journal,
181
,
200
,
201

American mountain climbers,
16
,
17
,
148
,
149
–51

Andes,
65
,
195
,
196
,
202

Ang-Tharkey,
14
,
71
,
92
,
93
,
96
,
116
,
117
,
183

Annapurna,
162
,
169
,
195
,
196

danger of,
89
,
178

height of,
17

height-ranking of,
14

north face of,
14
,
89
,
178

Northwest Spur of,
72
,
73
–76,
79
,
174
,
177

Sickle on,
14
,
20
,
89
,
90
,
92
,
93
,
107
,
112
,
116

Annapurna
(Herzog),
17
–18,
31
–32,
38
,
39
,
43
,
46
,
53
,
64
,
68
,
75
,
76
,
79
,
80
,
82
,
88
,
93
,
97
–98,
99
,
123
,
129
–30,
131
,
163
,
172
,
192
,
213
–14,
215
,
223
,
224

Devies's preface to,
30
,
137
–38

dialogue invented or recreated in,
46
,
47
,
103
,
113
,
164

discrepancies between
L'Autre Annapurna
and,
85
,
102
–4,
108
–9,
112
–15,
117
,
124
,
125
,
185

discrepancies between other accounts of the expedition and,
39
–40,
48
,
50
,
73
,
109
,
111

Herzog on novelistic aspects of,
103
,
183

Herzog's dictation of,
21
,
103
,
135
–36,
138

as mountaineering classic,
22
–23,
24
,
40
–41,
138
–39

optimism and romanticism of,
21
–22,
23
,
47
,
48
,
122

revisionist backlash against,
24
,
84
,
101
,
141
–42,
179
–87

royalties from sales of,
138
,
193

sales figures for,
22
,
103
,
138

teammates as portrayed in,
48
,
77
–78,
86
–87,
91
,
104
,
108
,
113
,
142
,
177

translations of,
47
,
101
,
138

Annapurna, 1950 French expedition:

approach to mountain sought by,
14
,
17
,
45
,
70
–73

ascent route of,
10
,
76
,
80

Base Camp of,
20
,
79
,
87
,
122
,
127

Camp I of,
80
,
87
,
121
,
122

Camp II of,
22
,
80
,
87
,
88
,
89
,
90
,
91
,
92
,
99
,
103
,
112
,
114
,
116
,
117
,
119
,
178
,
183

Camp III of,
90
,
91
,
92
,
116
,
183

Camp IV of,
89
,
90
,
91
,
92
,
93
,
95
,
97
,
116
,
117
,
178
,
183
,
195

Camp IVA of,
14
,
19
–20,
92
,
93
,
96
,
97
,
108
,
114
,
116
,
153
,
174
,
183

Camp V of,
14
,
17
,
19
,
90
,
92
,
96
,
97
,
102
,
105
,
106
,
183
,
213
,
215
,
221

contract forbidding publication forced on members of,
25
,
43
,
135
,
151
,
167
,
180
,
182

in departure from France,
42
–43

descent by,
19
–21,
95
–118,
174
,
222

Dhaulagiri as aborted first choice of,
46
–48,
53
–54,
68
–69,
174

dissension in,
43
–44,
50
–51,
53
,
77
,
86
,
88
,
122
–23,
193

documentary film about,
130
,
187
,
221

drugs taken by,
120
–21,
122
,
123
,
125
,
132
,
175

establishing camps by,
80
,
86
–94,
183

failed Northwest Spur attempt of,
73
–76,
77
,
79

French pride in,
133

funding of,
32
,
220

Herzog chosen as leader of,
28
–30,
82
–83,
85

historical revisionism and,
24
,
84
,
101
,
141
–42,
179
–87,
216
–19

illnesses in,
46
,
50
,
52
,
87
;
see also
frostbite; snowblindness

media rights to story of,
21
,
127
,
136
,
185

members of,
16
–17

oath of obedience taken by,
24
,
25
,
32
–33,
41
,
42
,
43
,
78

Paris-Chamonix axis and,
189

porter's death in,
123

premiere of film shot during,
136
–37

return of,
119
–34

skepticism about summit climb of,
216
–19

sources of information on,
see Annapurna; Carnets du Vertige; Conquistadors of the Useless; Gaston Rébuffat: Une Vie Pour la Montagne

and summit climb of Herzog and Lachenal,
13
–16,
17
–19,
26
,
92
–94,
95
,
97
,
212
–25

summit photos taken by,
18
,
21
,
136
,
173
,
180
,
215
,
216
,
217
–20

surviving members of,
22
,
100
,
187

weather conditions and,
13
–14,
15
,
18
,
19
,
20
,
47
,
74
,
80
,
81
,
91
,
93
,
97
,
103
,
105
,
107
,
111
,
115
,
122

wives' pensions and,
43

Annecy,
60
,
61
,
62

“Apes or Ballerinas?” (Patey),
149
–50

Apprenti Montagnard, L'
(Rébuffat),
39
,
42

Ascent,
24

Asselin, Jean-Michel,
186
,
217

Aubert, Francis,
193
–94,
196
,
203
,
210

Auriol, Vincent,
136

Austrian mountain climbers,
17
,
31

Autre Annapurna, L'
(Herzog),
22
,
83
–85,
121
,
133
,
135
,
136
,
140
–41,
152
,
159
,
171
,
189
–90

Christian imagery used in,
124
,
125
–26,
139

discrepancies between
Annapurna
and,
85
,
102
–4,
108
–9,
112
–15,
117
,
124
,
125
,
185

as primary source on Herzog's background,
81
–82

avalanches,
14
,
88
–89,
110
,
116
,
197

Herzog and two Sherpas caught in,
20
,
116
–17,
178
,
192

Azéma, M. A.,
67

babotsh,
109

Ballu, Yves,
26
,
32
,
33
,
41
,
73
,
76
,
152
,
153
,
179
,
180
,
182
,
206
,
217

Barthe, Patrick,
181

Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins (BCA),
204

Bates, Bob,
40

Batkin, Jacques,
200

Bauer, Paul,
23

Beckey, Fred,
198

Belgian Congo,
162
–63

Berge der Welt,
216

Bernd, Ed,
201
–2

biscantin,
60

Blanc, Mont,
34
,
46
,
61
,
82
,
83
,
114
,
147
,
154
,
162

boots,
96
,
119
–20,
176
–77

Boston Museum of Science,
201

bottled oxygen,
96
–97,
120

Boulder, Colo.,
22