Almost
invariably if you say you’re off to
South
Georgia, people assume you’re going
somewhere
near Alabama or more likely they
think
you’re going somewhere where there
might
be terrorists down near the Caucasus.
It’s
amazing how many people in Britain
do not
realise that we own this island down
in the
Southern Ocean on the edge of Antarctica.
To
reach South Georgia we had to sail across
the
vast Southern Ocean. Our team comprised
legendary
climber and expedition leader Stephen
Venables,
social entrepreneur and climber
Rodrigo
Jordán, ski mountaineer Nick Putnam
and
myself, David McMeeking, a climber from Kent.
Who
better to sail with than Skip Novak?
And
what better to sail on than his 75 foot
Pelagic
Australis, the yacht that he built
himself
expressly for Antarctic expedition.
My
ocean racing career, I did four around
the
world races and in those days I was the
navigator
on board at the age of 25. I navigated
around
the world with a sextant and a timepiece
in
those days, this was pre-GPS, pre-satellite
navigation.
In ’85/’86 I skippered for
Simon
Le Bon on a boat called Drum in the
Whitbread
Race. Every time I went around the
world
passing these amazing locations looking
up at
these mountainous areas I said,
one
day I’ve got to go there.
We set
off on the five-day crossing of the
Southern
Ocean in fairly benign conditions
but
pretty soon, storm force winds were forecast
and
the temperatures were set to plummet.
Well,
the Southern Ocean, if you look at it
from a
polar view of the Antarctic, it’s
a ring
going right around Antarctica, so it’s
unimpeded
wind and sea conditions, totally
around
the globe at that latitude.
The
seas there seem to be very confused. The
waves
seem to be coming from every direction
and
everything’s pitching and turning and
tossing
and going up and down and from side to side.
We’re
also depending on that boat, on the
Pelagic
Australis, and you need to be very
careful
about the boat because if something
goes
wrong with the boat then you’re going
to be
in real, real trouble.
I
think the speedo was reading 68.8 knots
and
Skip had been residing on his bunk with
the
waves hurling themselves around and the
boat
was tossing around all over the place.
Skip
came into the pilot house, he looked
out of
the window and his words were simply,
‘F***ing
hell.’
I was
focused on the forthcoming climbing
but it
wasn’t just the day and night sailing
of the
Southern Ocean that we had to endure
but
the really dramatic icing up that we experienced
on the
boat.
We
came up with a proposal to go down there
in
winter. We worked on this theory that might
have
been flawed about, well, if October is
good,
August and September have got to be better.
Nobody
had done that before, a real
winter
mountaineering trip by sailboat.
For me,
it wasn’t the risk on the mountain which
was
paramount, it was actually getting there
and
back in that winter period.
This
is the accumulation of ice, so flung
sea
spray coming over the bow. Never seen
anything
like this.
We
just watched the ice grow on the lifelines
and
the rigging, it was like, you’d go up
and
knock it off and then you’d just watch
it
grow again. We couldn't have manipulated
the
sails because very quickly everything
was
frozen, all the blocks, all the rigging,
all
the sheets. So we were stuck with that sail
plan
which luckily was a very conservative sail plan.
If we
would have wound up in a head sea condition
on the
wind for some reason, you could see
how it
could all go very badly for you.
Very
quickly you’d all of a sudden have blocks
of ice
high up in the rigging, the whole boat
eventually
goes over on its side.
I’ve
been climbing over 40 years I think, but I think what I always dreamt about,
the big thing was to go on expeditions to far flung
but I
think what I always dreamt about, the big thing
was to
go on expeditions to far flung places
and
those expeditions included a new
route
up the great east face of Everest
which
was a thrilling episode in 1988.
We
followed on his steps. It was the first
South
American ascent of Mount Everest and
we
chose to climb the Kangshung face.
It's
amazing how this experience is so important
in
somebody’s life that it makes a border
between
before and after. When you start thinking
about
the power of the outdoor activities
in
general, to develop other capacities within
people,
you might be amazed.
The
experience of them really re-validating
themselves
as human beings, is something
that's
worth millions really, in terms of reward.
I’ve
climbed with Stephen Venables on rock
and
ice and also down at my local sandstone
crag
at Bowles and it’s perhaps here where
the
seed was sown for our forthcoming adventure,
to
sail down to South Georgia and attempt
some
first ascents of unclimbed peaks down
there.
We
survived the icing up and finally arrived
at the
shores of South Georgia.
30
metres!
There
was a wonderful, very, very pointy rock
pinnacle
called Starbuck Peak. That looked
very
appealing. There was a big summit which
we saw
from the boat which no one has ever
attempted.
There’s a peak called Mount Macklin,
named
after Shackleton’s doctor, also unclimbed.
So
just this whole array, peaks that no one’s
ever
set foot on let alone reached their summit.
The
plan was to climb in the Salvesen Range
but in
order to do that we needed to find a
natural
harbour in which we could safely anchor.
We
want to go ashore at Trollhul, right round
the
other side of the island. That’s the
ideal
plan, Plan A, because it’s a nice
smooth
ramp off the beach.
But
the problem was that south west wind that
we had
on the sail across sort of persisted
and we
couldn't get around to the south west
coast,
because with that sort of wind and
that
wind speed the swell would be enormous
and we
wouldn’t be able to land on the beaches.
You
have to have reasonable conditions to
get a
zodiac ashore safely.
So I
said, right, I have Plan B.
Plan B
was to land on the north coast
at a
place called Iris Bay.
As we
sailed past Iris Bay
you
could see the katabatic winds, the willy wars
as
they call them, these sort of screaming
winds
just racing down the mountains into the
bay,
spindrift just being blasted across the glacier.
I
thought, my God, even if we
can
get a boat in there, getting up on that
glacier
is just going to be hell. So I was
at
this stage starting to feel pretty gloomy,
really,
so Plan B was out, finished.
Plan C
I think is Larsen Harbour, which I’ve
skied
down to before but skiing up is steep
hard
work.
You go
into Drygalski Fjord and then you take
a
sharp left into another subsidiary fjord,
round
the corner, and you’re in this extraordinary
anchorage
right in the heart of the mountains.
Once
we were in the safety of Larsen Harbour
we
could finally get on with the expedition.
So,
food bags were packed for 15 days, tents,
safety
gear, cooking equipment, which was
split
between us. Once we’d packed all our
gear
and personal equipment into our pulks
they
were damn heavy. It was also sobering
to
realise we had to pull these up what we
knew
was a steep slope out of Larsen Harbour.
It’s
quite steep up there.
So we
started offloading the gear by stages
and
making a cache at the snout of the glacier.
The
idea was to cache some gear up and then
come
back to the boat and it turned out to
be a
monumental struggle.
I
think Skip went first, heaving these monstrous
loads
up this slope. It was marginal traction
as you
were climbing up with your skis, the
fur
skins on, and this beast behind you
that
kept swinging round but it was getting
steeper
and steeper, more and more marginal.
It was
getting very depressing and I kept
looking
up. I think we all kept looking up
at
that pass up above and you could just see
all
this stuff just swirling around.
Once
we got up high it was evident there was
a slab
avalanche condition brewing as well.
It was
quite deep snow and it was getting
slabby
and we had to traverse a big long slope
to get
up there. I certainly took a pull.
It was
beginning to look as though our plan
would
turn into a task of taking all this
stuff
up to the top onto the glacier, leaving
it up
there, returning to the boat while the
weather
worsened and then eventually, in a
few
days’ time, going back up and bringing
it all
down again.
I
think there was a lot of doubt, the whole
thing
didn't feel right.
That
was our last chance of getting into the
Salvesen
Range.
We got
back to the boat and I actually lay
awake
in my bunk that night feeling very gloomy
and
anxious and nervous and depressed and
with
horrible visions of going across that
slope
and a slab going and someone being injured
or even
killed in an avalanche.
You’re
willing to take I think a certain
amount
of risks, almost we’ve all agreed
that
what level of risk we wanted to take.
I
voted for, and was probably one of the first
ones
to say, I think we should bail and go
north
and think again.
I
think we need to go out and do something today.
What
should that be? Take a light look?
I
don’t see any point in taking loads to
the
col if we’re not going to continue
with
it. If we’re not going to do this,
we’d
be better off getting the stuff back
down
and switching the whole plan to doing
day
trips and forget about trying to ski through
the
Salvesen Range.
This
was a bit of a no-win situation that
we
were banging our heads against a brick
wall
and that we should cut our losses and
bail
out and go and do something else.
We
could get all things out of the rock today.
Sure.
If we
make an effort we can get everything out.
Absolutely.
The
objectives that we set would be fantastically
exciting
if we could get them done. It depends
also
the risk and the danger that’s associated
with
taking a particular course of action.
I’d be
reluctant at this stage to just abandon
everything
and go just for day trips.
Sure.
I was
totally gutted that the expedition to
the
Salvesen Range was effectively over.
It
felt like the six months that I’d spent
preparing
for this expedition, all my dreams
that
I’d associated with climbing in the
Salvesen
Range, were shattered and we were
walking
away with achieving nothing.
Things
really started to look up when we just started
to do
other things on the island. Here we
were
on South Georgia, we had a chance to
go out
and ski mountaineer some other peaks
on day
trips and get to see the amazing wildlife
that
exists on the island.
We did
visit the abandoned whaling stations
on
South Georgia and it was a stark and sombre
reminder
of the horrendous whaling industry
that
had taken place there.
There
was a rather poignant moment
when
we visited the grave
of Sir
Ernest Shackleton and I think this
was
perhaps when the history of the island
really
started to sink in.
‘I
hold that a man should strive to the
uttermost
for his life’s set prize.’
Robert
Browning.
I
think the plan to climb The Tridents emerged
as we
were sailing north and it was obvious
that
they were there.
The
middle Trident does look splendid.
You’ve
got this perfect view of the three
peaks.
You could just see them, just there,
one,
two, three, in this immaculate blue sky.
It
began to be obvious that we might be able
to
reach them and get onto land and I certainly
remember
having my own imagination and enthusiasm
and
ambition all at once fired up.
It was
all calm, no wind, perfect visibility,
until
we got round into Possession Bay where
we
decided in our wisdom that that’s where
we
should land. And then it was just back
to the
same old game again.
We got
into Possession Bay,
all
hell breaking loose in the bay.
We
were at the south end of the island and
it was
terrible weather. Now we’ve come
to the
north end of the island and it’s
also
horrendous. The middle was pretty good.
We
left. We must be completely crazy.
The
thing is to find the horrendous weather,
that’s
the secret.
Just
getting the gear ashore was enough of a business.
The
thought of actually moving anywhere was horrendous.
And in
the morning it was no better.
Ok,
let’s go!
Turned
out nice again!
At one
point, Skip did actually whisper across,
hey,
do you think we should just bail, just
get
out and forget about this? I said, what,
now?
We go back to the boat?
Whose
f***ing idea was this?
It was
the right decision just to keep pushing on and fight through it.
We
climbed up to the col. It was a very hard day.
It was
a very, very hard day.
The
first thing we did was build a wall.
It's
very satisfying sawing up blocks of snow and
building
the wall.
Venables,
come for tea.
And
then carrying on with the business of
putting
the tents up, which is quite a performance
and
you’ve got to be damn careful that you
don’t
let go of anything because on South
Georgia
if you let go of something, it’s gone.
I
can’t resist a bit of building.
I’m
quite happy. I mean, the tents are quite
calm
with this huge wall we’ve built here.
We
need a change of weather to see where we’re
going
for a start and a bit of a calmer day
to actually
sort everything out now that we’re
on our
way.
Day
two dawned beautiful, it was a bit windy
and
then the wind died right away and it was
just
an immaculate day.
Right,
now we’re just packing up leaving
this
amazing walled city. Such a glorious
day,
it doesn't get much better than this
in
South Georgia, so enjoy it.
I like
these blue gloves.
We
headed into the interior of the island,
set
for a camp at the base of The Tridents.
Again
the history of the island confronted us as we
passed
that lower section of the Trident Ridge.
This
had been crossed by Shackleton
back
in 1916 when he traversed the island.
We’re
on the Murray glacier having come
up
from the Shackleton Gap.
We
went up the Murray glacier. While we were
on the
Murray we looked up at the Trident
Ridge
where Shackleton, Crean and Worsley
passed
and it was a very dramatic moment when
they
got up to that ridge. The Trident Ridge
was a
very significant part of that traverse,
they
had a dramatic incident there and this
is
what Shackleton says from South about that.
‘After
a glance over the top, I turned to
the
anxious faces of the two men behind me
and
said, “Come on, boys.” Within a minute
they
stood beside me on the ice ridge.
We
could not see the bottom clearly, owing to
the
mist and bad light and a possibility of
the
slope ending in a sheer fall occurred
to us,
but the fog that was creeping up behind
allowed
no time for hesitation. There could
be no
turning back now. So we unroped and
slid
in the fashion of youthful days. When
we
stopped on a snow bank at the foot of the
slope,
we found that we had descended at least
900
feet in two or three minutes.
We
looked back and saw the grey fingers of the fog appearing on the ridge as
though reaching after the
intruders
into untrodden wilds.
But we
had escaped.’
The
plan was to get up to the col between
two of
the Trident peaks and try and climb
at
least one of them the next day. We got
up in
the morning and it was business as usual.
It was
clagged in, thick cloud, couldn't see anything.
So I
thought, oh well, we’ll just stay in bed.
So,
Stephen, what have we got for supper tonight?
Risotto,
same as last time.
Yeah,
you think, I know what’s going to happen,
I’m
going to sit here now and not
be
able to actually see where we’re going
or get
up anything.
We’ve
seen The Trident but I wasn’t really
into,
we’re going to climb those things.
If we
do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t.
We’re
going to take this day by day.
The
weather did perk up and the following day
for
once, we got away really early.
We
were away at first light.
On a
good day, optimism soars down there,
if you
wake up and there’s no wind and a
sunny
day and you can’t wait to get going.
That’s
why I rushed ahead of everybody else.
As the
mists parted, there were our peaks,
our
three peaks, appearing up on our left,
saying
‘come and climb me’.
I was
astonished by the view. You could see
all
the way that Shackleton had done. The
history
is into you. It was absolutely amazing.
To one
side there was the South Trident and
to the
other side there was the Central Trident.
The
South Trident had an obviously very feasible
route
up it and the most obvious one to get
in the
bag. Whilst discussing this, Rodrigo
Jordán,
leader of men, said, no, no, we go
for
the bigger one, the central one, the highest
one.
I
don't know, I’m thinking that’s the
highest
one, could we chance on that?
That
one, we can see most of the route.
You
want to go for the highest?
The
high one, Rodrigo.
You
don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
Let's
go for the highest.
Shall
we try that one then?
Ok.
Good.
I
reckon we go up I think through the… Across
the
bergschrund and go round the corner.
And if
there’s nothing easy round that corner
we
just go up that gully.
So we
went for the Central Trident peak.
Being
selfish by nature, wanting to bag the best
climbing,
I said I’m going to lead this.
I must
admit there are moments when you’re
climbing
when it’s hell, there are moments
when
it’s tedium and it’s boring, and
there
are moments when you think there is
nowhere
else on earth I want to be right now,
and
that was one of those moments, just perched
on
this little sort of knife-edge ridge with
a very
impressive drop down the other side,
the
rest of the team coming up, perfect weather
and after
all those disappointments.
It’s
an unclimbed peak described by Shackleton
and
then you’re climbing this peak where
there’s
heroes of one.
We got
onto the final slope.
Everyone
was coming up and then I thought,
well,
I've hogged the lead for long enough.
I said
to David, hey, why don’t you lead this bit?
It
seems like one minute I’m climbing with
Venables
on a sunny Sunday afternoon down
at the
sandstone crag at Bowles.
And
here I am leading the final pitch on the
highest
unclimbed peak of The Trident.
When
you’re leading there’s a different
feeling
because it’s just you, you’re
making
all the choices. Knowing that you’re
the
first person ever to be traversing on
there
was a total thrill.
Raaah!
How
good is that?
Unclimbed
peak, highest peak of The Trident.
Pretty
good. David was first to the top, congratulations.
What a
view.
I have
sometimes been on expeditions or on
climbs
where I have thought, what the hell
am I
doing here, why don’t I get a proper
job,
this is such a stupid, miserable, boring,
terrifying
way of spending my life. But I
have
to say in recent years I seem to have
mellowed
a bit, maybe it’s the people I’ve
gone
with. I think that’s something to do
with
it but I really felt, I’m really enjoying
this,
what a treat this is.
What a
summit. What a beauty.
[Cheers]
The
Trident was first spotted and described
by
Shackleton himself and we climbed that.