Alan Rouse
Encyclopedia
Alan Paul Rouse was the first British climber to reach the summit of the second highest mountain in the world, K2
, but died on the descent.
and began climbing at the age of 15, soon climbing many of the most difficult routes in North Wales
. He attended Birkenhead School
from 1963 to 1970 and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
until 1973. At Cambridge he was distracted from his studies by climbing and by his hedonistic life-style. He was a highly sociable, but heavy drinker; by his own admission he was a 'womaniser', and liked to 'live on the edge'. As a result he only managed to gain an ordinary pass degree in Mathematics
, despite showing early promise in the subject. On leaving Cambridge he worked periodically in teaching but was often away on climbing expeditions.
marked him out as an exceptional talent. He was a member of a group of contemporaries (including Cliff Phillips, Eric Jones
, Pete Minks, 'Richard' McHardy) whose competitive spirit pushed them to solo the hardest routes of the day.
His soloing was not confined to Wales, nor was it always successful. An attempt on the American Route on South Face of the Aiguille de Fou failed when a small piton being used for aid pulled near the summit. Although he fell only 5 meters, Rouse broke his ankle and was forced to make 17 abseils down the entire route, for much of the time using only his knees.
Rouse eventually became a professional mountaineer, lecturing, guiding, writing and acting as an adviser to the outdoor equipment trade. He moved to Sheffield
in easy reach of the rocks of the Peak District
. Rouse became a highly experienced climber in places as far afield as Scotland
, North Wales
, Patagonia
, Peru
, the Alps
, the Andes
, New Zealand
and Nepal
. He was also elected vice-president of the British Mountaineering Council
.
In 1980, Rouse, Dr Michael Ward and Chris Bonington
were among the few Europeans to visit the high mountains of China
, reopening some of these to foreign mountaineers. In the winter of 1980–81, Rouse led a British expedition to attempt Mount Everest
by the west ridge, without using oxygen or Sherpas
. The trip was not successful, but in the summer of 1981 he climbed Kongur Tagh
, a hitherto unclimbed peak in western China, with Bonington, Joe Tasker
and Peter Boardman
.
is regarded as a much more difficult climb than Mount Everest
and has a high fatality rate. In 1983, Rouse made his first attempt on K2 with an international team by a new route up the south ridge. In 1986, Rouse returned as the leader of a British expedition and obtained a permit to climb the difficult North-West Ridge, instead of the conventional Abruzzi ridge. After they had made several unsuccessful attempts to establish camps on their chosen route, the British team members – apart from Rouse and fellow climber and expedition cameraman, Jim Curran – left.
While Rouse and the British expedition attempted the North-West Ridge, other expeditions had also been trying various routes, with and without oxygen. After his fellow team members left the mountain, Rouse and six climbers from these expeditions decided to join forces to try the conventional route without a permit. There were four Austria
n men, Alfred Imitzer, Hannes Wieser, Willi Bauer and Kurt Diemberger
, a Polish woman, Dobroslawa Miodowicz-Wolf, and a British
woman, Julie Tullis
.
They reached Camp IV at (8,157 metres, 26,760 feet), the final staging post before the summit. For reasons that are still unclear, this impromptu team decided to wait a day before trying the final stage to the summit. None of the climbers on the Abruzzi Ridge chose to follow the team consisting of three Korean climbers who had set out on an oxygen aided attempt on August 3rd, even though the trail would have been broken through the deep snow for those climbing without oxygen. On the following day, it was obvious that the weather was deteriorating, but Rouse and Wolf set out for the summit. Wolf quickly tired and dropped back, whilst Rouse continued. Because he was breaking the trail alone, two of the Austrian climbers, Willi Bauer and Alfred Imitzer, caught up with him some 100 vertical meters below the summit. By then Rouse could fall in behind the Austrians, thus making his ascent easier the last stretch, and the three reached the summit together on August 4, 1986.
On the way down, they found Wolf asleep in the snow and persuaded her to descend. They also met Kurt Diemberger and Julie Tullis, still on their way up and tried to persuade them to descend but with no success. Diemberger and Tullis also summitted but very late, at dusk which occurred around 7 pm. On the descent, Tullis fell. Even though she survived, both Tullis and Diemberger had to spend the night, bivouacked in the open.
Eventually, all the climbers reached Camp IV, where Hannes Wieser, waited. The seven waited for the storm to abate. Instead, the storm worsened with much snow, winds over 160 km/h, and sub-zero temperatures. With no food or any gas to melt snow into water, the situation soon became life threatening. Tullis died during the night of August 6–August 7, presumably of HAPE, high altitude pulmonary edema, a common consequence of lack of oxygen during physical exertion. The other six climbers stayed for the next three days, but remained barely conscious. On August 10, the snow stopped, but the temperature dropped and the wind continued unabated. The climbers, although severely weakened, decided that they had no option but to move.
Rouse, when conscious, was in agony, and the other climbers decided to leave him to save their own lives. Of the seven climbers who had originally reached Camp IV on August 4 and August 5, only Diemberger and Bauer reached Base Camp.
Alan Rouse is presumed to have died on August 10, 1986. He was survived by his girlfriend, Deborah Sweeney, who gave birth to their daughter, Holly, three weeks later.
is named in honour of Alan Rouse.
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, but died on the descent.
Education
Rouse was born in WallaseyWallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
and began climbing at the age of 15, soon climbing many of the most difficult routes in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. He attended Birkenhead School
Birkenhead School
Birkenhead School is an independent, selective, co-educational school located on the Wirral Peninsula in the northwest of England. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.-Overview:The school is subdivided into...
from 1963 to 1970 and Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
until 1973. At Cambridge he was distracted from his studies by climbing and by his hedonistic life-style. He was a highly sociable, but heavy drinker; by his own admission he was a 'womaniser', and liked to 'live on the edge'. As a result he only managed to gain an ordinary pass degree in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, despite showing early promise in the subject. On leaving Cambridge he worked periodically in teaching but was often away on climbing expeditions.
Mountaineering
Rouse was an outstanding technical rock climber, one of the best of his generation. His ascents of 'The Beatnik' on Helsby, and his solo ascent of 'The Boldest' on Clogwyn Du'r ArdduClogwyn Du'r Arddu
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, on the north flank of Snowdon, is considered by many to be one of the best climbing cliffs in Britain. It is north-facing and comparatively remote . The name is Welsh and probably means "black cliff of the plough"...
marked him out as an exceptional talent. He was a member of a group of contemporaries (including Cliff Phillips, Eric Jones
Eric Jones (climber)
right|thumb|250px|Eric Jones' cafe at Tremadog , viewed from Craig Bwlch y moch.Eric Jones is a Welsh solo climber, skydiver and BASE jumper....
, Pete Minks, 'Richard' McHardy) whose competitive spirit pushed them to solo the hardest routes of the day.
His soloing was not confined to Wales, nor was it always successful. An attempt on the American Route on South Face of the Aiguille de Fou failed when a small piton being used for aid pulled near the summit. Although he fell only 5 meters, Rouse broke his ankle and was forced to make 17 abseils down the entire route, for much of the time using only his knees.
Rouse eventually became a professional mountaineer, lecturing, guiding, writing and acting as an adviser to the outdoor equipment trade. He moved to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in easy reach of the rocks of the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
. Rouse became a highly experienced climber in places as far afield as Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. He was also elected vice-president of the British Mountaineering Council
British Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers...
.
In 1980, Rouse, Dr Michael Ward and Chris Bonington
Chris Bonington
Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
were among the few Europeans to visit the high mountains of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, reopening some of these to foreign mountaineers. In the winter of 1980–81, Rouse led a British expedition to attempt Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
by the west ridge, without using oxygen or Sherpas
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
. The trip was not successful, but in the summer of 1981 he climbed Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh
Kongur Tagh or Kongkoerh is at 7,649 m the highest mountain wholly within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.-Geography:...
, a hitherto unclimbed peak in western China, with Bonington, Joe Tasker
Joe Tasker
Joe Tasker was one of the most talented British climbers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Born into a traditional Roman Catholic family, he was one of ten children and spent his early childhood in Port Clarence, Middlesbrough then attended Ushaw Seminary, County Durham between the ages of 13...
and Peter Boardman
Peter Boardman
Peter Boardman was a British climber, Everest summiteer, and author of several mountaineering books.-Early life:...
.
1986 K2 disaster
K2K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
is regarded as a much more difficult climb than Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
and has a high fatality rate. In 1983, Rouse made his first attempt on K2 with an international team by a new route up the south ridge. In 1986, Rouse returned as the leader of a British expedition and obtained a permit to climb the difficult North-West Ridge, instead of the conventional Abruzzi ridge. After they had made several unsuccessful attempts to establish camps on their chosen route, the British team members – apart from Rouse and fellow climber and expedition cameraman, Jim Curran – left.
While Rouse and the British expedition attempted the North-West Ridge, other expeditions had also been trying various routes, with and without oxygen. After his fellow team members left the mountain, Rouse and six climbers from these expeditions decided to join forces to try the conventional route without a permit. There were four Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n men, Alfred Imitzer, Hannes Wieser, Willi Bauer and Kurt Diemberger
Kurt Diemberger
Kurt Diemberger is an accomplished Austrian mountaineer and author of several books.-Career:As of 2008, Kurt Diemberger is the only remaining person alive that made the first ascents on two mountains over 8,000 metres. In 1957, he made the first ascent of Broad Peak and in 1960, the first ascent...
, a Polish woman, Dobroslawa Miodowicz-Wolf, and a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
woman, Julie Tullis
Julie Tullis
Julie Tullis was a British climber and film-maker who died on the descent of K2 during a storm along with four other climbers from several expeditions during the 'Black Summer' of 1986.-Early life:...
.
They reached Camp IV at (8,157 metres, 26,760 feet), the final staging post before the summit. For reasons that are still unclear, this impromptu team decided to wait a day before trying the final stage to the summit. None of the climbers on the Abruzzi Ridge chose to follow the team consisting of three Korean climbers who had set out on an oxygen aided attempt on August 3rd, even though the trail would have been broken through the deep snow for those climbing without oxygen. On the following day, it was obvious that the weather was deteriorating, but Rouse and Wolf set out for the summit. Wolf quickly tired and dropped back, whilst Rouse continued. Because he was breaking the trail alone, two of the Austrian climbers, Willi Bauer and Alfred Imitzer, caught up with him some 100 vertical meters below the summit. By then Rouse could fall in behind the Austrians, thus making his ascent easier the last stretch, and the three reached the summit together on August 4, 1986.
On the way down, they found Wolf asleep in the snow and persuaded her to descend. They also met Kurt Diemberger and Julie Tullis, still on their way up and tried to persuade them to descend but with no success. Diemberger and Tullis also summitted but very late, at dusk which occurred around 7 pm. On the descent, Tullis fell. Even though she survived, both Tullis and Diemberger had to spend the night, bivouacked in the open.
Eventually, all the climbers reached Camp IV, where Hannes Wieser, waited. The seven waited for the storm to abate. Instead, the storm worsened with much snow, winds over 160 km/h, and sub-zero temperatures. With no food or any gas to melt snow into water, the situation soon became life threatening. Tullis died during the night of August 6–August 7, presumably of HAPE, high altitude pulmonary edema, a common consequence of lack of oxygen during physical exertion. The other six climbers stayed for the next three days, but remained barely conscious. On August 10, the snow stopped, but the temperature dropped and the wind continued unabated. The climbers, although severely weakened, decided that they had no option but to move.
Rouse, when conscious, was in agony, and the other climbers decided to leave him to save their own lives. Of the seven climbers who had originally reached Camp IV on August 4 and August 5, only Diemberger and Bauer reached Base Camp.
Alan Rouse is presumed to have died on August 10, 1986. He was survived by his girlfriend, Deborah Sweeney, who gave birth to their daughter, Holly, three weeks later.
Commemoration
The library of the British Mountaineering CouncilBritish Mountaineering Council
The British Mountaineering Council is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers...
is named in honour of Alan Rouse.
External links
- K2 tragedy
- Anita McConnell, ‘Rouse, Alan Paul (1951–1986)’ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
Books
- Birtles, Geoff, Alan Rouse: A Mountaineer's Life, HarperCollins, 1987 (ISBN 0-04-440075-6)
- Curran, Jim, K2: Triumph and Tragedy, Grafton, 1989, (ISBN 0-586-20569-1)
- Diemberger, Kurt, The Endless Knot: K2, Mountain of Dreams and Destiny, Mountaineers Books, 1991 (ISBN 0-89886-300-7)
- Fawcett, Ron; Lowe, Jeff; Nunn, Paul; Rouse, Alan; & Salkeld, Audrey, The Climber's Handbook: Rock, Ice, Alpine, Expeditions, Sierra Club BooksSierra Club BooksSierra Club Books is the publishing division of the Sierra Club, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established...
, 1987 (ISBN 0-87156-702-4)