Alison Hargreaves
Encyclopedia
Alison Jane Hargreaves was an English mountain climber from Derbyshire
. Educated at Belper School
, her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest
solo without supplementary oxygen in 1995. She also soloed all the great north faces of the Alps
in a single season—a first for any climber. This feat included climbing the famously difficult north face of the Eiger
in the Alps
in 1993. Hargreaves also climbed Ama Dablam
(6812m) in Nepal.
In 1995 Alison Hargreaves intended to climb the three highest mountains in the world—Mount Everest
, K2
and Kangchenjunga
—unaided. On 13 May 1995 she reached the summit of Everest without the aid of Sherpas
or bottled oxygen.
(son of Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary
) decided to turn back, noting that the weather that had been fine for the previous four days appeared to be changing. At 6:45pm, in fine conditions, Hargreaves and Javier Olivar (Spain) reached the summit, followed by Rob Slater
(US), Javier Escartín (Spain), Lorenzo Ortíz (Spain) and Bruce Grant (NZ). All, however, died in a violent storm while returning from the summit. Canadian Jeff Lakes, who had turned back below the summit earlier, managed to reach one of the lower camps, but died from the effects of exposure.
The next day, two Spanish climbers, Pepe Garces and Lorenzo Ortas (not Lorenzo Ortíz, who was killed in the storm), were descending the mountain. They had survived the storm at Camp 4, but were suffering from frostbite and exhaustion. Before reaching Camp 3 they found a bloodstained anorak, a climbing boot and a harness. They recognised the equipment as belonging to Hargreaves. From Camp 3 they could also see a body in the distance. They did not approach the body, so it was not positively identified, but they had little doubt it was Hargreaves and concluded that she had been blown off the mountain during the storm.
The climbing community and press had questioned the ethics of a mother engaging in such a dangerous sport. (Hargreaves had been heavily pregnant with her first child Tom, when she climbed the deadly Eiger North.) Hargreaves responded "that she had thought about taking her husband and children with her to base camp, but she feels it’s rather 'inhospitable' there. Besides, none of her male climbing partners had brought their young families along for the climb."
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. Educated at Belper School
Belper School
Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a comprehensive school located in the town of Belper, Derbyshire, England. It has Foundation School status and is a specialist Technology College. In 2007, Ofsted reported that it was a 'good' school, while in 2009 it was deemed 'satisfactory' due to a dip in...
, her accomplishments included scaling 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...
solo without supplementary oxygen in 1995. She also soloed all the great north faces of the Alps
Great north faces of the Alps
In mountaineering, the six great north faces of the Alps are known for their difficulty and great height. They are:*Cima Grande di Lavaredo*Eiger*Grandes Jorasses*Matterhorn*Petit Dru*Piz Badile...
in a single season—a first for any climber. This feat included climbing the famously difficult north face of the Eiger
Eiger
The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m...
in 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....
in 1993. Hargreaves also climbed Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "Mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother protecting her child, and the hanging glacier thought of as the dablam, the traditional...
(6812m) in Nepal.
In 1995 Alison Hargreaves intended to climb the three highest mountains in the world—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...
, K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
and Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
—unaided. On 13 May 1995 she reached the summit of Everest without the aid of 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...
or bottled oxygen.
K2 Climb
After a brief return to the United Kingdom to visit her family, she left in June 1995 to join an American team which had gained a permit to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, located in Pakistan. K2 is regarded as a significantly more difficult and dangerous climb than Mt Everest. By August 13, 1995, the remnants of the US team and Hargreaves had joined forces with a New Zealand and Canadian team at Camp 4, around 7600m above sea level, and at least 12 hours from the summit. Later that day, having joined with a Spanish team of mountaineers above Camp 4, New Zealander Peter HillaryPeter Hillary
Peter Hillary is the son of the late adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with Tenzing Norgay, completed the first successful ascent of Mount Everest. When Peter Hillary summited Everest in 1990, he and his father were the first father/son duo to achieve the feat...
(son of Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
) decided to turn back, noting that the weather that had been fine for the previous four days appeared to be changing. At 6:45pm, in fine conditions, Hargreaves and Javier Olivar (Spain) reached the summit, followed by Rob Slater
Rob Slater
Rob Slater was an American mountaineer known for his first ascent of the big wall route Wyoming Sheep Ranch on El Capitan. A tireless outdoor recreationalist, Slater built up an impressive climbing resume during his college years and later as he worked as a trader on the Chicago Board of Trade...
(US), Javier Escartín (Spain), Lorenzo Ortíz (Spain) and Bruce Grant (NZ). All, however, died in a violent storm while returning from the summit. Canadian Jeff Lakes, who had turned back below the summit earlier, managed to reach one of the lower camps, but died from the effects of exposure.
The next day, two Spanish climbers, Pepe Garces and Lorenzo Ortas (not Lorenzo Ortíz, who was killed in the storm), were descending the mountain. They had survived the storm at Camp 4, but were suffering from frostbite and exhaustion. Before reaching Camp 3 they found a bloodstained anorak, a climbing boot and a harness. They recognised the equipment as belonging to Hargreaves. From Camp 3 they could also see a body in the distance. They did not approach the body, so it was not positively identified, but they had little doubt it was Hargreaves and concluded that she had been blown off the mountain during the storm.
The climbing community and press had questioned the ethics of a mother engaging in such a dangerous sport. (Hargreaves had been heavily pregnant with her first child Tom, when she climbed the deadly Eiger North.) Hargreaves responded "that she had thought about taking her husband and children with her to base camp, but she feels it’s rather 'inhospitable' there. Besides, none of her male climbing partners had brought their young families along for the climb."
Sources
- Hargreaves, Alison (1995). A Hard Day's Summer: Six Classic North Faces Solo. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-60602-9
- Savage Summit: The True Stories of the First Five Women Who Climbed K2, The World's Most Feared Mountain by Jennifer Jordan (William Morrow, New York, 2005).
- Peter H. Hansen, ‘Hargreaves, Alison Jane (1962–1995)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006
- Susan Frohlick, "'Wanting the Children and Wanting K2': The incommensurability of motherhood and mountaineering in Britain and North America in the late twentieth century," Gender, Place and Culture, 13:5 (October 2006): 477-490.
- Review of BBC documentary 'Inside Story - Alison's Last Mountain'
- British Woman Conquers Everest (with pictures)(BBC Article) http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/13/newsid_2843000/2843951.stm