Pugh's Report on the British Himalayan Expedition to Cho Oyu in 1952

摘要

In 1949 the British climbing community was considering a new attempt to climb Mount Everest. Previous attempts dating back to 1921 had all failed. This one just had to succeed, not least because Britain's virtual monopoly of such climbs was coming to an end. But there were practical difficulties in that the recognized route via Tibet was closed to all foreigners, and in the south the Khumbu icefall was considered impassable. However, study of aerial photographs suggested that a route could be found (Ward, 2003), and in 1951 a new government in Nepal granted access for an expedition. A key factor in its success was the Pugh report (see the endnote).