THE DAILY MAIL

London, England

11 September 1905

The Great Climb

Four Men Killed on Kinchinjunga

Expedition Abandoned at 21,000 Feet

We have received the following cablegram from Mr. Allister Crowley, recording the abandonment of the expedition up Kangchenjunga (Kinchinjunga) the third highest mountain in the world, after an altitude of 21,000 ft. had been reached.

Darjeeling, Saturday, Sept 9.

Our advance guard attacked the south-west face of the mountain, and reached easily an altitude of 21,000 ft.

Unfortunately, at this stage some members of the party decided to return. I solemnly warned them against the folly of descending late in the evening over “avalanchy” snow. However, a party of six, closely roped together, started, set going an avalanche of snow, and all fell.

Pache [Alexis Pache], who commanded the rear guard, and three natives were killed, the doctor [Jules Jacot Guillarmod] and De Righi [Alcesti de Righi] slightly injured, and Reymond [Charles-Adolphe Reymond] was rescued. The latter had to cut the rope to release themselves. The bodies of the dead are buried under many feet of snow and are being searched for. As the avalanche was neither large nor steep, I am of opinion that if a rope had not been employed the accident would not have happened.

In consequence of this loss of life, I declined to assume further responsibility and returned with the remainder of the expedition. I am not altogether disappointed with the present results. I know enough to make certain of success another year with a properly equipped and disciplined expedition.

Notable features of the climb have been the warmth, persistent fog after 8 o’clock in the morning, a total absence of wind, flowers growing at 20,000 ft., the excellence of properly treated coolies, the comparative infrequency of large earthquakes, and the unseemly reluctance of nature to correspond to the published maps of Kinchinjunga.

The only trouble I experienced was in the form of headaches, caused possibly by the glare. The height of 21,000 ft. represents a minimum estimate. It might have been more.

Allister Crowley.

M. Pache was a lieutenant in the Swiss Calvary, he was thirty-one years of age, and joined the expedition chiefly in order to hunt in the Himalayas. His love of adventure, says Reuter, led him to fight among the Boers in the late war in the Transvaal.