Quote from Lionel Terray

[nolanr]

This is from Conquistadors of the Useless, I love it: "...We [Lachenal & Terray] did comparatively few first ascents, though opportunities were certainly not lacking at that time. The repetition of the really great alpine routes [like 3rd ascent of Walker Spur and 2nd of Eiger North Face!] seemed to us much more interesting than discovering obscure little climbs in remote corners. Like ugly girls, many of the ridges and faces which preserved their virginity until comparatively recently did so more from lack of attraction than from intrinsic difficulty. As for the minute facets and riblets on which some climbers try to build a reputation today, they will never have more than the ephemeral interest given to them by a Press ignorant of mountain values--but perhaps that is all such climbers require."

So if Terray was alive today, do you think he'd be all into bouldering and sit starts? Ha ha.

[Dan_Petersen]

Seems to me that there are several ways to look at Terray's observation. If other climber's were trying to build there reputation, was that what Terray and Lachenal had in mind as well? If so, then the second ascent of the Eiger (and the first French ascent) might well serve much better than some "obscure riblet". What about the 30,000th ascent, though?

Looked at another way, that ugly girl might take on more attraction if you had to take a number and wait in line to taxi dance with the beautiful one.

[Dru]

"To scramble around on a few little rocks is not, of course, the same as Mountaineering" - Lionel Terray describing Fontainebleau.

[Wired_Knut]

"If the conquest of a great peak brings moments of exultation and bliss, which in the monotonous, materialistic existence of modern times nothing else can approach, it also presents great dangers. It is not the goal of grand alpinisme to face peril, but it is one of the tests one must undergo to deserve the joy of rising for an instant above the state of crawling grubs. On this proud and beautiful mountain we have lived hours of fraternal, warm and exalting nobility. Here for a few days we have ceased to be slaves and have really been men. It is hard to return to servitude".

-Lionel Terray

[nolanr]

I see some of you are well versed in Terray. I'm still working on the book. Another part that cracked me up, when they were nearing the end of the Eigerwand, Terray was leading an (comparatively, at least) easy pitch. He thought it was the longest pitch he'd ever done and figured something was up. He kept turning around to check, but could never catch Lachenal moving behind him. But every time Lionel started climbing again, Louis would start following. Nothing like simul-climbing w/out knowing that you're simul-climbing.

Also, when they did the Piz Badile. They were just screwing around because the weather looked threatening, but totally taking it easy they were up to Cassin's first bivi site in a few hours. They pushed a little further and were well up the mountain. Lachenal basically said "What the hell, we can knock this thing off in a few more hours, the weather will hold that long" and headed up before Terray had a chance to try to talk him out of it. Anyway, one of the more entertaining mountaineering reads I've gotten my hands on.

[Terminal_Gravity]

Did Terray ( or anyone that was there) give much of a counter story to Herzogs "Annapurna"?

[nolanr]

Read David Roberts book, it's called something like "True Summit, What Really Happened on Annapurna." Basically everybody else had to absolutely swear they wouldn't go to the press w/ their version of the expedition, for like 15 or 20 years or something. I'm just reading the part in "Conquistadors..." about the Annapurna expedition. Of the 3 other principal climbers, Terray is probably the one who was the least bitter towards Herzog. Rebuffat and Lachenal were both pretty hacked off for a lotta years over the practical deification Herzog got and the lack of publicity and credit the rest of them got.

Anyway, other versions of what happened over there came out eventually. No one's recollections are exactly the same as another's, as you would expect.