140pages:
Perfect Bound Paper Back £12.99; e-book version £4.99.
Roger
Hubank is one of those seminal figures whose writing en-riches the
climbing scene. He has published five novels so far, and North Wall
which was his first such, appeared over 40 years ago. His greatest
success so far as a climbing novelist was Hazard’s Way, set in the
mountain fraternity at Wasdale Head in the early years of the 20th
century, a volume which won both the Boardman/Tasker award and the
Grand Prix prize at the Banff Mountain Festival.
I
had read Hazard’s Way before I was invited to review the
re-published edition of his Alpine climbing novel, ‘North Wall’
and most interestingly in this he has penned a Foreword explaining
the stories genesis. And how it is actually set in the Bregaglia
Mountain Range, and that the fictitious village of ‘Molino’ is
actually Promontogno at the foot of the Piz Badile. I found resonance
in his story as to the actual happening during the first ascent of
the North East Face of that mountain, which was led by Riccardo
Cassin. They were caught high on the face in a terrible storm and two
of those who joined up with his party they met on the climb, whilst
pioneering the route, died in similar storm conditions to those faced
by the main characters in North Wall.
The
author also explains in this Foreword why because his novel contains
a certain autobiographical element, he was persuaded that his two
main characters, Daniel and Raymond should be French and not English,
lest the originals be too recognisable. Although the mountain Piz
Molino does not exist, at the preface to the novel he has also
included a topo and route description for ‘the direttissima on the
north-east face of the Piz Molino’. Sufficiently like the real
thing for some to have claimed to have ascended this climb!
The
story appears to be well set in its era of Alpine exploration, now
changed beyond recognition by the advances in equipment and
technique. To fully appreciate this one has to know that the author
began his climbing career in an era of moleskin breeches, jammed
knots and long run outs. And though some of today’s super Alpinists
may find the whole premise of such a climb too far-fetched, the plot
is sound; two climbers, Raymond a hard case professional mountain
guide and Daniel a talented amateur set forth to take up the
challenge to climb the 1200metre north-east face of the Piz Molino; a
fearsome route that has not been repeated since its first ascent
twelve years earlier in 1954, by a team of four Italian climbers, two
of whom perished on the descent in the inevitable bad weather of
storm conditions.
Though in the story of the climb, four climbers are
involved, for they meet up with two Czech climbers, Tomas and Jaro on
the face, only Raymond and Daniel really matter to the story. I
found it difficult to get into the story, which starts during the two
climbers walk in to the base of the climb. Within these early
Chapters we learn something of their characters; Daniel a practising
Catholic but confused about his beliefs, a pious domestic orientated
man, who when not climbing attends at Mass on Sundays, and who
worries about his wife and child back at home, with a partner who has
never understood his need to go and challenge himself in the
mountains. Raymond is the wise old guide, who has seen it all, but is
haunted by his previous participation in a Himalayan expedition,
during which several members of their party were deceased in an
avalanche, and the death of his brother whilst climbing on the
Aguille du Plan.
Once
the climbing actually starts it does become page turning, the
mountains face is split by a huge diedre, and the line of the ascent
is always obvious. Access to this feature becomes one of the cruxes
of the ascent for it closes above the first bivouac and necessitates
a daring pendule across the face to reach a parallel flake crack.
This is followed until it is possible to regain the upper diedre,
which once achieved it is better to press on to the summit than to
attempt to retreat. Unfortunately during this Raymond is hit by
stonefall, which shatters an arm and renders him unconscious. The
Czechs catch up and help all they can and eventually agree to climb
on and go for assistance. However once Daniel is alone with Raymond
he begins to realise how serious their position really is. Retreat is
not possible and the weather is closing in, their food and fuel are
running out and though Raymond is now conscious he is limited by his
injuries and cannot lead on up the climb.
So
the scene is set for a climbing epic, for above Daniel and Raymond
are several hundred of metres of difficult climbing some of it grade
six, and in part with sections of high standard artificial ascent.
But with no way of communicating with anyone else, and believing that
the Czechs must have perished high above in the storm, after a couple
of days waiting they realise they must try to ascend to be saved.
Daniel must become the leader and Raymond with his one good arm must
somehow manage to follow him.I
will not describe the climbing further but I believe the story from
thereon, written in short sentence syntax, is carried forward by some
truly, great evocative writing. The perspective in this is also
enhanced by moving from character to character. You get to know what
Daniel is thinking and likewise Raymond.
North
Wall is much more than a gripping survival story; it is one that
examines the nature of climbing itself? Why trade earthbound comforts
for the allure of the mountains, risking all to achieve something in
climbing terms which might be extraordinary. But which to the average
none climber could mean something akin to a madness. As an aside is
it now Quo Vadis for climbing, set against such as an ascent as
described in North Wall? Will new generations of participants be
more enamoured of relatively safe and cosseted gymnastic performance,
via artificial walls, and competition climbing and its outstanding
‘winners’ at an Olympics, than my generation were of the ascents
by Bonatti, Cassin, Heckmair, Robbins and our own Joe Brown?
I
have already noted the quality of Hubank’s writing in ‘North
Wall’, it received many plaudits on its first publication. It
achieves something extraordinary in its relationship between the
climbing and the writing, highlighting the mental impact on its
participants of dedicating one’s life to such an activity as North
Walling! However in this it exemplifies that mentally there is no way
you can ‘method’ your way out of such a predicament, you adapt as
you go on. Interestingly someone who really knows about such is Mark
Twight. In his collection of short stories/articles which also won at
Banff; ‘The Confessions of a serial Climber. Kiss or kill’ he
notes this aspect found in the pages of North Wall and quotes from
these.
Expanding
on such the book highlights more closely the context within which
climbing takes place, the lives of parents, wives, girl, and or boy-
friends. And families as well as the larger cultural, social and
political worlds, for often they do not appear in the pages of
mountaineering books. Finally, Vertebrate are to be congratulated on
the re-publication of North Wall, for it has brought to attention
once more the writings of Roger Hubank, a former Loughborough
University English literature lecturer, who is heading the judges
this year at the Boardman Tasker award; an outstanding commentator on
our sport.
Dennis Gray: 2019
