TIGERS OF THE SNOW

By turns contemplative and dramatic, Anglo-American novelist Neale (The Laughter of Heroes, 1993) tells the story of Sherpa involvement in European climbs in the Himalayas, focusing on the disastrous German attempt on Nanga Parbat in 1934.

Out of the valleys of Khumbu south to Solu come the Sherpas, who have made their living for generations carrying loads over the high mountain passes for trade into Tibet. As Europeans started eyeing the great 20,000-footers in the Himalayas, they naturally chose Sherpas to assist in these climbs. Since these first European mountaineers were upper-crust men lugging the ideological baggage of their class—“challenge, instinctive, man, desire, conquer” are its watchwords, according to Neale—it’s unsurprising that they treated the Sherpas with less respect than they deserved. Though the Sherpas climbed for money and fame just like the Europeans, they were treated as second-class citizens on the mountains and often left to their own devices in a pinch, whereas they came to the aid of all failing Europeans. The evolution of this relationship is what intrigues Neale, who traces it in a comfortably conversational tone that suits a narrative containing many talks with Sherpas, including one who was a member of the 1934 German climb. That drive on Nanga Parbat, fueled by ignorance of high-altitude conditions and Nazi political ambitions, in Neale’s view defined the Sherpas' will at great heights and made them think twice about future exploits with Europeans. Not until the arrival in the Himalayas of professional Alpine and American guides, themselves unapologetic workingmen, did the Sherpas start to get a measure of respect and equality. Today they still struggle for that respect and still wonder at the motivations of many European climbers.

The kind of thoughtful and informed portrait that the Sherpas richly deserve. (16 pages b&w photos)