UKH

To enjoy lightweight travel through huge tracts of unexplored country it's best, says Ronald Turnbull, to get yourself born into the 1930s. If you can bear the colonial lapses, this memoir of astonishing journeys and ascents in the world's wild places is a fascinating window on a bygone age. 

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Lovely stuff, Ronald. I believe I so far forgot myself as to nod approvingly. 

(Yes, I know the reference is Tilman)

Many thanks for reminding me of this.

I'm old enough to have been inspired reading Eric Shipton as a teenager and to have been able to follow (much less competently) in some of his footsteps when it was still possible to do so, in the Ruwenzori and the Nanda Devi sanctuary in the 70's. 

I've sometimes wondered if the history of Everest, particularly its commercialisation, might have turned out differently if Shipton had been retained as leader of the 1953 expedition and they had succeeded in the lightweight, small team, style that he favoured. 

Martin

I don't see how the commercialisation could have been avoided, given that it's the highest mountain in the world, in a very poor country. It's their goldmine, and they want as many Sherpas and porters to be employed as possible.