Newspaper Article 1994 – Old boy climbed his way to fame

Old boy climbed his way to fame

Forty years ago the average person in Heretaunga St would probably have given a reasonably knowledgeable reply to the question: “What do you know about George Lowe?”

He is probably the only old boy of Hastings High School who can really be described as “famous” as he undoubtedly was when he returned from the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.

George Lowe commenced his working life as a school teacher, but he was destined to become a mountaineer, although according to one of his teachers, the late E.S. Craven, he once admitted to feeling somewhat giddy on the narrow path to the gannet rockery at Cape Kidnappers.

His first steps in the high country were taken at the Hermitage where he took a holiday job carrying stores to the huts in the Mount Cook region. His days off were spent in easy local climbs practising what he had learned from the area guides.

He achieved the ultimate ambition of every New Zealand climber, Mount Cook one day and Mount Tasman the next; then a grand traverse of Cook. Later he escorted a National Film Unit up Mount Aspiring. This experience, together with climbs in the Kaikouras and tramps in the Hawke’s Bay ranges where he was captain of the Heretaunga Tramping club, developed him into one of the country’s most outstanding mountaineers.

George Lowe’s introduction to the Himalayas came from being cooped up in a hut with a group of climbers during a blizzard, where the talk turned to those mountains; the result being that four of the number set out in April, 1951, to spend three months climbing in Garwhal in the central Himalayas. This was valuable experience, particularly in acclimatisation, high altitude work and in learning how to manage porters, besides which they climbed a 7451m peak.

In January, 1952, he received an invitation to join Shipton’s Everest reconnaissance expedition which had three main aims: to train a team of mountaineers for a full-scale attempt on Everest in 1953 (unless the Swiss succeeded in 1952), to test high altitude oxygen equipment, and to collect facts about the effect of high altitude on the human body.

The first objective was to climb Cho Oyu which, at 8187m, is the sixth highest peak in the world. The attempt failed because at 7000m the route chosen was barred by vertical ice cliffs, over-hung by 30m icicles which effectually prevented any further progress. The second and third parts of the expedition involved exploration round the base of Mount Everest, the second to the northern glaciers, and then to the south and the unexplored east side.

These journeys took seven weeks and involved the crossing of seven mountain passes of over 6000m. They also explored the Barun Valley and the Arun River, which is much larger than the Waikato; they tried rafting down it on Lilos, an attempt which nearly ended in tragedy when they were caught in a huge whirlpool from which they were fortunate to escape.

The upshot of all this experience was that George Lowe and his friend Edmund Hillary, whom he had introduced to the high mountains of New Zealand, and who had also been on these preliminary trips, were both invited to join the 1953 Everest expedition led by John Hunt.

Everest, being the highest mountain in the world at 8848m, had been attempted on several occasions since it was first reconnoitred in 1921, mainly by British climbers. Two of whom, Irvine and Mallory, lost their lives in 1924. It was Mallory, who when asked why he wanted to climb Everest, made the famous if ingenuous answer, “Because it is there”. The 1953 team had every inducement to succeed as the mountain besides being unclimbed, was considered by some as almost a British preserve.

This then was the undertaking into which George Lowe entered with his usual enthusiasm and energy. In the event he had ample opportunity to prove his skill and endurance.

He spent 11 days making a track up the Lhotse Glacier at an altitude of around 7600m, a tremendous feat at that height. It was of this effort that John Hunt wrote: “Hindered by weather, his team delayed and weakened by sickness, and in spite of the demoralising effect of the terrific west wind, George Lowe, supported at intervals by others, had put up a performance during those 11 days which will go down in the annals of mountaineering as an epic achievement of tenacity and skill”.

It was only eight days later that he, with Gregory, and a porter, Ang Nyima, carrying loads of more than 25kg, assisted Hillary and Tensing to establish their final camp at 8500m in preparation for their successful climb to the summit and return next day. George Lowe had the ability to go to the top, but as he said: “He has no regrets, he was part of a successful team”.

In 1957-58 he went as photographer on Dr Vivan Fuchs’ scientific expedition across the Antarctic continent from Shackleton on the Weddell Sea to Scott Base, a distance of some 2900km.

Later he returned to school teaching, becoming headmaster of a large school in Chile where he stayed for a number of years; from there he went to England as an inspector of schools. He is now retired and lives in England, but maintains his association with Nepal which he visits every two years.

Photo captions –

George Lowe in 1953, the year he climbed Everest with Edmund Hillary.

George Lowe, now retired and living in England.