K2, 1902

K2, 1902
CHESS IN THE HIMALAYAS
At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of European alpinists set
out for the Himalayas to climb the second and third highest peaks on
the planet, K2 (Chhogori) in Pakistan and Kangchenjunga in Nepal. These
alpinists were true pioneers, bold enough to venture into inhospitable
mountainous regions with only cursory topographical maps to guide them
and where everything higher than 4’000-5’000 meters was terra incognita.
Every day was like a game of chess, where tiny pawns battled for survival
against the mountains.
Participating in both of these expeditions was Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, a
Neuchâtel doctor and member of the Swiss Alpine Club. Dr. Jacot-Guillarmod
was an alpine enthusiast and photography buff; the photographs he
took and the journals he kept provide fascinating, inspiring eye-witness
accounts of these expeditions.
The photographic collection
In 1889, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod developed his first photographs. He combined his
enthusiasm for photography with his passion for alpinism to document his mountain
excursions in great detail. He left for K2 equipped with a glass plate Richard
Verascope and a Kodak camera. He brought back several hundred stereoscopic
photographs on glass plates. Preserved by the Museum Elysée Lausanne and
digitized by the Public Library of La Chaux-de-Fonds, these photographs are a
unique testimonial to the first attempts to ascend the world’s highest peaks at the
beginning of the 20th century.
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THE RED THREAD
The outgoing expedition
March 3, 1902 marked the departure date of their boat from
Trieste, Italy. On board, the members of the expedition met for
the first time, each trying to assess the skills and experience of
the others. Passing through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, they
finally disembarked in Bombay on March 20. They continued by
train to the foothills of the Himalayas; afterwards, they proceeded
on foot. Their baggage was first transported on carts, then on
horseback, and finally by the men themselves.
They brought three tons of material from Europe: alpine
equipment, food, carts, measuring tools, and a huge amount of
medical supplies. Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, who had spent years
dreaming of such an expedition, left nothing to chance. He even
prepared telegraphic codes to communicate with the outside
world, in the event that their ascent was wholly, or even partially,
successful.
The equipment they brought with them reveals the innovative
alpinism practiced by members of the expedition. The short ice
axe, as well as the ten-point crampon, were both invented by
Oscar Eckenstein. Jules Jacot-Guillarmod had carefully tested
both items with Eckenstein on the icy slopes of the Salève in the
French Prealps before their departure.
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Too close for comfort at 8000 meters
At a point in time where a voyage by boat and train to the
foothills of the Himalayas was already an epic adventure unto
itself, a handful of European alpinists still dreamt of as-of-yet
unreached summits. Jules Jacot-Guillarmod, a powerful climber
who was accustomed to climbing without a guide and who had
conquered numerous 4000-meter peaks in the Alps, was fully
committed to the first expedition to Chhogori (now known as
K2). Doctor and naturalist and gifted with a scientific spirit,
Jules Jacot-Guillarmod had prepared the expedition down to the
smallest detail. In addition to his ambition to reach the summit
of K2, he was eager to achieve certain scientific objectives in
the fields of botany, glaciology, and human physiology. JacotGuillarmod, together with the other members of the group,
carried out no small logistical feat when they brought all of the
necessary material onto the Baltoro Glacier. Friendships grew
and hostilities developed during the prolonged stay at the foot
of the steep slopes of the summit.
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Witness to an epic
Before leaving, several members of the expedition were contacted by members of the scientific community. While they were
approaching the highest peaks, their attention was focused not
only on the ascent but also on making careful geological, medical, botanical and geographical observations. The most methodical of the group was undoubtedly Dr. Jacot-Guillarmod. He made
careful notes on everything that he observed, took photographs,
collected specimens and made drawings. Aside from his exceptional photographic documentation, he also created the first
detailed map of the Baltoro Glacier, which was drawn after his
return by the Neuchâtel cartographer Maurice Borel.
Perhaps most interestingly, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod was the first
doctor to observe the consequences of a prolonged stay at an
altitude of approximately 6000 meters. He diagnosed a patient
with a pulmonary edema, a lethal condition that was not clearly
identified as a side effect of altitude sickness until the 1960’s.
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Pioneers of K2
Climbing K2 in 1902, in a remote region of Karakoram, was as
much a feat of human endurance as an athletic achievement. The
term “expedition” took on epic meanings. After leaving Srinigar,
the six members of this adventure took two and a half months to
arrive at the foot of the mountain. The alpinists stayed at an altitude of over 5700 meters from June 20 to August 4, searching
in vain for a path to the summit of Chhogori (K2). On July 10,
they reached a breathtaking altitude of 6700 meters. On August
4, they definitively renounced all further attempts to reach the
summit after having gone astray on the wrong path.
The expedition of Jacot-Guillarmod and his companions was the
first attempt made to ascend K2. The summit was not actually reached until July 31, 1954. Located on the border between
China and Pakistan, K2 is the second-highest peak in the world.
At 8611 meters, it is widely regarded as one of the most difficult
and dangerous ascents in the world.
Kangchenjunga 1905, Rupture in the snow
In July 1905, Jules Jacot-Guillarmod set out with Aleister Crowley
and three other alpinists on a new expedition to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga in Nepal. They set up an incredible camp
perched on a dizzying crest at 6150 meters. Crowley’s obsession
with reaching the summit at any cost and without any regard for
the safety of the Sherpa in their company provoked a violent falling-out with the rest of the group. On September 1, this daring
expedition ended in drama.
The expedition of 1905 is considered to be the first attempt to
ascend Kangchenjunga. Its summit was not reached until May
25, 1955. At an imposing 8586 meters, it is the world’s third
highest peak after Everest and K2.
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IN BRIEF...
EXHIBITION
NOT INCLUDED IN THE LEASE
• Surface area 150-300 m2
• Set-up of the exhibition (one person/1-2 days)
• One 3D film
• Disassembly of exhibition (one person/2 days)
• 8 scenographic projections
• Transport of the exhibition (round-trip)
• More than 50 reproductions from the collection of J. Jacot-Guillarmot
• Insurance
INCLUDED IN THE LEASE
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
• Furniture and exhibition modules
• The layout of your exhibition hall (including electrical outlets)
• Texts (French and German)
• 12 m2 of storage space
• Films and author rights (for the duration of the exhibition)
• A technical team for set-up and disassembly (2 people/ 2 days)
• Layout for the creation of posters, flyers, etc.
• Educational material related to the exhibition
PRICE
• 20’000 - 25’000 Euros for six months depending on the themes
presented
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OUR EXHIBITIONS
TRAVEL WELL!
The itinerant exhibitions from the Museum of Natural History of Neuchâtel are characterized by
their flexibility and modularity. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information!
Some examples of our itinerant exhibitions:
Sacrée Science (“Sacred Science”)
Kulturama, Museum of Mankind, Zürich, 2013-2014
K2 1902. Partie d’échecs en Himalaya (“K2, 1902. Chess in the Himalayas”)
Alpine museum, Bern, 2014
Mouches (“Flies”)
National Museum of Natural History, Luxembourg, 2006-2007
National Museum of Natural History, Paris, 2007 Natural History Museum of Basel, 2008-2009 Natural History Museum of Nantes, 2010
Parce queue (“Tails and Tales”)
Museum-Aquarium of Nancy, 2012
Science Center, Rennes, 2013-2014
CONTACT
Yannick Soller
Coordinator for Itinerant Exhibitions
Museum of Natural History
Rue des Terreaux 14
2000 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
Christophe Dufour
Curator/ Director
Museum of Natural History
Rue des Terreaux 14
2000 Neuchâtel
Switzerland
[email protected]
Tél. +41 (0)32 717 79 64
Fax +41 (0)32 717 79 69
www.museum-neuchatel.ch
[email protected]
Tél. +41 (0)32 717 79 61
Fax +41 (0)32 717 79 69
www.museum-neuchatel.ch