The drama of the first assault on Rum Doodle has been well documented in W. E. Bowman's classic satire, The Ascent of Rum Doodle, first published in 1956 in the U.K. and since released in twenty-eight editions and translated into five languages.
In Bowman's hilarious account, an expedition travels to Yogistan to besiege Rum Doodle,at 40000.5 feet the tallest mountain on earth, with overwhelming force typical of mid-twentieth century British mountaineering strategy. Led by the illustrious Binder, the cream of British mountaineering attacks the mountain with the support of over three thousand porters, men and boys drafted into an alpine army which transports huge quantities of materiel - including over three hundred cases of champagne - to a ladder of camps established at strategic points high on the mountain. Fortified by the finest of vintages, the climbers are thrown against the mountain's defenses in human waves.
With the passing of the decades since The Ascent of Rum Doodle first appeared, Bowman's work has become a cult classic. It's superb satire, cutting to the quick the attitudes and behaviors of the upper class British mountaineering community.
Since Bowman's work first appeared, mountaineering ethics have undergone a radical change, rejecting the large scale expedition in favor of small teams of unsupported climbers moving "light and fast" to attack the summit. This philosophy of mountaineering has come to be know as "alpine style". In keeping with this evolution of big peak climbing strategy it was inevitable that a small team of elite climbers should once again take on the Rum Doodle challenge, forsaking all of the logistical trappings associated with the first assault on the mountain.
Rum Doodle Alpine Style serves as a 21st century sequel to Bowman's 1950s views on the heroic folly of mountaineering. First published in Rock and Ice magazine, it's a tongue in cheek saga of two men, Barry the Gangsta and an unnamed French speaking narrator, relying upon their skill, their strength, and their courage as they valiantly struggle unsupported to complete Gangsta Rap, their new route to the summit. It's a short read consistent with the notion of light and fast, written in a style reminiscent of Bowman that will have the aficionados of the Rum Doodle story chuckling out loud. While climbing ethics may have changed over the years, the satisfaction in poking a bit of fun at the pretensions of the “serious” climber survives.
In Bowman's hilarious account, an expedition travels to Yogistan to besiege Rum Doodle,at 40000.5 feet the tallest mountain on earth, with overwhelming force typical of mid-twentieth century British mountaineering strategy. Led by the illustrious Binder, the cream of British mountaineering attacks the mountain with the support of over three thousand porters, men and boys drafted into an alpine army which transports huge quantities of materiel - including over three hundred cases of champagne - to a ladder of camps established at strategic points high on the mountain. Fortified by the finest of vintages, the climbers are thrown against the mountain's defenses in human waves.
With the passing of the decades since The Ascent of Rum Doodle first appeared, Bowman's work has become a cult classic. It's superb satire, cutting to the quick the attitudes and behaviors of the upper class British mountaineering community.
Since Bowman's work first appeared, mountaineering ethics have undergone a radical change, rejecting the large scale expedition in favor of small teams of unsupported climbers moving "light and fast" to attack the summit. This philosophy of mountaineering has come to be know as "alpine style". In keeping with this evolution of big peak climbing strategy it was inevitable that a small team of elite climbers should once again take on the Rum Doodle challenge, forsaking all of the logistical trappings associated with the first assault on the mountain.
Rum Doodle Alpine Style serves as a 21st century sequel to Bowman's 1950s views on the heroic folly of mountaineering. First published in Rock and Ice magazine, it's a tongue in cheek saga of two men, Barry the Gangsta and an unnamed French speaking narrator, relying upon their skill, their strength, and their courage as they valiantly struggle unsupported to complete Gangsta Rap, their new route to the summit. It's a short read consistent with the notion of light and fast, written in a style reminiscent of Bowman that will have the aficionados of the Rum Doodle story chuckling out loud. While climbing ethics may have changed over the years, the satisfaction in poking a bit of fun at the pretensions of the “serious” climber survives.
