The madman and the mountain

So far as I can see from my decades-old fascination with this story, no one who knows it is apathetic on the subject. And so far as Maurice Wilson is concerned, they divide neatly into two distinct and opposing camps: those who thought him a suicidal lunatic, and those who thought him a true hero, pursuing his dream with a determination and purity of approach few could imagine.

By the time we’re done here, perhaps you’d be kind enough to tell me what you think in the comments? For this was a man who, in 1934, decided to fly to Mount Everest and climb the world’s highest mountain. Alone.

A little context: by 1934 Everest had so far got the better of no fewer than four British expeditions, in 1921 (technically a reconnaissance rather than outright summit attempt), 1922, 1924 and 1933. The highest confirmed altitude reached was 28,126ft by Edward Norton in 1924, less than 1000 feet from the summit, achieved without oxygen and climbing alone after his partner was unable to continue, setting an altitude record that would stand for another 28 years until a Swiss expedition managed to beat it by a scant 76ft while using supplemental oxygen.