From the vault... July, 1960

Jon Stephenson the 1st Australian to climb to 7000 metres without supplementary oxygen

Jon Stephenson began his passion for the outdoors as a founding member of the University of Queensland Bush Walking Club (UQBWC) in 1949. He applied his scientific bent to research and exploration on his beloved Mount Barney (his PhD thesis), the Antarctic and the Himalayas amongst other iconic destinations. With colleague Ken Blaiklock, Jon became the first to drive a dog team to the South Pole since Raold Amundsen in 1911. He later published a book documenting his Antarctic exploration - Crevasse Roulette: the first trans-Antarctic crossing 1957-1958.

My reason for revisiting Jon's extraordinary 1960 achievement in the Himalayas was triggered by a recent catch-up with two of his longtime pioneering colleagues, Peter Barnes, 95, and Alan Frost, 89. They shared countless climbing experiences from 1949, including a long list of first ascents around southeast Queensland. Although Peter's outdoor exploits have been slowed by impaired vision, his passion for the outdoors remains unbridled. Alan is active and still regularly climbs Mount Barney, almost always up his favourite ascent route, Logan's Ridge (around 150 ascents so far). 

Peter passed on to me a letter and photographs Jon had sent to him in 2010, documenting Jon's attempt to climb K12 (7428 metres) in the Karakoram mountains whilst on a scientific expedition there over a three-month period in mid-1960. Jon had organised the expedition - the Saltoro Expedition 1960 - with another UQBWC protege, Keith Miller who, three years earlier, had travelled in the area with the doyen of Himalayan exploration, Eric Shipton, and a group of students from Imperial College in London. As Jon observed, 'Keith thought it would be a good idea to climb the mountain K12'. 

Keith Miller contemplates a vertical granite wall on the Grachmo Glacier,
close to the base camp used by the Saltoro expedition to the Karakoram in 1960. Photo: Jon Stephenson

With two other colleagues, David Haffner and Jim Hurley, they flew into Skardu in the Kashmir region and trekked into the Karakoram with 100 porters and a Pakistani liaison officer. Sadly, Keith became ill on the expedition and was forced to go home early. He later distinguished himself in further Karakoram exploration and in Arctic scientific endeavour for which he was awarded a Royal Geographical Society medal. 

Sunset on K12 with the ascent route up the right hand skyline. Photo: Jon Stephenson

On 5 July, Jon was snowbound in a tent, high on the slopes of K12 with a Balti porter, Mohammed Choo, the only one willing to accompany him on his summit attempt. They had climbed through an icefall and up a 'straightforward' ridge, setting up a campsite on the crown of the rock ridge about one-third of the way up the mountain. The next morning, they continued, traversing above a line of huge ice cliffs. It was relatively easy going up moderate snow slopes towards a ridge which led to the summit. It was then that Choo became ill. Despite climbing without supplementary oxygen, Jon was in good condition and decided to climb on alone, leaving Choo to recover on a ledge cut out of the snow slope. Jon takes up the story:

"There was nothing to stop me except my own condition. Approaching the isolated rocks above the higher ridge promontory, about 10 per cent below the summit, I simply could not proceed, except with great slowness and deep shortage of breath. I might eventually have reached the summit, but would have spent the night out. Besides, I had to descend to see how Choo was faring. So I descended, much more easily, joined him, and climbed down to our tent without falling over the ice cliffs! The descent to the saddle was without incident the next morning...for a few years I harboured an ambition to make a return expedition. Fortunately this idea went away. It needed money!"

Looking across an ocean of summits towards the highest, K2, from the north ridge of K12. Jon wrote that he could see the curvature of the earth from his vantage point. Photo: Jon Stephenson

Looking north from K12 to the towering Saltoro Kangri (7742 metres) above the Bilafond (Butterfly) Glacier, used by the expedition team to access its tributary, the Grachmo Glacier. Photo: Jon Stephenson.

Jon Stephenson had climbed to 7000 metres and with no supplementary oxygen - the first Australian to do so. It was 6 July, 1960, the same day that an American duo, George Irving Bell and Willi Unsoeld, made the first ascent of nearby Masherbrum (7821 metres). 

Jon later established the Department of Earth Sciences at James Cook University in North Queensland and worked there as Professor of Geology 1970-1995. He was amongst the first to warn of the dangers of climate change based on his extensive scientific exploration and research over decades. He died aged 80 in Townsville on 24 May,  2011.

Many thanks to Peter Barnes for this historic material.