An Irishwoman's Diary

Another big hill, another big climb? Not quite. Eddie Cooper from Belfast made history in the Himalaya just over a week ago, and without much help from the Minister for Tourism and Sport.

Mr Cooper, who is a member of the Irish K2 expedition, recorded the first ascent of Broad Peak in the Karakoram. At 8,047 metres, it is 12th among the world's 14 great mountain tops. However, style rather than substance was the significant factor here: Mr Cooper is the first Irish climber to have passed the 8,000-metre high altitude barrier without oxygen - and without Sherpa support.

In fact, the house-husband and part-time painter and decorator didn't even have a rope with him for the last big push. Nor did he have his partner and fellow Northerner, Ian Rea, who suffered suffering altitude sickness and had to turn back about 200 metres from the summit. They had discarded the rope, to save on weight at such a high altitude, and the final ridge was too difficult and exposed to take any risks.

Big push

Mr Cooper returned to base camp to a hero's welcome, in the knowledge that he had boosted morale for the big push on K2 - the world's second highest mountain - in several weeks' time. He was even greeted with a "sash", bearing little resemblance to anything worn back home on the "Twelfth". It was made by the expedition's two Pakistani cooks, Mohammed and Ulam, using string and "low denomination" paper cash.

There was much chanting, singing and even the beating of a drum, among the multi-denominational and international group.

A victory banner was erected, and a breakfast was laid out, according to the expedition's email report. A demonstration of Pakistani "hand-dancing" ensued - "white men with no rhythm, and not a woman in sight!"

And not a Minister in sight either, in spite of Dr McDaid's curious assertion that people can just drop out to the Himalaya and run up a few hills week after week. Speaking in the Dail in reply to a question from his predecessor, Mr Bernard Allen, the Minister defended the Sports Council's recent decision to stop State funding for the K2 venture.

"I had to introduce criteria to ensure that we targeted where we put money," the Minister explained, referring to the council's decision to revise the conditions under which grant-aid is given. "This was a small group of people . . . Deputy Allen could say that he was going to gather a group together and sail to New Zealand and, according to his criteria, I would have to fund that type of expedition as well . . . It could be held that I would have to fund any type of expedition which a small group of people might want to undertake."

"Small" they may be, but the members of the Irish K2 venture are among this island's most experienced climbers, and the withdrawal of a promised tranche of £7,000 is a significant blow.

Mr John Treacy, the Sports Council's chairman, has explained that such expeditions no longer fit into the international competition category. In other words, the group has been penalised for being non-competitive, while the cross-Border dimension and the support of its own governing body, the Mountaineering Council of Ireland, has been conveniently overlooked.

Fortunately, the group secured some last-minute support from Kellogg Company of Ireland and the K2 venture remains on course.

Robbie Fenlon

The expedition leader, Calvin Torrans, a Belfast man now living in Bray, Co Wicklow, was until recently, one of only three international mountain guides in this country. Now he's one of four - the latest being Robbie Fenlon, a 33-year-old Dubliner who now also bears the initials "UIAGM" on his letterhead.

Fenlon owes his love of mountains to his parents, who brought the family walking and camping in the Wicklow hills. He tried rock-climbing when he was 10, but did nothing more until he was nearly 20. "I had been told the best way to start was to go to Dalkey quarry on a Thursday evening and ask the climbers who gathered there." But he watched from a discreet distance instead. He was "too self-conscious".

Eventually, after "several retreats", he changed tactics. He visited the quarry with his brother and a family friend. They bought a book and taught themselves knots. Three years later, he was qualified in adventure sports and instructing professionally.

Only French

In 1988, he attended an alpine mountaineering course in Chamonix, France, and was impressed with the standard attained by mountain guides. He recalls asking one of the "professeurs" if an Irish person could qualify. The short reply was: "Non. You have to be French".

Five years later, Fenlon was already studying to be a "bergfuhrer" when he reached 8,500 metres during the first Irish Everest expedition. He trained through the British Mountain Guide system, an intensive course involving assessments in rock climbing, winter and alpine mountaineering, ice climbing and ski mountaineering in Wales, Scotland, France and Switzerland. Each stage entailed a rigorous examination of ability, rope work, client care, safety, rescue, geographical knowledge and mountaineering judgment.

Fenlon is the youngest person in Ireland to hold this prestigious qualification. During a working year, he could find himself bringing people to the summit of Mont Blanc, showing someone how to use a map and compass in Wicklow, skiing through an alpine forest with a group of seven-year-olds, climbing the Eiger with a camera crew. Earlier this year, he took time out to join fellow mountaineers in the Himalaya on an attempted new route up the 7,400 metre Jongsang Peak.

They weren't successful, but weren't too disappointed. Mountaineering isn't about "summit-bagging", but is a cultural experience. Not just what you do, but how you do it. Not just where you are, but who you are with.