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0644 Southern Tibet : vol.7
Southern Tibet : vol.7 / Page 644 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000263
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CHAPTER LII.

THE DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI.

We now come to one of the most important expeditions ever carried out in the High
Kara-korum, viz. the Italian expedition, in the summer of 1909, under command of the
Duke of the Abruzzi, and described in the most brilliant way by Dr. de Filippi.¹

The chief object of the expedition was the Duke's »desire to contribute to the
solution of the problem as to the greatest height to which man may attain in mountain
climbing». But on the way to this goal the expedition accomplished excellent moun-
taineering and exploring work »for the purpose of collecting data for the more accurate
knowledge of a system of ranges that, taken all together, is perhaps the grandest
in the world». Here already at the beginning of his work Dr. Filippi points out
that the Kara-korum is a system of ranges, not one range, as it still is often called.
In spite of this he however, sometimes uses the term »the Karakoram range».²

Already before the appearance of the book, Dr. de Filippi had published several
articles in different periodicals. In the Alpine Journal he chiefly dealt with matters
of alpine interest, the geography having been treated in the Geographical Journal.
To the mountaineers he addresses the following words:

K 2 was selected as being the second highest mountain in the world, and the
highest which the political conditions prevailing in the Himalayan regions render it possible
to approach. The only European expedition (Guillarmod, etc. 1902) which had seen the
mountain at close range appeared to admit the possibility of an attempt.³

At another place he gives an interesting analysis of the rate of march at
different altitudes:

From 23,000 to 23,500 360 feet an hour.
» 23,500 » 24,300 270 » » »
» 24,300 » 24,600 160 » » »
The greatest altitude reached was 24,600 feet.⁴