The Silver Trench, Climbers Have a Language of Their Own, and I Am Sorry, Brian... Summary and Analysis

"The Silver Trench" is a feature of the North Face that can be seen by observers below when the light hits an area on the Ramp, making the ice gleam. Adolph Mayr fell to his death from the Silver Trench in 1961. After a summer of bad weather, Mayr arrived to make the climb. Mayr was young but experienced and knowledgeable, with a lovable personality. Fritz von Almen, a hotel owner, warned Mayr that crossing the Third Ice Field in the afternoon incurred increased danger due to falling stones loosened by the sun. Mayr set off on a solo attempt, hoping to surpass the Third Ice Field before afternoon.

Von Almen watched through a...