经济学人416:路还长 Long life

 　　Roger Payne

　　罗杰·佩恩

　　Roger Payne, alpinist and avalanche¹ expert, died on July 12th, aged² 55

　　罗杰·佩恩，登山家，雪崩专家。7月13日遇难，年仅55岁。

　　MOST climbers simply chafe³ to reach the tops of mountains. Roger Payne was different. Although he had several first ascents⁵ to his name—Mount Grosvenor in China, Khan Tengri and Pobeda in Kazakhstan, in a career spanning 30 years—his priority was to go lightly, and leave no trace. His heroes were the alpinists of the early 20th century, George Mallory, Tom Longstaff, Freddie Chapman and the rest, who had climbed the world's greatest peaks in tweed jackets and leather boots. Like them, he went in a tiny team, often only with his wife, Julie-Ann Clyma, who was also a mountaineer. He took no oxygen, and avoided using fixed⁶ ropes. Every piece of rubbish or equipment was brought down off the mountain: not only his own, but also the tattered⁷ tents and empty cartons discarded by other people. In 1993, on K2, he also found and carried down the light, clean bones and ragged⁸ clothing of Art Gilkey, an American climber swept away by an avalanche in 1953.

　　大多数登山者爬到山顶的时候，身上都少不了各种绳带的勒痕。罗杰·佩恩（Roger Payne）却非如此。虽然他在30年的登山生涯中初次登过中国的格罗夫纳山，哈萨克斯坦的汗腾格里峰和托木尔峰——但他登山时优先考虑的是轻装上阵，不留踪迹。他心目中的英雄大都是20世纪初期的登山家，有乔治·马洛里（George Mallory）、汤姆·隆斯塔夫（Tom Longstaff）、弗雷迪·查普曼（Freddie Chapman）等人，他们都是仅靠一身花呢上装和一双皮靴就征服了众多世界高峰的人。和他们一样，罗杰·佩恩也是以小队形式登山，而且常常是他与妻子（朱利安·克里玛（Julie-Ann Clyma），也是一名登山者）只身二人出征。他不带氧气装置，也不用固定绳，而且还会把登山路上看到的垃圾和废弃的登山用具从山上带下来：除了自己的废弃物，他还会捡拾别人扔掉的破帐篷和被遗弃的空箱子盒子什么的。在他1993年攀登乔戈里峰（K2）的时候，他还发现并带回了美国登山者阿特·吉尔凯（Art Gilkey）（于1953年，死于雪崩）的遗物，包括几块较轻且干净的尸骨和一些破旧的衣物。

　　He went lightly and purposefully, but with great care. The mountains he loved so passionately⁹ were fickle¹⁰, and demanded vigilance. Lithe¹¹ and smiling, proud of his “boot-shaped” and blister-proof feet, he moved on exposed rock faces with the grace of a dancer and the fearlessness of a boy. He did things right: tents were dug in with proper snow-walls, supplies stored in well-marked snow-holes, attempts quickly abandoned if tiredness or bad weather struck. He would never push his luck on mountains, though he himself was never tired, leaping up from a schnapps-heavy evening to pull on his head-torch for a 1am start, and in booming cockney (“Are you climbing, or what?”) encouraging laggards¹² onwards and upwards¹³.

　　虽然他轻装上阵，目标明确，但也十分小心谨慎。他钟爱那些天气变化莫测需要他打起十二分精神来攀登的山。靠着他引以为傲的“靴子形”长满老茧的脚，只见肢体轻盈，面带笑容的他像一名舞者在裸露的岩石上移来跳去，像个孩子一般无所畏惧。无论是用雪球把帐篷支架敲入地里，把给养裹在有明细标记的雪洞里，还是在身感疲惫或遭遇恶劣天气时的快速全身而退，他总是把事情做得干净利落。他体力超人，既可以一夜之间摆脱醉醺醺的状态投入到凌晨一点攀登中去，又可以鼓励士气，激励那些来自伦敦东区的懒汉继续前行（比如会质问他们：你是来登山的，还是干什么的？）。但即便如此，他也从不对爬山心存侥幸。

　　As he went, despite the stream of merry chatter¹⁴ about the relative merits of waterproof¹⁵ fabrics¹⁶, or the perfect pH of beer, he was on the watch. For snow that was fresh and powdery, or piled into a cornice; for slopes that were too steep; for debris¹⁷ of fallen rocks, or the mid-morning heat of the sun. All these were omens¹⁸ of avalanches¹⁹. He was expert on them, teaching climbers and students—especially in the Alps, where he lived later on—to recognise the warning signs, and developing a safety code that came to be used across Europe.

　　尽管他生前开过许多关于防水织物相对优点，啤酒最佳酸碱度的玩笑，但他走后还是守望着这些大山。雪呈现粉状并且看起来像是刚下不久的样子，或者呈堆积起的雪檐状；山坡极度陡峭；有坠落的岩石碎片或者上午10时光热强烈。以上几点都是雪崩的前兆。他是这方面的专家，并且生前教登山者和学生们，尤其是住在阿尔卑斯山（他后来居住的地方）附近的人们如何识别这些前兆，并且他们的理论已经写进了欧洲登山者的安全守则。

　　He knew avalanches at close quarters—at times, way too close. On Pumari Chhish in Pakistan in 1999 he and Julie-Ann had spent five nights trapped on an icefield, with avalanches breaking over their tent. On Nanda Devi East in 1994 they had to descend²⁰ an avalanche, and just made it; but he had taken the precaution of appeasing²¹ the mountain gods with a prayer-flag planted at the summit. Like the Romantic poets (like Byron's Childe Harold, which he would quote in reams, word-perfect, as he climbed), he believed that mountains were sublime²². He had a special love for the compactness of Sikkim, squeezed between Tibet and India, whose elegant, shining peaks he helped open again to mountaineering. A camera went with him always, strapped²³ tight against his sternum, to record for others the beauty he saw. But some of his favourite quotations²⁴ weighed up the beauty against the risk.

　　他曾经近距离经历过雪崩——并且有几次离雪崩太近。1999年，在一次他与妻子攀登普马里基仕峰（位于巴基斯坦境内）的过程中被雪崩埋住了帐篷，夫妻二人被困在一块冰原上度过了5个夜晚。1994年在攀登楠达德维峰的时候他们不得不从一处刚经历雪崩的地方下山，最后他们死里逃生。但之前他已经采取了预防措施，就是用一幅插在山顶的祈祷旗来抚慰山神。像浪漫主义诗人（比如，他常常在登山的时候大量诵读拜伦《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》中的句子，并且一字不差）一样，他也认为山是庄严的。他对挤在中印边境上的锡金邦的紧致情有独钟。在他的努力下，得以让此地优雅而又闪耀着光芒的山峰重新对登山者开放。登山的时候，他习惯把相机紧紧地绑在胸前，以便分享他眼前看到的美景。但他最喜欢引用的一些句子都对美景和其背后的风险做了权衡。

　　Diplomacy²⁵ at 7,000 metres[qh]

　　在海拔7000米的地方搞外交[qh]

　　Down at sea-level, he was a tireless organiser. Everything to do with mountains demanded his attention and his infectious energy. He didn't belong behind a desk, and at Sunderland Poly, where he took a teaching degree in 1983, he bunked²⁶ off lectures to go climbing. But if he had to protect and promote the peaks by doing paperwork, he would.[qh]

　　下山之后，他变身一个不知疲倦的组织者。他会用他那富有感染力的热情认真处理任何与山有关的事情。他不是那种坐办公室的料，虽然1983年他在桑德兰理工学院取得了教育学学位，但随后丢掉讲师之职去登山了。但如果必须通过写文书来保护并推广各大山峰，他还是会去写点什么的。[qh]

　　For 12 years he took charge at the British Mountaineering Council, swelling²⁷ both membership and revenues, arranging competitions and writing memos²⁸ late and long, until he would bolt from the Manchester office to scale the nearest crags. He brought mountaineering to schoolchildren (remembering how he had discovered it in the Scouts²⁹ in Hammersmith), and to the disabled. He also took his expertise³⁰ abroad, teaching young Iranians to climb and Sikkimese to become guides like himself; and he became a diplomat³¹ of the Greater Ranges, urging Indian and Pakistani climbers to forget their countries' long rivalry³² over the Siachen glacier³³.[qh]

　　他还主持了12年的英国登山协会，期间主要负责扩充会员，提高收入，安排赛事并写一些备忘录。该职一直持续到他忍不住从新投入到登山生涯中去。他还让小学生（要知道他是如何在汉默史密斯的童子军中接触到登山的）和残疾人有机会参与到登山运动中去。他还到国外传授专业登山知识，比如教伊朗的年轻人如何爬山，教锡金邦的人如果成为像他一样的向导；并且他还成了一名亚洲各大高山之间外交官，呼吁印巴登山者忘掉在锡阿琴冰川上的长期对峙。[qh]

　　The people of the mountains he remembered, too. On his ascent⁴ of K2 he took a pair of micro-hydroelectric systems to give non-smoky light and heat to two remote villages. This made the trip for him, though he never reached the top. He kept a watch on how climate change was affecting both the Himalayas and the Alps. But he never wanted to be part of any large and overstuffed expedition. Nor did he seek out the celebrity³⁴ peaks, or brag³⁵ about “conquering” the unsung 6,000-7,000-metre peaks he preferred.[qh]

　　此外，他还不忘山上的人们，也给他们带去了福祉。在他征服乔戈里峰（K2）的时候，他给两处偏远的村庄带去了一对微型水利发电系统，该系统可用于无烟照明和制热。虽然他从未到过乔戈里峰峰顶，但也没白跑一趟。他还留心观察气候变化对喜马拉雅山脉和阿尔卑斯山脉的影响。但他从未想过参与一次任何大型的装备精良的登山远征。他也不想涉足那些大众青睐的山峰，亦或是吹嘘自己征服了哪些六七千米的无名之山。[qh]

　　For that reason, he was not among the best-known mountaineers. The first many people had heard of him was when, in early July, an avalanche caused by a toppling ice-block swept him away, with eight others, on Mont Maudit, beside Mont Blanc. He was guiding two clients along a popular route; the way and the weather looked safe. He was travelling light, on what he liked to call “another day in the office”. As no one knew better than himself, there was no perfect safety in mountains. But he would not have been in any other place, for, in Byron's words, “Where rose the mountains, there to him were friends”.[qh]

　　正因如此，他并未进入最著名的登山者之列。人们初次听到他的名字或许是这样的：7月初，一场发生在穆迪峰上（位于勃朗峰附近）的一场雪崩夺去了他和另外8名同伴的生命。该雪崩由一块断裂的方冰引发。当时他正在引导两个客户沿一条众人常走的路线行进；无论是道路还是天气看起来都没有安全隐患。那天他轻装上阵，用他的话说就是“跟在办公室里穿得差不多”。但他最清楚在山区是没有绝对安全可谈的。但他不想离开大山去别的地方，用拜伦的一句诗来说就是“山之所起，友之所在”。[qh]

1 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 chafe   

v.擦伤；冲洗；惹怒

参考例句：

• The foaming waves chafe against the rocky shore.汹涌的波涛猛烈地冲击着礁岸。
• A stiff collar may chafe your neck.硬的衣领会擦伤你的脖子。

4 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

5 ascents   

n.上升( ascent的名词复数 )；（身份、地位等的）提高；上坡路；攀登

参考例句：

• The cart was very heavy, and in addition, there were many ascents. 这辆车实在难拉，而且又很重，还得上许多坡。 来自互联网
• Balloon ascents overcome this hazard with ease. 升空的气球能轻而易举地克服这一困难。 来自互联网

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 tattered   

adj.破旧的，衣衫破的

参考例句：

• Her tattered clothes in no way detracted from her beauty.她的破衣烂衫丝毫没有影响她的美貌。
• Their tattered clothing and broken furniture indicated their poverty.他们褴褛的衣服和破烂的家具显出他们的贫穷。

8 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

9 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

10 fickle   

adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的

参考例句：

• Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
• The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

11 lithe   

adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的

参考例句：

• His lithe athlete's body had been his pride through most of the fifty - six years.他那轻巧自如的运动员体格，五十六年来几乎一直使他感到自豪。
• His walk was lithe and graceful.他走路轻盈而优雅。

12 laggards   

n.落后者( laggard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I would say the best students at Chengdu are no laggards. 依我看成都最优秀的学生绝不逊色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The laggards include utilities and telecommunications, up about % and 12% respectively, to MSCI. 据摩根士丹利资本国际的数据，涨幅居后的包括公用事业和电信类股，分别涨了约%和12%。 来自互联网

13 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

14 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

15 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

16 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

17 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

18 omens   

n.前兆，预兆( omen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The omens for the game are still not propitious. 这场比赛仍不被看好。 来自辞典例句
• Such omens betide no good. 这种征兆预示情况不妙。 来自辞典例句

19 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句

20 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

21 appeasing   

安抚，抚慰( appease的现在分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• Mr. Chamberlain had cherished the hope of appeasing and reforming him and leading him to grace. 张伯伦先生则满心想安抚他，感化他，教他温文知礼。
• A pleasing preacher is too often an appeasing preacher. 一昧讨好的传道人通常是姑息妥协的传道人。

22 sublime   

adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的

参考例句：

• We should take some time to enjoy the sublime beauty of nature.我们应该花些时间去欣赏大自然的壮丽景象。
• Olympic games play as an important arena to exhibit the sublime idea.奥运会，就是展示此崇高理念的重要舞台。

23 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

26 bunked   

v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的过去式和过去分词 )；空话，废话

参考例句：

• He bunked with a friend for the night. 他和一个朋友同睡一张床过夜。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We bunked in an old barn. 我们将就着睡在旧谷仓里。 来自辞典例句

27 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

28 memos   

n.备忘录( memo的名词复数 )；（美）内部通知

参考例句：

• Big shots get their dander up and memos start flying. 大人物们怒火中烧，备忘录四下乱飞。 来自辞典例句
• There was a pile of mail, memos and telephone messages on his desk. 他的办公桌上堆满着信件、备忘录和电话通知。 来自辞典例句

29 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

30 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

31 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

32 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

33 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

34 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

35 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。