J. O. M. Roberts

Who was J. O. M. Roberts?

James Owen Merion Roberts MVO MBE MC was one of the greatest Himalayan mountaineer-explorers of the twentieth century, a highly decorated Army officer who achieved his greatest renown as "the father of trekking" in Nepal. His exploratory activities are comparable to those of Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman.

Born in England, Roberts spent his early life in India, where his father was a headmaster. He joined the British Indian Army in 1936 as a 19 year old subaltern to satisfy his ardent craving for mountaineering, and was posted to the 1st Gurkha Rifles.

His first major expedition was in 1938 to Masherbrum, 7890 metres, in the Karakorams: the weather was bad, the attempt was unsuccessful and J.B.Harrison and R.A.Hodgkin got severely frostbitten. Roberts himself suffered at high altitude and had mild frostbite.

He tried to join the post-monsoon 1939 Everest expedition led by Bill Tilman, but was informed the attempt had been called off. That year he recorded the first of his many first ascents, that of Guan Nelda, 6303 metres in the Spiti Himalaya. The ascent was remarkable for something which became a Roberts hallmark: he climbed without any other 'sahib' for company, accompanied only by his Gurkhas. In this he was the true successor of the legendary Dr. A. M. Kellas who had climbed in the same fashion in Sikkim before 1914.