 Ruttledge attempted to reach Nanda Devi three times in the 1930s and failed each time.In a letter to "The Times" he wrote that 'Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance', adding that gaining the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole.In 1933 permission was granted to the British by the authorities in Tibet for a further attempt on the mountain.