No 12977, Thursday 02 Jul 2020, Dr. X

Solution to 15D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS
1   Unchangeable like an epitaph might be? (6,2,5) CARVED IN STONE Defintion by example
8   Characters in pretty rollicking Austrian province (5) TYROL [T]
9   Roared with lewdness, enthralled by bit of draught beer perhaps (9) BLUSTERED {LUST} in {Dr...t+BEER}*
11 Crazy man’s concept — destroying nature primarily for progress (10) LOCOMOTION {LOCO}{M}{nOTION}
12 Recurrent insect bite (4) TANG<=
14 Recited by popular model in front of ace director (7) INTONED {IN}{T}{ONE}{D}
16 Introspective protégé reflecting in bar (7)  INDRAWN {IN{WARD<=}N}
17 Team finds new use for valueless rocks in an ore (7) GANGUES {GANG}{USE*}
19 Rise animatedly to welcome veteran fighter (7) SOLDIER {S{OLD}IER*}
21 Drag and batter husband for a little misadventure (4) HAUL (-m+h)HAUL
22 Sterner time perhaps, needing pension essentially? (10) RETIREMENT {sTERNER+TIME}* &lit
25 Coerce journalists to prevent from speaking about nationalist (5-4) PRESS-GANG {PRESS}{GA{N}G}
26 People from Basra perhaps? (5) ARABS* (Correction Semi&lit also)
27 Punish scoundrel about including article spreading panic (3,3,7) TAR AND FEATHER {RAT<=}{AND}{FEATHER} Had to google this one. Feather for spreading panic is a little difficult to get. (Correction - {RAT<=}{AND}{FEA{THE}R} - Thanks to Dr. X)

DOWN
2   A bowl filled with most delicious fruit (7) APRICOT {A}{P{RICh}OT}

3   Very old, bright and spacious (10) VOLUMINOUS {V}{O}{LUMINOUS}
4   United, bound by commitment for first time (5) DEBUT {DEB{U}T}
5   Overanxious people in new union, overwhelmed by carnal desires finally (9) NEUROTICS {N}{E{U}ROTIC}{d...eS}
6   Revolting drunkard consuming first of tequila shots (4) TOTS {S{Te...a}OT<=}
7   Vain narc erroneously lets slip cocaine and ecstasy (7) NIRVANA {VAIN+NARc}*
8   Tolerating many inside society shindig discussing business matters (7, 4) TALKING SHOP {TA{L}KING}{S}{HOP}
10 Declines to break one’s word on reflection in meetings (11) DEGENERATES {D{RENEGE<=}ATES}
13 One contaminating drug in hard-core rave (10) ADULTERANT {ADULT}{E}{RANT}
15 Insult son wearing appalling women’s clothes! Revolting (9) D?S?E?A?D (Addendum - {DI{S}RE}{DRAG<=} - See comments))
18 Confused man, one tackling universal entities in Kantian philosophy (7) NOUMENA {MAN+ONE}* over {U}
20 Repeat point briefly to judge (7) ITERATE {ITEm}{RATE}
23 Fire associate wasting money (5) INGLE mINGLE
24 Afghanistan, Singapore, India are primarily part of this? (4) ASIA Acrostic&lit

Reference List
Man = M, Model = T, Director = D, Husband = H, Nationalist = N, Very = V, Old = O, United = U, New = N, Union = U, Cocaine = C, Many = L, Society = S, Drug = E, Son = S, Universal = U, Money = M

Dr RKE's TalePiece

There is a statue of Michel Paccard, CARVED IN STONE at Chamonix, a popular skiing resort in the Northern Alps. He was an 18th century physician from Sardinia.  His claim to a place in history was the conquest of Mont Blanc in 1786. He had the experience of climbing the smaller peaks in TYROL, but Mont Blanc, that enticing white beauty proved too much of a challenge on his DEBUT attempt in 1783. His attempt to SOLDIER on in DISREGARD of personal safety was foiled by the icy winds that BLUSTERED across the steep slope.  A lesser man would have gone into RETIREMENT after such a setback but not this doctor. He teamed with Jacques Balmat, who had the experience of hunting for precious crystals in the mountains (but often found only GANGUES). They would sit by the INGLE in an inn in Chamonix, TALKING SHOP while planning their route for each of the ITERATions of their ascents. They PRESS GANGed some ARABS, to HAUL up the VOLUMINOUS scientific equipment for part of the way, but they had to make the final ascent of about 8000 feet on their own.

Their LOCOMOTION was hampered by the lack of ropes and ice axes that have made it simple for modern climbers. Fuelled solely by enthusiasm and by the TANG of the APRICOTs from Central ASIA, they slogged on. Reaching the top on 8th August was like attaining the NIRVANA for the doctor. He INTONED a short prayer atop the peak, carried out his barometric experiments and made it back safely.

The postscript to this magnificent feat is a reflection on the DEGENERATE character of human nature. Paccard married Balmat’s sister and became part of the family. Nevertheless, Balmat collected the reward for the first to climb Mont Blanc all by himself. Balmat also wrote an autobiography, cornering all the glory to himself and downplayed the pivotal role of Paccard. A lesser man than Paccard would have become NEUROTIC or INDRAWN on facing such a blatant travesty of truth, but the quiet man of science chose not to react to his brother-in-law’s boastful claims. He only said “Man is small, Mountains are big. Mont Blanc knows the truth”.