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by some of the logic presented here, mountain climbers should climb naked to ensure the legitimacy of (wo)man vs mountain, anything else is cheating.
by keithnz 10y ago
by some of the logic presented here, mountain climbers should climb naked to ensure the legitimacy of (wo)man vs mountain, anything else is cheating.
- Jtsummers 10y agoFrom the article: If purists are to be consistent in their argument,” says Moller, “they should argue that one should not be allowed to go to the top of the mountain with one’s clothes on— alpinists’ clothes are incredible technologies in and of themselves—or have any kind of gear. That would be a truly pure ascent.” The purists sound like (from this article) they're a bit too sensitive to other adventure seekers methods. Guess what, tech exists, these aren't competitive events, people will use what they can to achieve their goals.
- bmj 10y agoThere are several flavors of "purists" in alpine climbing. Some are curmudgeons who draw lines in the sand about what is and is not acceptable. But other purists fit into the category of minimalists--how much can equipment be pared down, and how quickly can they move on the high peaks. In many ways, speed == safety. The faster you can move, the better chance you have of reaching a summit before bad weather moves in, or the faster you can react to bad weather and get the heck off the mountain. If you are relying on supplemental oxygen, that is a fair bit of extra equipment that often requires stocked camps.
- snowwrestler 10y agoYou are free to use whatever means you like, and I am free to adjust how impressed I am at what you do and how you do it. (And vice versa.)
- Fricken 10y agoThere's no cheating in climbing, the only taboo is lying. But if you want to be recognized, your ascent has to be more stylish than the guy who climbed the route before you. Climbing without oxygen is purer. Climbing in a single capsule style push rather than relying on fixed lines with sherpas ferrying loads from station to station is purer. Climbing solo is purer. On well traversed routes some climbers go for speed records. And if an individual were to climb a Himalayan peak buck naked, they would be recognized rightfully as a proper badass and an alpine god. Now that there are few unclimbed peaks of note left in the world, style is everything. You've got to up the ante somehow, just getting to the top isn't newsworthy.
- mmmBacon 10y agoI would argue that the purest form of climbing is to do it without regard to recognition.
- Fricken 10y agoAlpine expeditions are very expensive. Gotta keep that sponsorship money coming in if you want to do it full time, and you gotta do it full time if you want to push the limits.
- snowwrestler 10y agoAnd quite a lot of climbers would agree with you.