There 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 puri

There 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.