ALPINISM IS JUST CLIMBING
PUTTING ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER, PUSHING AGAINST GRAVITY, TOOLS IN HANDS AND A ROPE TO SOMEONE ELSE DOING THE SAME THING IS MANY THINGS, BUT BEYOND ALL ELSE IT IS JUST CLIMBING. ADDING STUFF ONLY REDUCES WHAT CLIMBING IS, SHIFTING IT TO BE WHAT THE RESOURCES CAN DO NOT THE CLIMBER, AND ALL THAT MAKES CLIMBING SYNONYMOUS WITH ALPINISM IS to GO UP STUFF WITH NO MORE THAN WHAT’S FUNDAMENTALLY NEEDED.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS DOES NO MORE THAN WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS SITE, WHICH IS CLIMB MOUNTAINS WITH NO MORE THAN WHAT A CLIMBER REQUIRES. AS A PRODUCT WE HAVE FEW INGREDIENTS, THERE IS NOTHING PHOTOSHOPPED OUT OR REMOVED FOR THE PICTURES, WE DON’T SUBSTITUTE THE CLIMBERS EFFORT WITH THINGS LIKE GUIDES, PORTERS OR CAMP STAFF, AND AS A COMPANY WE ARE WHAT YOU SEE, HANDLING ENQUIRIES IN AMONGST THE CLIMBING AND THE SAME PEOPLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AS MUCH AS WE CAN SELL THIS AS ‘RETRO’, ‘PROTO’, ‘RETURN TO’, ‘OLD SKOOL’, ‘STRAIGHT EDGE’ OR ‘RAW DOG’ WE ARE NOT – WE SIMPLY DO ALPINISM AT ITS MOST STRAIGHTFORWARD, WHICH IS TO GO CLIMB COOL STUFF IN AMAZING PLACES WITH AS LITTLE BULLSHIT AS POSSIBLE.
ALPINISM EXISTED AS AN ATTITUDE BEFORE IT WAS A STYLE, AND HAS ALWAYS A BLEND OF HEDONISM, IRREVERENCE, IDEALISM AND AUDACITY. IT’S NOT A HARDLINE REPOSITORY OF OF GRAFT AND GRIT, BUT A BRANCH OF LIBERTINISM, ENLIGHTENMENT THINKING, HUMANISM, ANTIESTABLISHMENTARIANISM AND MODERNISM, AS CAPTURED BY ALEISTER CROWLEY AND THE DUKE OF ABRUZZI. THIS WEIRDO OUTCAST ATTITUDE WE EMBRACE EMPHATICALLY, BECAUSE TO BE AUTHENTIC WE HAVE TO, TO KEEP THE SIMPLICITY IN AN ERA EASILY DISTRACTED BY GIMMICKRY AND SPECTACLE.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN STRAIGHT ALPINISM IS NOT SOPHISTICATED, AND THE FURTHER YOU GET FROM BURYING YOUR ‘ETHICS’ UNDER THINGS LIKE INDUSTRY, CELEBRITY AND MARKETING THE MORE SOPHISTICATED YOU NEED TO BE. WE HAVE ZERO BUBBLE OR BUFFER BETWEEN US, OUR TEAMS AND THE PLACES WE CLIMB IN, WHICH DEMANDS A HIGH LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT WHEN ALL THIS TAKES PLACE ACROSS A REGION THE SIZE OF EUROPE, 7 LOCAL LANGUAGES, 8611m OF ALTITUDE AND THE LARGEST EXPANSE OF UNEXPLORED HIGH ALTITUDE TERRAIN ON EARTH.
THE ONLY SUBSTANTIATION WE THINK IS NECESSARY IS ‘WHY NOT?’, SOMETHING WE SEE VERY OFTEN UNANSWERED, WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE QUESTION OF WHY DO THINGS IN SUCH A SEEMINGLY STRICT AND UNCOMPROMISING WAY. SURE WE COULD GET OXYGEN TO THE NORTH SIDE OF K2, PORTERS UP THE GLACIERS, AND HAVE CONTINGENCIES OF STAFF – AND WE GET ASKED ALL THE TIME – BUT WE DON’T FOR THE SIMPLE REASON OF ‘WHY NOT?’. WHY NOT DO IT THE SIMPLEST WAY?
WE ARE YOU. WE ARE WORKING CLIMBERS FOR WORKING PEOPLE WHO WANT THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL AND UNIQUE. WE ARE THE CHOICE OF MANY WHO CAME OUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE 8000m INDUSTRIAL CIRCUS, WHO WANT TO SEE IF THEY ARE REAL CLIMBERS ONCE ALL THE ACCOUTREMENTS OF AN INDUSTRY ARE STRIPPED AWAY. WE FOLLOW THE UNALTERABLE PROCESS THAT ‘REAL CLIMBING’ MEANS NEW TERRAIN CLIMBED UNDER THE CLIMBERS OWN STEAM, AND TO REALLY BE THE REAL DEAL INCLUDES THINGS LIKE NAVIGATION, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND ROUTE FINDING BEFORE THE CLIMBING EVER STARTS. WE HOLD NO SEPARATION FROM THE LOCAL CULTURES, COME AS TRAVELLERS NOT TOURISTS, AND HAVE THE ALPINE ETHIC ALL THE WAY FROM ARRIVALS, OF MOVING LIGHTLY, WITH MINIMAL IMPACT AND MEETING EVERYTHING ON FAIR TERMS.
IN THE END, WHAT YOU GET IS YOUR TRIP, NOT OURS. WE SIMPLY MAKE YOUR IDEAS AND DECISIONS HAPPEN AND YOU GET TO CALL IT ALL YOUR OWN. THERE ARE NO NAMES LEFT OUT OF TRIP REPORTS, NO FACELESS LOCALS AND NO GUIDES TO THANK IN THE SMALL PRINT. WHATEVER WE DO IS THE RESULT OF TEAMWORK OF A VERY SPECIALIZED AND SINGULAR TEAM.
OUR TRIPS ARE REAL EXPEDITIONS, TO PLACES WITH NO OPTION OTHER THAN THE REAL WAY. THESE ARE NOT HOLIDAYS, AND WILL NEVER APPEAL TO INFLUENCERS, TOURISTS OR ANYONE WANTING SOMETHING THAT FITS INTO FIFTEEN SECONDS AND 250 CHARACTERS. THERE WON’T BE WIFI TO VLOG YOUR UPDATES AND THE RECORDS, FIRSTS AND PERFORMANCE METRICS WON’T IMPRESS ANYONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH SERIOUS CLIMBING, BUT THESE TRIPS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES IN THE CONTEXT OF ALPINISM AND THE EXPLORATION OF PLACES DEEMED ‘CLOSED’ TO THE NORMAL OBSERVER.
“WE DO ALPINISM” IS AN OBVIOUS SPIN OFF MOTORHEADS FAMOUS PHRASE, THAT WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET, AND WHAT YOU GET IS AUTHENTIC. PUNDITS AND ARMCHAIR COMMENTATORS MIGHT SPLIT HAIRS AND CALL ALL THIS BY PLETHORA OF SUB CATEGORIES, DEFINITIONS AND NUANCE, BUT WHAT WE CALL ALPINISM IS WHAT ANY CLIMBER IN ANY ERA GOING BACK 150 YEARS WOULD RECOGNIZE AS THAT, THAT THIS IS SIMPLY WHAT IS MEANT BY CLIMBING, NEEDING NO OTHER NAME.