CRITICAL THINKING

WE KNOW THERE ARE A ZILLION CLIMBING BOOKS OUT THERE, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT APPLY TO WHAT WE DO IN CHARACTER AND LOCATION IN BOTH TIME AND GEOGRAPHY. YOU WON’T FIND TOUCHING THE VOID, THE SAVAGE MOUNTAIN OR ANYTHING BY JON KRAKAUER, ANDY KIRKPATRICK OR HERZOG BECAUSE THEY LACK HALF OF WHAT OUR TRIPS ARE CONCERNED WITH, BUT YOU WILL FIND BOOKS THAT LINK THE HISTORY OF CLIMBING WRITING THROUGH MANY CULTURAL EPOCHS, AND BOOKS THAT INFORM ABOUT AN AREA OFTEN LEFT OUT OF POPULAR THINKING.

WE GET SOME STRANGE EMAILS – THE WEIRDER THE BETTER WE SAY – AND COUNT SEEING “ARE YOU SATANISTS?” IN THE SUBJECT BAR AS BEING RIGHT UP THERE, ALONG WITH EMAILS FROM THE BAND IRON MAIDEN AND THREATS OF LEGAL ACTION FROM AN INDUSTRY WHOSE BAD PRACTICES WE WON’T BE SILENT ON. NOW IT’S NOT UP TO US TO DIVULGE THE NATURE THE ENQUIRY (IT’S NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT), BUT IT RAISED THE RESPECTABLE QUESTION OF WHAT EXACTLY FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS BELIEVES AND ADVOCATES.

FOR US, AT ALTITUDE, PAIRED WITH A HYBRID BOOT THIS IS A BIG DEAL, WHERE TAKING 100g OFF EACH FOOT IS REAL MONEY. THE OLD MILITARY CLICHE THAT ‘A POUND ON YOUR FEET IS WORTH TEN ON YOUR BACK’ MAY OR MAY NOT BE REALISTIC, BUT IF EVEN HALF TRUE THE HARFANG TECHS HAVE THEIR PLACE AS THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIGH ALTITUDE CRAMPONS.

TO YOUNGER CLIMBERS THIS STUFF IS ARCHEOLOGY, RELICS AT BEST, RETRO BOOMER MORE OFTEN. AS IT SHOULD BE. WE OURSELVES KNEW THE ERA, FLOATING AROUND THE PAKISTANI KARAKORAM THE SAME TIME AS THIS, AND REMEMBER FULL WELL THIS EXACT SAME GEAR. OUR POINT IS THINGS HAVE MOVED ON, BUT THAT EVEN THEN HOUSE AND ANDERSON WERE WAY AHEAD OF THE NORMS, AND FEW OTHER ALPINISTS DID AS MUCH WITH SO LITTLE AS THESE TWO. YES IT’S RETRO AND FUNNY TO SEE NOW, BUT WHO AMONG TODAYS EMERGING ALPINISTS WOULD HAVE THE AUDACITY TO COMMIT TO THE RUPAL FACE WITH SUCH A TINY BAG OF BITS? (SOUND OF CRICKETS CHIRPING).

155 DAYS THAT INCLUDES 9 WEEKS IN REMOTE MOUNTAINS, 7 OF THEM AROUND 5000m, 2 WEEKS MID-WINTER IN THE MONGOLIAN GOBI DESERT, 65 NIGHTS IN TENTS AND BIVYS, 7 +5000m PURE ALPINE OBJECTIVES, 97 ESPRESSOS DRUNK, 4 PAIRS OF CRAMPONS WORN OUT, 4300kms DRIVEN, 22 HOTSPRINGS VISITED, 5 TOE NAILS FALLEN OUT AND 43 NEW ROUTES UP TO 7665m RECCED FOR THE FUTURE

IT WAS A GOOD SEASON.

A HIGHCAMPS ESSENCE IS TO BE LIVABLE AND ACTUALLY ON THE ROUTE. UNLIKE A TRADITIONAL CAMP ON A BIG ROUTE WHICH IS ONLY A PLACE TO STAY BETWEEN STAGES OF CLIMBING, A HIGHCAMP NEEDS TO BE SOMEWHERE YOU LIVE ONCE HAVING LEFT THE BASE. THIS MEANS SPACE TO HANG OUT, ACCESS TO BOTH WATER AND THE ROUTE, SHELTER FROM BAD CONDITIONS AND HIGH ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN ACCLIMATION. GOOD HIGHCAMPS MEAN NO RETURNING TO THE BASE, HAVING EVERYTHING NEEDED AS LONG AS THE CLIMB IS ON.

FROM AN EXPEDITION POINT OF VIEW ie MATCHING UP YOUR PLAN WITH YOUR ABILITY, NOTHING TICKS MORE BOXES THAN INTIMATELY KNOWING YOUR ASCENT RATE. NOTE THE WORD ‘INTIMATELY’. THIS MEANS KNOWING THE NUMBERS, DEVELOPING THE ABILITY, USING WHAT YOU KNOW AND EXTRAPOLATING IT ALL TO YOUR OBJECTIVES.

THE BULK OF OUR EXPEDITIONS HAPPEN DURING SOME DEFINITION OF WINTER, FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN IT IS WHAT WORKS. HAVING NO PART IN THE GREATER INDUSTRY THAT SERVES HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING, WE ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THE MASS ORGANIZATION OF RESOURCES THAT SET THE SEASONS JUST AS IT DOES FARMING AND WATER SLIDE PARKS. INDEED WE SEE A SIGN OF A FUTURISTIC POSITION AS ONE THAT STEPS AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL SEASONS, BREAKING THE HOLD THAT THEY HAVE ON THINGS LIKE MANUAL LABOR, SUPPLY & DEMAND AND LOGISTICS.

THE GOAL HERE IS NOT TO BE ‘STRONG’, WHATEVER THAT MEANS, BUT TO BE GOOD AT CLIMBING BY HAVING A CONDITION YOU CAN IMPOSE. WHEN STARING THROUGH THE BINOCULARS AT A ROUTE YOU MIGHT TRY, YOU SHOULD BE MATCHING UP WHAT YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO WITH WHAT YOU SEE THROUGH THE LENS. ANYTHING ELSE IS FANTASY.

UNTIL NOW THESE CHAMBERS WERE SOMEWHAT INVOLVED. THE STANDARD GAMMOW BAG WEIGHS ABOUT 8kg, PACKS TO ABOUT 40L AND NEEDS A LOT OF PUMPING. THEY ARE PORTABLE, BUT NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE, AND FEEL LIKE SOMETHING THAT HADN’T EVOLVED MUCH SINCE THE 1970s. THESE DAYS THEY CAN BE RARE TO SEE, AND PROBABLY DON’T EXIST WHERE SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN IS USED. WHERE PRESENT THEY SIT IN A BOX SOMEWHERE IN THE MESS TENT, AND THE IDEA OF TAKING ONE UP ON A ROUTE NEVER ARISES WHEN A BOTTLE OF O OR A SHOT OF DEX IS SO MUCH EASIER.