Category: CRITICAL THINKING
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THE TRIPS YOU COULD BE DOING
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN CLIMBERS LOOKED AT MAPS AND OBSCURE PHOTOS, SAW SOMETHING THEY LIKED, THEN LINED UP AN EXPEDITION BEHIND IT. THE VERY UNKNOWNESS OF AN OBJECTIVE WAS REASON TO DO IT, THE URGE TO GO WHERE THERE WAS NOTHING DOCUMENTED, AND TRY AND DO SOMETHING NEW. FROM THIS NEW FORMS OF CLIMBING
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K2, KARAKORAM & TIBET PRICES NOW AVAILABLE
TRIP COSTS REFLECT THESE YEARS OF CHANGES, AND TO OUR ASTONISHMENT WORKED OUT EVEN LOWER THAN EXPECTED, BEING AMONG THE CHEAPER TRIPS TO K2 AND THE KARAKORAM THAT ARE INTERNATIONALLY LEAD
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FIRST ASCENTS & HOW TO CHOOSE
THE CIRCLE OF CLIMBERS WHO HAVE DONE FIRST ASCENTS IS SMALL, WITH THOSE WHO HAVE DONE THEM IN THE HIMALAYAS SMALLER STILL. MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INTO SPACE OR PASSED SAS SELECTION THAN HAVE DONE FIRST ASCENTS IN TIBET OR XINJIANG, MAKING IT THE LEADING EDGE OF A SPORT THAT WITHOUT IT IS LOST. THE
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NOT TRASHING THE MOUNTAINS
THIS LATEST SEASON WAS THE BUSIEST ON EVEREST AND ALSO THE FILTHIEST. MORE PEOPLE LEAD TO MORE STUFF BEING CARTED UP THERE, MORE PEOPLE SPENDING MORE ACCUMULATVE HOURS IN THE CAMPS, AND IN THE END EVEN THE SHERPAS WERE APALLED WITH WHAT THEY SAW. IMAGES OF CAMP 4 – NOT THE LOWER CAMPS, BUT THE
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KEEPING YOUR HEAD WHILST CLIMBING, LITERALLY
YOUR HEAD IS A DATA CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT AND AS SUCH NEEDS TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE WITH FUNCTIONAL STRATEGY. IT IS A FINELY TUNED MECHANISM FOR THE INPUT OF INFORMATION AND ENERGY, AS WELL AS A MECHANISM FOR COMMUNICATION, SO KEEPING IT FREE OF INTERFERENCE IS A PRIMARY GOAL. CLIMBERS REGULARLY CONSIDER SLEEPING SYSTEMS
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3000m CLIMBING FOR 8000m CLIMBING
THE PROOF IS PLAIN TO SEE – EXCELLENCE ON 8000m ALPINE ASCENTS IS MASSIVELY INFLUENCED BY VOLUME OF LOWER ALTITUDE CLIMBING, AND OF THAT ASCENTS TO AROUND 3000m TOP THE BILL. WE GET ASKED ALMOST DAILY WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE FOR BIG ASCENTS IN THE KARAKORAM AND TIBET, AND AS ALWAYS TIME
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SNACKS, MEALS, CALORIES & VARIETY ON INDEPENDENT EXPEDITIONS
LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THE FOOD ON OUR TRIPS IS DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU WILL FIND ELSEWHERE. CHINA IS CHINA, WHICH MEANS ANYTHING YOU COULD WANT TO EAT EXISTS. THERE’S NO INGENIOUS RECREATIONS OF FOREIGN MEALS, INSTEAD WE SIMPLY DRIVE TO COSTCO AND BUY WHAT WE WANT. COFFEE BEANS ARE ROASTED BY AUSTRALIANS IN CHENGDU, THE
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EXPEDITION ALPINISM DEFINED
OUR PREVIOUS ARTICLE/RANT TRIGGERED A BIT OF RESPONSE – SOME CONSTRUCTIVE, SOME NOT – WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE ASKING JUST WHAT THIS ‘EXPEDITION ALPINISM’ THING IS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION. WE SOMETIMES TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT EXPEDITION ALPINISM IS AN OBVIOUS THING, FORGETTING WE ARE IN A SORT OF ECHO CHAMBER WHERE OUR AUDIENCE
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LEADING FROM THE FRONT; EXPEDITION ALPINISM
WE’VE BEEN BOUYED RECENTLY BY REPORTS OF CHRISTOPHE PROFIT, ONE OF THE FINEST GUIDES IN THE EUROPEAN ALPS, GOING VIGILANTE AND REMOVING BELAY STAKES FROM A SERIOUS ROUTE ON MONT BLANC WITH THE EXPLICIT INTENTION OF CONFRONTING AUTHORITIES OVER WHAT ALPINISM IS TURNING INTO. AS A LIVING LEGEND, PROFIT HAS FACED OFF TO BOTH THE
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CHINA; WHAT’S IT LIKE?
OUR TOP FIVE ENQUIRIES ARE 1) HOW TO HANG A BLADE 2 STOVE (ASK US), 2) CAN WE GET DEALS ON SAMAYA TENTS (YES IF YOU’RE ON OUR TEAMS), 3) HOW MUCH TO GO TO K2 NORTH RIDGE (WATCH THIS SPACE), 4) WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SPELLING MISTAKES (WE ARE CLIMBERS WRITING FROM PHONES
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