Category: CRITICAL THINKING
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WHY WE STOPPED USING THE FIRE MAPLE BLADE 2 STOVE
… WE LOVED THE FIRE MAPLE BLADE 2 STOVE. A DECADE AGO WE PICKED ONE UP IN CHENGDU AS A SECOND STOVE AND QUICKLY REALIZED IT WAS BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THE TIME. POWERFUL, LIGHT, ROBUST, EASY TO RIG – IT WAS THE HOLY GRAIL OF ALPINE STOVES FOR A LONG TIME. THEN IT
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HERDING THE CATS EXPEDITIONS. OUR TEAMS
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T HEAR ABOUT OUR TRIPS, THEY SCROLL PAST THE WEIRD NAME AND BRIGHT GRAPHICS, DISMISS OUR CONTROVERSIAL DESTINATIONS, DON'T SEE WHAT THE GEAR DOES AND AREN'T SEARCHING THE JOURNALS OR FLYING OVER GOOGLE EARTH LOOKING IN THE FRINGES. THE CLIMBING MEDIA DON'T COVER WHAT WE DO SO IF THAT'S A SOURCE OF INFORMATION…
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YOUR EXPEDITION. MAKING GOOD IDEAS HAPPEN
THE WAY TO APPROACH FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS IS WITH CLEAR IDEAS ABOUT WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN YOU WANT TO CLIMB AS THESE ARE THE BASE ELEMENTS THAT WE NEED TO SET WHEELS INTO MOTION. YOUR IDEAS CAN BE AS EMBRYONIC AS '6500m, FIRST ASCENT, SHORT APPROACH, LATE SUMMER, FOR 20 DAYS' AND WE WILL…
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SO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS. PART 2
THE RADAR CHART ABOVE SHOWS THE VECTORS WE IDENTIFY AS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE JOB, THOUGH OF COURSE NO ONE FITS THIS EXACTLY. OUR POINT IS, JUST BEING A CLIMBER OR GUIDE IS NOT ENOUGH - IN SOME PLACES THERE'S ONE ON EVERY CORNER - THIS IS THE WORK OF ARRANGING AND EXECUTING EXPEDITIONS, TO PLACES…
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FIRST ASCENT EXPEDITION TO THE K2 MASSIF
… THIS EXPEDITION IS HAPPENING. WE HAVE THE FIRST PERMITS ISSUED FOR FIRST ASCENTS IN THE K2 MASSIF THIS CENTURY, DATES ARE SET AND THE UNIQUE LOGISTICS COMING INTO PLACE. NO ONE HAS ENTERED THE NORTH KARAKORAM TO CLIMB IN NEARLY A DECADE AND NO ONE HAS BEEN UP THE NORTH K2 GLACIER TO CLIMB
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HIGH ALTITUDE STOVES & HEAT EXCHANGERS
WHETHER YOU DO WHAT WE DO IS NO ONES JUDGMENT BUT YOUR OWN, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE USE ON TRIPS TO PLACES LIKE TIBET AND THE KUNLUN IN WINTER. TO PARAPHRASE HUNTER S THOMPON "WE HATE TO ADVOCATE MODIFICATION, DO-IT-YOURSELF PARTS, CUTTING BITS OFF AND REASSEMBLING STOVES IN WEIRD WAYS TO ANYBODY - BUT…
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EXPEDITIONS AMONGST NOMADS
WE TAKE A VERY CLEAR STANCE IN ENGAGING WITH NOMADIC PEOPLE, FULLY AWARE WHAT WE CALL WILDERNESS THEY CALL HOME AND WE ARE STANDING IN THEIR YARD. HOW THIS FITS INTO THEIR CULTURES IS EVER CHANGING AND COMPLICATED, AND VARIES MASSIVELY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT TRIBES. BETWEEN THE SUPER-TRIBES LIKE THE KHAMPA TIBETANS AND THE PAMIRI…
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WHITE LIMBO FORTY YEARS LATER. GEAR ANALYSIS
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ LINCOLN HALL'S WHITE LIMBO THEN YOU SHOULD. YES, IN A RARE CASE THE FILM IS SOMEWHERE ON PAR WITH THE BOOK, BUT WHAT IT LACKS IS THE APPENDICES THAT IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT EXPEDITION CLIMBING THAN EVERYTHING ELSE WRITTEN IN THE LAST DECADE COMBINED. YOU…
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SO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS?
WE ARE ALWAYS ON THE LOOK OUT FOR GOOD PEOPLE BUT DON'T EXPECT TO FIND THEM IN THE USUAL PLACES, MAKING IT MORE EFFECTIVE FOR YOU TO FIND US THAN FOR US TO FIND YOU. IF YOU HAVE THE ATTRIBUTES LISTED BELOW - OR ARE CLOSE TO GETTING THEM - THEN THE BEST DAMNED GIG…
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GAINING MY EDGE
LIKE THE SONG IT SATIRIZES, THIS IS ABOUT AVOIDING MEDIOCRITY AND STAGNATION IN THE FACE OF EMERGING NEW IDEAS. THIS HAS TO BE WORKED AT. THIS IS ABOUT STRINGING TOGETHER ALL THE INNOVATIONS AND RADICALISMS OF BEFORE AND LOOKING AT THEM IN FRESH WAYS AND REAPRAISING THE BLINDSPOTS, ACCEPTED IGNORANCES, CLICHES AND STEREOTYPES, AND AS…
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