Month: September 2019

K2’S OVER-COMMERCIALIZATION AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT K2’S SOUTH SIDE IS NO LONGER THE REMOTE & EXISTENTIAL CLIMBING EXPERIENCE IT ONCE WAS. AS THE 8000m INDUSTRY AS DEVOURED ALL OTHER OF THE WORLDS 14 HIGHEST PEAKS, SO IT’S ARRIVED AT K2. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN K2 WAS SET APART FROM OTHER 8000m…
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FOR A START, WE DON’T BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE – WE LIVE WITH IT. IN A BUSINESS THAT COVERS ICE, GLACIERS, RIVERS, DESERTS & SEASONS AS A FUNDAMENTAL, BELIEF HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT WHEN THE EXPERIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS THE VERY MEDIUM WE ARE CLIMBING ON. ANY POLITICIAN OR DENIER WHO THINKS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX WE INVITE TO SPEND A WEEK WITH US.

MORE THAN ONE CLIMBER HAS CONFIRMED THE TRIP, SORTED THE TEAM, BOUGHT & PACKED THEIR GEAR, TRAINED, BOOKED FLIGHTS AND GOT THE STAMPS ONLY TO IMPLODE AS THE TRIP STARTS. SEVERAL TIMES WE’VE WATCHED AS WE STEP OFF IN A FOREIGN PLACE, LOADED UP AND FOCUSED, THEN PEOPLE WHO UNTIL THEN HAD SEEMED FINE CRUMBLE.…
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CONFIRMING THE TRIP IS OUR PART IN THIS. YOURS IS PREPARING YOURSELF. ONCE YOU’VE GOT THE DATES AND OBJECTIVE SQUARED AWAY YOU NEED TO GET YOURSELF READY TO LEAVE. THE KEY HERE IS TIME. 6 MONTHS OR A WEEK, THERE’S SEVERAL FACTORS NEEDED TO AVOID ARRIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND WITH PROBLEMS YOU COULD HAVE…
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AHHH GEAR. IF IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE GEAR K2 WOULD HAVE BEEN CLIMBED IN WINTER NOW AND THERE’D BE NOWHERE LEFT TO EXPLORE. PERHAPS THANKFULLY, THROWING MONEY AT GEAR AFFECTS EXPEDITIONS NOT HOW PEOPLE EXPECT, AS HISTORY SHOWS US WITH HARD STUFF BEING DONE IN THE CANVAS-AND-LEATHER ERA THATS NEVER BEEN REPEATED. THE RIGHT…
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IT’S ONE THING TO KNOW YOU WANT TO HEAD OFF ON A TRIP. IT’S ANOTHER TO DO IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. LARGE TEAMS OR SOLO, ‘THE TEAM’ WORKS AS BOTH A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS AND AS A UNIT ITSELF. WE’VE FOUND OVER THE YEARS IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IF A TEAM IS A BUNCH OF…
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EVERYONE ASSUMES MONEY WILL BE THE #1 ISSUE, BUT PUT IN ORDER IT’S ACTUALLY FAIRLY EASY TO WORK OUT. LIKE TIME, MONEY IS A PRODUCT OF LIFESTYLE CHOICES. THE BASIC PARADIGM HERE IS TO BRING COSTS DOWN AND VALUE UP, TO GET THE MOST FOR WHAT YOU PAY SO YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM YOUR…
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PEOPLE OFTEN THINK MONEY COMES NEXT, BUT RICH OR DIRT BAG, PROFESSIONAL CLIMBER OR DILETTANTE, THE THING THAT KILLS MOST TRIPS IS TIME.OR MORE, MAKING IT. THERE’S SEVERAL FACTORS HERE; MAKING THE TIME, THE TIME IT ACTUALLY TAKES AND HOW THE TIME IS USED. OBVIOUSLY THIS RELATES MORE THAN ANYTHING TO THE OBJECTIVE YOU’VE FLOATED,…
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BY FAR, FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS MOST COMMON CONVERSATION IS HOW TO GET A TRIP OFF THE GROUND?. PLENTY OF PEOPLE HAVE THE IDEA, BUT WE’D SAY ABOUT 1 IN 10 EVER GET THERE. GOING FROM ‘I REALLY WANT TO DO XYZ’ TO ACTUALLY DOING IT IS A PROCESS OF SEVERAL STEPS THAT’S NOT HARD…
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