Month: August 2023

ACTUAL DETAILS WILL HAVE TO WAIT TILL AFTER WINTER, BUT WHAT WE WANTED WAS A SHELTER THAT WOULD COVER 3 CLIMBERS, THAT WEIGHED UNDER 300g, COULD COPE WITH HIMALAYAN STORMS, WAS VISIBLE FROM 5km AWAY, THAT RIGS EASILY AND IS IDIOT-PROOF TO HANDLE, AND COULD BE USED AS A SNOW HAMMOCK BOTH AS ITSELF AND AS INTEGRATED AS THE SHELTER. WE MADE MONEY NO OBJECT, WANTED AS FEW MOVING PARTS AS POSSIBLE, THAT SHARPIES COULD BE USED ON IT, INSISTED ON SOME NEW MATERIALS WE HAVE ARRANGED, AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF MINUTEA WE WEREN’T OPEN TO NEGOTIATE ON.

AND F%#K DID THEY DELIVER.

AS ALWAYS, NONE OF THIS MEANS ANYTHING WITHOUT REAL WORLD USE AND GOING THROUGH THE GRINDER OF RAW EXPERIENCE. ALPINISM HAS DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS AND DIFFERS BETWEEN HOW IT READS ON PAPER AND HOW IT PLAYS OUT, AND THOUGH WE MAY NOT BE SURE WHAT IT’S DEFINED BY, WE KNOW WHAT IT ISN’T.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE COOKING & MELTING A LOT OF NOISE IS MADE ABOUT THE STOVE, WHICH THOUGH IMPERATIVE IS ONLY HALF THE SYSTEM. THE BEST STOVE UNDER WRONG POT WILL STILL SEE UNBURNED GAS WASTING AWAY, AND A SYSTEM BURNING INEFFICENTLY WITH YOUR PRECIOUS FUEL.

ABSENCE OF TRADITION WE SEE AS THE BEST WAY FORWARD IN ALPINE CLIMBING, BY SHRUGGING OFF INDUSTRIES AND COMMENTATORS THAT ARE ALL TOO WILLING TO DO THE THINKING FOR YOU. WE THINK THE GREAT TRADITION OF CLIMBING HAS ACTUALLY BEEN THE TRADITION TO CAST OFF THE TRADITIONS OF BEFORE, AND THAT THAT TAKES LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE INNOVATION TO PLAY OUT.

DUE TO THE TRADE WAR BETWEEN THE US AND CHINA, AMONG OTHER THINGS THEY HAVE ADDED CHINA TO THE BLACKLIST THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE USUAL SUSPECTS LIKE IRAN, NORTH KOREA AND CUBA AND STRANGELY, INDIA (BUT INTERESTINGLY NOT RUSSIA….). THIS MEANS IF YOUR BEACON OR ALERT DEVICE USES IRIDIUM IT WON’T WORK WHICH IS A MAJOR PLANNING ELEMENT IN ANY TRIP. THOUGH FULL SAT PHONES HAVE BEEN OUTLAWED IN CHINA FOR DECADES, PINGING AND ALERT SYSTEMS HAVE GOT BY IN A SORT OF GREY AREA.

WE PRESENT WHAT WE ALWAYS HAVE, WHICH IS TO PUSH INTO THE FUTURE COMBINING THE BEST OF THE WHAT’S GONE BEFORE AND WHAT’S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. WE SEE EXPEDITION CLIMBING AS A LIVING, BREATHING THING WITH IT’S BEST DAYS AHEAD OF US, AND THE PROBLEMS OF THE INDUSTRY BEING THE SIGNS IT’S TIME TO SHAKE SHIT UP AND LEAVE IT BEHIND.