OUR TRIPS IN MEDIA
CLIMBING AND MEDIA HAVE LONG BEEN SYNONYMOUS, ALL THE WAY BACK TO YOUNGHUSBAND, SHIPTON AND THE DUKE OF ABRUZZI WHERE REPORTS FUELED SPONSORSHIP, PUBLIC CURISOITY AND POLITICS. TODAY IS NO DIFFERENT, THOUGH OF COURSE THE SCALE IS EXPONENTIALLY LARGER, WITH THE FOOTPRINT OF AN EXPEDITION IN MEDIA GOING FAR BEYOND THE CLIMBING WORLD. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE ONLY PEOPLE INTERESTED IN INDEPENDENT TEAMS GOING TO OBSCURE PLACES WAS A SMALL CIRCLE WHO UNDERSTOOD THE IMPLICATIONS, BUT NOW ENTIRE ENTERPRISES EXIST THAT RUSH TO PICK THROUGH THE NOISE FOR THEIR OWN AGENDA, AND NAVIGATING THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO COVER.
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OUR POSITION
OUR TRIPS ARE REALLY YOUR TRIPS, WHICH MEANS HOW THE WORLD SEES THEM VIA THE MEDIA THEY USE REPRESENTS YOU, US, AND EVERYONE INVOLVED. YEARS OF SEEING HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING DISTORTED AND CORRUPTED BY COMMERCIAL INTERESTS AND STATISTICIANS MAKES US VERY WARY OF HOW THINGS GET PRESENTED IN MEDIA, VERY RARELY BENEFITTING CLIMBERS OR THE PLACES WHERE THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
LIKE THE TRIPS THEMSELVES, WE PAY INFINITE DETAIL TO THE WAY THESE THINGS GET REPORTED, KNOWING THE UPTAKE OF A RAVENOUS MEDIA CAN SKEW THINGS IN UNFORSEEABLE WAYS. OVERLOOKED DETAILS CAN BE AMPLIFIED WHILST THE STUFF THAT REALLY MATTERS GETS IGNORED, AND THE NAME-ASSOCIATION THAT COMES WITH CLIMBING CAN SEND THINGS DOWN WORM HOLES OF ASSUMPTION THAT DETRACT FROM THE BUSINESS OF CLIMBING AS PEOPLE TRY TO PIGGY-BACK ON OTHER PEOPLES EXPERIENCES AS THEIR OWN.
WE DON’T COMMENT SPECIFICALLY ON OUR TRIPS, MEANING WE DON’T MENTION NAMES, SPECIFIC LOCATIONS, OBJECTIVES OR LOGISTICAL DATA, AND IN MANY CASE DON’T MENTION TRIPS AT ALL. CLIMBERS HAVE ALL SORTS OF REASONS FOR HOW THEY DO AND DON’T WANT THEIR EFFORTS PORTRAYED IN MEDIA, JUST AS WE HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY TO NOT USE OUR CLIMBERS AS CLICK BAIT.
WHERE OUR TRIPS DO GET OUR EXPOSURE IS AS PART OF A LARGE BODY OF EXPERIENCE, THAT LETS US WRITE AND ADVOCATE GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT METHODS, EQUIPMENT AND PLACES. WITHOUT DISCLOSING ANYONES PERSONAL OR PREFERRED DETAILS WE ENHANCE THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE SO OTHERS CAN MAKE THEIR OWN IDEAS, BASED OFF REAL-WORLD EXPEDITIONS THAT DON’T COMPROMISE ANYONES OWN INFORMATION.
OCCASIONALLY WE ARE ASKED TO VERIFY, JUSTIFY OR EXPLAIN THINGS THAT OUR TRIPS GIVE RISE TO, AND ALWAYS DO IT WITH THE ATTENTION OF THE CLIMBERS INVOLVED, BUT IT ALWAYS HELPS WHEN A SOLID, RESPECTED AND CLEAR ARTICLE EXISTS TO BEGIN WITH.
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SUGGESTIONS FOR PRESENTING YOUR TRIP IN MEDIA
THERE IS NO CLIMBING ‘COMMUNITY’, THIS BEING A TERM HIJACKED BY A NON-CLIMBING SECTOR THAT SELLS AND CONSUMES CLIMBING-RELATED CONTENT AS A SPECTATOR SPORT. THERE IS HOWEVER A COMMUNITY OF CLIMBERS – PEOPLE WHO DO WHAT THE OTHERS ARE WATCHING – AND IT IS TO THIS SCENE WE PRESENT OUR REPORTS.
BE CLEAR
STATE THE OBJECTIVE, THE LOCATION AND THE MEANS. IF CERTAIN DETAILS ARE BEING WITHHELD THEN ACKNOWLEDGE THIS WITHOUT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY. REAL CLIMBERS WILL UNDERSTAND. CONSIDER YOUR AUDIENCE INFORMED BECAUSE ANYONE READING IN THE OBSCURE CORNERS WHERE THESE REPORTS WILL BE PUBLISHED WON’T BE THERE BY MISTAKE, AND TELL THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THIS STUFF MATTERS.
GOOD CLIMBING WRITING IS NECESSARILY GOOD WRITING IN ANY GENERAL TERM, SO AVOID THE CLICHES AND HYPERBOLE THAT GET IN THE WAY OF ACTUAL INFORMATION. THE TALE OF THE EXPEDITION IS NOT THE SAME AS THE REPORT, SO KEEP THE TWO DISTINCT IN BOTH STYLE AND PLATFORM.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN REPORTS MUST BE DRY AND ONLY FACTUAL, BUT IT DOES MEAN LIMITING YOUR OWN INTRUSION INTO THE NARRATIVE. IF YOU PLAN TO WRITE GONZO-STYLE THEN BE CLEAR THAT’S WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND THAT AN OBJECTIVE EVENT STILL EXISTS. NEVER PRESENT A DEEPLY PERSONALIZED ACCOUNT AS BEING THE ONLY VERSION OF EVENTS AS IT LEAVES A LOT OUT.
CLIMBERS REVEL AS MUCH IN THE STYLISTIC AND INNOVATIVE ELEMENTS OF A TRIP AS THEY DO THE BROADER DETAILS, SO PRESENT ANYTHING THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE EVOLUTION OF CLIMBING. IF THIS INVOLVES NEW IDEAS ABOUT STRATEGY OR RESOURCES THEN INCLUDE THEM FOR THE SAKE OF RESEARCH, BUT BE CLEAR WHEN SOMETHING IS THE PRODUCT OF SPONSORSHIP, GRANTS, A FILM DEAL OR A PROJECT.
WE ALSO THINK IT HELPS TO STATE WHEN A TRIP ISN’T THE PRODUCT OF ASSISTENCE, WHEN YOU’VE PAID THE WHOLE THING YOURSELF, TAKEN LONG HOLIDAY LEAVE AND THERE WON’T BE A FILM. HAVING SEEN FIRST HAND THE EXCESS AND FUZZY MERITS OF ADVANTAGED EXPEDITIONS WE THINK TRULY SELF-DETERMINED TRIPS ARE WORTH CELEBRATING.
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BE HONEST
DON’T LIE, MISREPRESENT OR TWIST DETAILS, AND GIVE THE FULL TRUTH.
THIS INCLUDES STATING WHO EVERY PERSON WAS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR TRIP AS PART OF THE TEAM, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM THE FINAL METERS OF CLIMBING COULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED. IN OUR CASE THIS IS EASY BECAUSE OUR CREWS ARE ONLY A FEW PEOPLE (AND HORSES OR CAMELS) WHO ARE PRESENT FOR MOST OF TRIP RIGHT UP TO THE GOOD STUFF AND THUS OBVIOUSLY INTEGRAL.
BE HONEST ABOUT THE WEATHER AND THE TIMING, ESPECIALLY WITH ‘WINTER’ ASCENTS, AND GIVE 4D DETAILS (LATITUDE, ALTITUDE, DATES AND STYLE) SO READERS KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE. ANY HALF-INFORMED CLIMBER WILL KNOW THAT AN UNSUPPORTED ALPINE ASCENT IN LATE NOVEMBER AT THE LATITUDE OF URUMQI IS NOT THE SAME AS WHAT GOES ON AT ISLAND PEAK, BUT THIS IS A MATTER FOR HONEST DATA NOT TRYING TO REWORD THE MEANING OF ‘WINTER’.
BECAUSE OUR TRIPS OPERATE OUTSIDE THE INDUSTRIAL NORMS YOU HAVE NO NEED TO PLAY TO THE PEDANTIC DETAILS THAT CAN OBSCURE STUFF IN THE PUBLIC EYE. WHERE THE MAINSTREAM WRINGS THEIR SOFT HANDS OVER THINGS LIKE HAMMERING PITONS, AIDING, ON-SIGHTING AND SHORT FIXING, IN THE REAL WORLD OF FIRST ASCENTS THESE THINGS TRANSLATE TO ADAPTABILITY, RESOURCEFULNESS AND COMMITTMENT. IF YOU SINK A BOLT, OWN IT. IF YOU LEAVE A ROPE BEHIND, OWN IT. IF YOU STOP 10m SHORT OF THE SUMMIT, DECLARE IT. THESE THINGS ARE NOT PERFECT BUT THEY ARE REAL AND PART OF THE HUMILITY OF ALPINISM.
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BE COOL
IF YOU’VE BEEN TO A REMOTE PLACE TO TRY AN OBSCURE OBJECTIVE IN GOOD STYLE, ie ANY OF OUR TRIPS, THEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT IS ON THE EDGES OF AN ALREADY COMMITTED SCENE. THIS IS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED, NOT DISMISSED WITH DOWNPLAYING OR CONDESCENTION, AS IT IS PART OF THE LEADING EDGE THAT KEEPS CLIMBING FROM SINKING TO THE LEVEL OF CRASS COMMERCIALISM.
OUR SORTS OF TRIPS ARE LIFETIME WORKS SO YOUR CHARACTER OVER YEARS MATTERS, AND THE CLIMBER WHO HAS HUMOR, INSIGHTFULNESS AND EMPATHY WILL FIND THESE THINGS OPEN DOORS. UNLIKE THE ARROGANCE AND EGO OFTEN ASSOCIATED – RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY – WITH INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING, THE SMALL ALPINISTS SCENE IS DEFINED LIKE A CLUB WHERE PEOPLE COMMUNICATE HUMAN TO HUMAN.
THIS MEANS TAKING THE TIME TO ENGAGE AND SEEING YOUR EFFORTS IN PERSPECTIVE, AND PROJECTING YOUR IDEAS FORWARD NOT INTO YOUR OWN PLANS TO PROFIT. SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAN, LISTEN TO THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE, AND ‘PAY IT FORWARD’ TO THE NEXT GENERATION WHO ARE COMING UP FROM BEHIND YOU.
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BE DISCERNING
NO ONE CLIMBS A BIG MOUNTAIN IN A VACUUM AND EVEN THE MOST SOLO OF ASCENTS STILL INVOLVE SOME LEVEL OF LOGISTICS AS PART OF THE RESULT. LOGISTICS LIKE WE RUN ARE BASED ON EQUATIONS, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, PROPRIETARY INFORMATION, INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THAT HAS TAKEN DECADES TO ACCRUE, THAT WAS OURS BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP AND REMAINS OURS AFTER.
THIS MEANS BEING AWARE OF WHAT YOU PRESENT AS YOURS, AND WHAT IS THE PROCESSES OF OUR LOGISTICS, AND THAT A TRIP REPORT IS NOT THE PLACE TO DIVULGE PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION. BY ALL MEANS DESCRIBE WHAT MAKES A TRIP HAPPEN, BUT REFRAIN FROM DETAILING THE MACHINATIONS THAT OUT OF CONTEXT CAN BE MISCONSTRUED. IN A SMALL WAY THIS IS US PROTECTING OUR HARD WON WORK, BUT MOSTLY THIS IS PREVENTING MISHAPS WHERE OTHERS MAY USE OUR METHODS WITHOUT FULL UNDERSTANDING OR CONTEXT, WITH POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR DUBIOUS RESULTS.
BEING ON TOP OF THIS IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF REFERRING TO US. WE UNDERSTAND THAT MONTHS ON EXPEDITION MAKES PEOPLE COME AWAY WITH A FEELING OF EXPERTISE, BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THE PART BELOW THE WATERLINE THAT WEEKS UP ON A GLACIER WON’T HAVE REVEALED, MUCH OF IT BUREAUCRATIC, PEDANTIC, ADMINISTRATIVE AND TOO BORING TO EVER MAKE IT INTO CONVERSATION.
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IN THE END, REPORTS IN MEDIA BECOME A SMALL PART OF CLIMBING HISTORY, THAT SHOULD BE WRITEN AS A DOCUMENT OF THE TIME, PLACE AND PEOPLE FOR THOSE IN THE FUTURE TO REFERENCE. CURRENTLY WE ARE SEEING THE ISSUES AROUND CLIMBING DOCUMENTATION FALL TO QUESTIONING AS THINGS LIKE RECORDS AND TRUE SUMMITS ARE BEING TORN APART BY A VOCIFEROUS INSTA-PUBLIC WITH A TASTE FOR THE BLOOD OF CONTROVERSY, AND IT IS OVER-SHADOWING WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO CLIMBERS WHICH IS THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPORT.
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS CAN DO ITS BIT TO EVOLVE PAST THIS PHASE OF WHITENOISE BY RUNNING HIGH-INTEGRITY TRIPS, IN CONCERT WITH OUR TEAMSTERS PRESENTING THEIR OWN QUALITY INFORMATION.