EXPEDITION SANITY

REALITY IS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T HANDLE EXPEDITIONS

PARAPHRASED FROM GRAFFITI IN A UNIVERSITY TOILET CUBICAL, CIRCA EARLY 1990s

SANITY IS OVERRATED, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT SHOULDN’T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. NOT ALL ASPECTS OF A PSYCHE RETOOLED BY EXPEDITION CLIMBING ARE HEALTHY, AND MENTAL STATE NEEDS TO BE OBSERVED TO REMAIN PROPORTIONATE AND SYMMETRICAL WITH OFTEN DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTS. THE OLD POP PSYCHOLOGISTS AFFIRMATION THAT YOU ARE NOT CRAZY IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT BE IS MEANINGLESS IN ALPINISM, WHERE YOU HAVE ALREADY OVERSTEPPED SO MANY RED FLAGS OF WHAT NORMAL SANITY ALLOWS.

NORMAL PEOPLE DON’T GO ON PROLONGED EXPEDITIONS TO HIGH ALTITUDE. MOST OF OUR TEAMSTERS ARE DYNAMIC, INTUITIVE AND POSITIVE CHARACTERS WHO SEE BEYOND MUNDANE EXPERIENCE, AND THE ENVIRONMENTS WE GO INTO CHALLENGE THE PSYCHE, ENGAGING QUALITIES THAT ARE ALLOWED TO RISE. PUT TOGETHER A TEAM OF THESE CHARACTER TYPES AND THINGS GET INTERESTING FAST, MOST OF THE TIME IN POSITIVE WAYS BUT SOME OCCASIONAL THINGS NEED TO BE WORKED THROUGH.

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IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT WE ARE NOT PSYCHOANALYSTS, BUT OVER TIME WE HAVE DEALT WITH ENOUGH MELTING DOWN CLIMBERS TO SEE SOME COMMON ELEMENTS. IN OUR OPINION THESE THINGS ARE ALL NORMAL ON A TRIP AS FAR AS ‘NORMAL’ CAN BE APPLIED, AND LIKE ALL FORMS OF PREPARATION CAN BE ANTICIPATED AS PART OF A CLIMBERS OVERALL CAPACITY.

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STRESS

EXPEDITIONS ARE NOT HOLIDAYS, AND THE WORK LOAD AND CHANGABLE EVENTS CAN ASK A LOT OF THE MIND, WHICH THEN ASKS A LOT OF THE BODY, THEN THE TEAM. ‘STRESS’ LEFT UNDEFINED AND UNADDRESSED BECOMES CAUSTIC, NEEDING TO BE DECONSTRUCTED AND REFITTED SO IT DOESN’T MUTATE INTO A WHOLE GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

THERE’S GOOD STRESS AND BAD STRESS, BUT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM DOESN’T KNOW THIS, AND A MURKY MIX OF THE TWO CAN BECOME SOMETHING HARD TO FILTER. A DEGREE OF MENTAL CHECKLISTING HELPS TO LOCATE STRESSORS THAT MAY BE SHORTCIRCUITING, AND THAT CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY ADDRESSED RATHER THAN HAVING TO PULL THE WHOLE MECHAINISM APART.

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ISOLATION

SOMEWHERE LIKE THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORAM SITS ONLY BEHIND THE DEEP SEA, DEEP MINES, THE POLES AND OUTER SPACE AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES – OR SO IT SEEMS TO A MIND WORRYING ABOUT HOW FAR FROM CIVILIZATION THEY ARE. IT’S EASY TO FORGET THESE PLACES ARE ACTUALLY PART OF HISTORY, ON OLD TRADE ROUTES AND PASTURES FOR HERDERS, AND THOUGH NO ONE IS HERE NOW, OTHER TIMES NOMADS PASS THROUGH.

MUCH ISOLATION COMES FROM FEELING ISOLATED BECAUSE YOU DON’T CONNECT TO THE LOCAL CULTURE, WHICH COULD WELL BE JUST A FEW VALLEYS OVER. YES YOU ARE A SINGLE EGO, ADRIFT IN A SEEMING SEA OF DISCONNECTION, BUT THAT MAY NOT BE THE REALITY BEYOND YOUR OWN HEAD.

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FEAR

FEAR IS WHAT KEEPS CLIMBERS ALIVE, THE KEY IS TO KEEP IT WITHIN A HEALTHY BANDWIDTH AND NOT LET IT START TO REDLINE. WHEN IT DOES IT OVERWHELMS OTHER FACULTIES, INCLUDING SELF-DEFEATING ONES LIKE EATING AND COMMUNICATING. FEAR IS SO BASIC IT CONTROLS EVEN BREATHING AND BLINKING, THINGS THAT ARE 99% OF THE TIME AUTONOMIC, AND ENOUGH IF IT SHAKES LOOSE THE REALITY A CLIMBER INHABITS, GOVERNED BY AN ORCHESTRA OF HORMONES AND SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS RESPONSE.

FEAR THOUGH IS HALF OF CLIMBING, SO NEEDS MITIGATION AND RECOVERY TRICKS TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE. ‘FEARLESS’ CLIMBERS DON’T LACK THE MECHANISMS, THEY JUST DEAL WITH THEM WELL TO STAY AWAY FROM THE CRITICAL EDGE. TRUSTING YOUR METHODS AND DEVELOPING THEM IS WHAT MATTERS, FINDING WAYS TO REROUTE THE MIND SO THAT FEAR IS FOLLOWED SEAMLESSLY BY THE ANTIDOTE. KNOWING THIS PROCESS IS IN PLACE ALLOWS YOU TO PROJECT FORWARD RATHER THAN DROWN IN SEEMING PANIC, SO YOU CAN STRING TOGETHER WHAT YOU WILL DO.

KNOWING YOU CAN DECOMPRESS AFTER LETS YOU GO KNOWINGLY INTO FEAR, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE INTENTIONAL OR IT EVAPORATES WHEN THE SCARY STUFF HITS. YOU NEED SOMEWHERE TO LAND JUST LIKE A PILOT DOES, OTHERWISE YOUR FEAR BECOMES FOUNDED AND THE INITIATIVE IS LOST.

THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH FEAR THAT CAN BE BUILT INTO A TRIP, SO IT SHOULD BE MAPPED OUT JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER ELEMENTS. KNOWING WHERE THINGS LOOK FRIGHTENING HELPS SO YOU CAN BUILD THE ANTIDOTES IN, TO INOCULATE BEFORE YOU GET THERE THEN BRIDGE THE TIMES WHEN THEY ARISE.

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FATIGUE

MAYBE IN BASEBALL FATIGUE MAKES COWARDS OF PEOPLE, BUT IN ALPINISM IT CAN SEND CLIMBERS INTO BIZARRE MENTAL LOOPS WHERE THEY BLUR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER REALITY. THE ‘THIRD MAN’ SYNDROME IS A VERSION OF THIS, AS IS CONFUSING EXTERNAL VOICES FOR INTERNAL ONES, AS THE MIND SKIPS TRACKS AND GLITCHES BECAUSE IT IS SO FAR OUTSIDE NORMAL.

HASTON AND SCOTT FAMOUSLY HALLUCINATED THROUGH THEIR NIGHT AT 8700m FROM A MIX OF HYPOXIA AND EXHAUSTION, HALF LACK OF GLYCOGEN FOR BRAIN FUNCTION AND BLOOD OXYGEN TO REACT. THIS STUFF CAN BE SCARY, ESPECIALLY AMONG TEAMS SHARING MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, BUT CAN ALSO BE CURIOUS IF YOU LEARN TO STEP BACK FROM WHAT ARE EXPECTED EFFECTS OF SLEEP AND CALORIE DEFICIT.

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CYNICISM & NEGATIVITY

IF THESE PLACES AND THESE OBJECTIVES DON’T STIR YOU WITH THE WONDER AND DIVERSITY OF LIFE THEN YOU’VE FAILED. STOICISM IS ONE THING, AS IS A TOUCH OF JADEDNESS, BUT DISMISSING EVERYTHING AS NOT UP TO SOME VAGUE STANDARD IS A PROBLEM OF YOUR PERSPECTIVE NOT THE WORLDS.

OFTEN CYNICISM IS REALLY COWARDICE, SELF-SABOTAGING A CONTINUUM BECAUSE SOMEONE IS SCARED OF THE OUTCOME. IT’S A WAY TO BE PROVED ‘RIGHT’ IF THINGS DON’T WORK, GUARANTEEING THEY CAN’T. BUT CLIMBING IS NOT POLITICS, WHERE ACCOUNTABILITY CAN BE ESCAPED, INSTEAD THE OUTCOME OF A CLIMBING TRIP IS THE MEASURE OF YOU, AND LOSING TO CYNICISM IS NOT THE SAME AS LOSING TO BAD WEATHER, TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, OBJECTIVE DANGERS OR ORDEAL.

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SELFISHNESS

SELFISHNESS IS A MAIN INGREDIENT OF THE DISFUNCTIONAL CLIMBER, TO THE DEGREE THAT CLIMBING MAY BE A WAY TO LEGITIMIZE IT IN SOME. THE SELFISH CELEBRITY CLIMBER THAT VALUES THE ATTENTION MORE THAN THE CLIMBING IS THE ARCHETYPE, USING EXPEDITIONS TO CONSTRUCT A SELFISH CHARACTER THAT THEY USE TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD.

IT’S OK TO PUT YOURSELF AT THE CENTER OF THINGS, ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE SCALE OF PSYCHE THAT CAN REFLECT WHAT OTHERS ALSO NEED. LARGER THEN LIFE CHARACTERS THAT BUOY WHOLE TRIPS FORWARD DO THIS, BUT SOME CLIMBERS INSTEAD ARE BLACKHOLES THAT PROJECT NOTHING BEYOND EVENT HORIZONS FROM WHICH THERE’S ONLY ONE DIRECTION.

LIKE BLACKHOLES THIS TRAIT HAS MORE GRAVITY THAN IT CONTRIBUTES, DEMANDING ITS SHARE OF ATTENTION AND RESOURCES BUT REMOVING IT ALL FROM THE COLLECTIVE MOMENTUM. IDEAS AND INFORMATION ARE LOST AS THIS CHARACTER TYPE ACTS LIKE A HOLE RATHER THAN A SOURCE, DEMANDING EVER MORE OF OTHERS TO MAKE UP FOR THE GAPS.

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BOREDOM

IT’S NO SECRET THAT MOST EXPEDITION CLIMBERS DON’T FLOURISH UNDER BOREDOM, AND ALL TRIPS WILL HAVE PHASES WHEN THE BIGGEST OBJECTIVE IS TIME. BEING BORED DOESN’T MAKE YOU BORING, IT MAKES YOU DULL; AS IN DULLING THE KNIFE EDGE YOU WILL NEED LATER TO USE.

BOREDOM IS A HARD STONE TO LIFT AND OFTEN THE BEST STRATEGY IS TO NOT LIFT IT AT ALL, AND RETOOL YOUR BOREDOM INTO A TIME TO LET YOUR PSYCHE UNRAVEL. A LITTLE CRAZINESS, UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, IS A WAY TO RELEASE THE TENSION THAT BOREDOM FEEDS OFF. DISSOLVING YOUR THOUGHTS INTO ABSURD, SURREAL, TWISTED AND CREATIVE WAYS IS THE USUAL APPROACH, AND ONE THAT TEACHES HAVE USED ON SCHOOL KIDS TO DIVERT DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR.

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EXISTENTIALISM

CLIMBING BIG MOUNTAINS IMPOSES A CERTAIN DEGREE OF BIG THOUGHTS, AND TO THE RECEPTIVE MIND THIS CAN TRIGGER CRISES OF WHERE THEY FIT IN TO WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. SEVERAL TIMES WE HAVE SEEN CLIMBERS DISCIPLINE THEMSELVES BECAUSE THEIR BELIEFS ARE CONFRONTED OR FAILING, DUE TO THE SCALE OF LIFE, DEATH, CHANGE AND EMPTINESS THAT BIG MOUNTAINS CAN IMPOSE.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL SAY THIS IS THE POINT OF BIG ALPINISM, AMONG THOSE SAYING THIS SOME OF THE GREATEST CLIMBERS THERE WILL BE, OTHERS SEE THIS AS A TEST FOR IDEOLOGIES THEY ALREADY HAVE, AGAINST THE BIGGEST SCALE ENVIRONMENTS A HUMAN CAN STAND IN, WITH THE ESCAPE POD OF THEIR BELIEFS FOR IF THINGS GET TOO MUCH.

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SOCIAL COMPRESSION

THE STUFF OF 30 YEARS OF BAD TV, ISOLATING A SMALL GROUP OF ATYPICAL CHARACTERS IN A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT IS 101 BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE GUARANTEED TO GET AN INCIDENT. THE SAME PEOPLE, THE SAME EQUATIONS AND THE SAME PLACE EVERY DAY CAN LIMIT WHAT SORT OF INTERACTIONS YOU HAVE, AND THE CLIMBER WHO HAS AN UNSUSTAINABLE CHARACTER WILL HAVE IT TESTED.

CLIMBERS THAT FUNCTION BEST IN SMALL GROUPS FOR LONG PERIODS ARE THOSE WITH MULTIFACETED INTERESTS, DIVERSE IDEAS AND WIDE EXPERIENCES TO DRAW FROM. CONVERSELY THOSE WITH RESTRAINED AND SELF-LIMITED CHARACTERS FIND THEIR LIMITS OFTEN FAST, WHICH IN THE DIVERSE WORLD OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBERS CAN BECOME AS RESTRICTIVE AS A ONE STRINGED GUITAR.

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SOCIAL PRESSURE

THIS ISN’T THE SAME AS SOCIAL COMPRESSION AT ALL, AND IS ABOUT THE PRESSURE – REAL OR IMAGINED – USUALLY OF PEOPLE NOT PRESENT. PARTNERS SKEPTICAL OF THE VALUE OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING, SPONSORS EXPECTING LIKES AND VIEWERS EXPECTING RESULTS, ALMOST ALWAYS ENCROACH ON WHAT YOU’RE DOING THERE AT THE SHARP END.

THE MOST ANNOYING BUT HARMLESS EFFECT CAN BE ATTACHMENT TO SOCIAL MEDIA – WHAT A SURPRISE – WHERE LIVING IN THE SCROLL COMPETES WITH LIVING IN TIBET. THE WORST EFFECTS SEEM TO BE BALLOONING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, HAVING TO PROVE SOMETHING TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NO IDEA OF THE ACTUAL VALUES. PROOVING STUFF TO ‘ONES SELF’ IS ALSO A COMMON SOURCE OF TWISTED SANITY, WHERE ‘ONES SELF’ MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IS ACTUALLY SOMEONE ELSE WHOSE UNKNOWABLE VALIDATION IS BEING DREAMED UP. THIS IS A WEIRD MINDSET THAT CAN GET DANGEROUS, WITH IDEAS ABOUT FAILURE AND BEING ‘GOOD ENOUGH’.

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SUMMIT FEVER

NOTHING KILLS AND ENDANGERS MORE CLIMBERS THAN OBSESSION WITH SUMMITING, WITH IT MUST BEING SOME KIND OF UNDIAGNOSED SYNDROME JUDGING BY THE WAY IT TAKES OVER PERSONALITIES.

FOR MANY THE CONCEPT OF A SUMMIT BRINGS WITH IT ALL SORTS OF DELUSIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER, WITH SOME OF THESE DELUSIONS DISTORTING THEIR CONDUCT AND ASSESSMENTS. FEVER IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT WORD BECAUSE IT ENTAILS A FORM OF DELIRIUM, WHERE SHARED CONSENSUAL REALITY IS REPLACED BY A FANTASY ONE WHERE MEANING GETS TWISTED OUT OF PROPORTION.

HALF THE RISK WITH SUMMIT FEVER IS IT ENDS WITH THE SUMMIT….WHICH IS AN ALARMING REALITY TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVER HAD A BIG PUSH ON A PEAK. WHERE THE REAL EXPEDITION BEGINS IS GETTING YOURSELF BACK DOWN AGAIN – AND THE STATISTICS SOBERLY SHOW HOW THAT CAN GO – MAKING SUMMIT FEVER ANALOGOUS TO THE GAMBLER WHO HAS A BLINDSPOT OVER THE TIMES THEY DON’T WIN.

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CULTURE SHOCK

EXPEDITIONS SEVERELY DISRUPT EXPECTATIONS, AND IN THE AREAS WE GO THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL THINGS CAN BE AT TANGENT TO HOME. COMPOUND THIS WITH THE HOMOGENIZATION OF WESTERN CULTURE, WHERE IT’S EASY TO ASSUME LIFE AT HOME IS THE STANDARD, AND THE NORMS OF A VILLAGE IN TIBET CAN FEEL VERY DISTURBING.

CHINA, TIBET AND XINJIANG ARE NOT LIKE WHAT YOU SEE ON NETFLIX, AND UNLIKE A TOUR WE DON’T EXIST INSIDE A BUBBLE THAT SOFTENS THE BLOW. THE SEVERE DISJOINTING OF PERSONAL REALITY CAN TIP SOME CLIMBERS AS THEIR STEREOTYPES CRUMBLE, AND THEIR FACULTY FOR ACCEPTANCE NEEDS TO BE DUSTED OFF AND USED WELL. WE ALL LIKE TO THINK WE ARE CULTRUALY ADJUSTED AND OPEN MINDED, BUT TRIPS TO WHERE WE GO ARE GUARANTEED TO TEST THIS. THE BEST PREPARATION IS OF COURSE EXPOSURE AND READING.

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PERFORMANCE PRESSURE

A YEARS TRAINING AND THOUSANDS SPENT ON GOOD GEAR CAN DISTORT WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN OR SHOULD BE ACHIEVING. COMPOUND THIS WITH ALL THE DEVICES THAT NOW COLLECT AND BROADCAST PERFORMANCE DATA, AND SOME CLIMBERS BECOME ANDROIDS, SLAVES TO THEIR STATS.

IT’S EASY TO FORGET THAT THE NUMBERS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS BASED ON NORMAL PARAMETERS, AND NOT STRUNG OUT CLIMBERS ABOVE 6000m OUT IN THE REAL WORLD. EVEN THE MOST DETAILED ANALYSIS FOR CLIMBERS HAS MINIMAL DATA COLLECTED BEHIND IT, AND SO OFTEN IS ‘ANALYZED’ BY ‘AUTHORITIES’ THAT HAVE AGENDAS.

SINCE THE MESSNER/KUKUCZKA RACE ALMOST NO HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING HAS BEEN A COMPETITION BETWEEN ALPINISTS, AND SO THE STATS AND EXPECTATIONS ACHEIVE NOTHING OTHER THAN ATTENTION. THE PRESSURE FROM THIS CAN PRODUCE ALL SORTS OF TWISTED MINDSETS, RANGING FROM DEPRESSION TO NATIONALISM AND DEATHS ON THE MOUNTAIN.

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WE DO THOUGH THINK THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT ‘INSANITY’, OF THE SORT THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO CHANGE AND REINVENT PARTS OF THEMSELVES. OFTEN THE PROBLEMS MAY NOT BE THE EXPEDITION ITSELF, RATHER THE SELF THAT FIRST SHOWED UP AND IS EXPLODING TO CHANGE.THE SANE CLIMBER – IF THERE REALLY IS SUCH A THING – ACCEPTS THEY WILL GO THROUGH SOME ORDEAL OF CHANGES, AND THAT AT TIMES THEY WILL BORDER ON FLIPPING, AND THAT THAT’S ACCEPTABLE. LOOK AT THE SCENARIO AND EVERYTHING IS PRESENT TO PRESS EVERY BUTTON, AND KNOW THAT TO NOT FLIP A BIT UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS IS A MATTER OF TIMING AND ACTING.

EXPEDITIONS CAN BRING OUT THE BEST IN ONES CHARACTER BUT THAT OFTEN SITS BEYOND A PHASE OF REORGANIZATION OR ‘CHAPEL PERILOUS’ AS HERMAN HESS CALLED IT. THIS IS A NECESSARY PHASE WHERE THE BASIC CODE OF THE PSYCHE IS REWRITTEN, AND A BETTER CLIMBER EMERGES ON THE OTHERSIDE. THIS IS AN AGE OLD THING, COVERING THE INITIATIONS AND ORDEALS THAT HAVE ALWAYS MADE UP THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, AND THE POINTLESSNESS OF ALPINISM HINTS AT IT BEING A MODERN VERSION, DETACHED FROM THE SUPERSTITION AND RELIGIOUS STUFF THAT IT USUALLY WAS BEFORE.

WE ASSUME THE SAME RESOLUTIONS WORK NOW AS ALWAYS HAVE, FOR TURNING LONG AND STRESSFUL EXPERIENCES INTO ONES THAT ARE POSITIVE.

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VENT

WE LEARNED LONG AGO TO VENT. THE SANE CLIMBER LETS THE DIFFICULT STUFF ROLL THROUGH THEM, CONTROLLING WHAT THEY CAN OF THEIR PSYCHE AND LETTING THE UNCONTROLLABLE UNRAVEL IN WAYS THAT ARE SAFE AND EVEN FUN. THIS IS THE DARK HUMOR OF PARAMEDICS, THE LANGUAGE OF SAILORS, THE ANTICS OF JESTERS AND THE THINKING-OUT-LOUD OF THE RACONTEUR AND REVOLUTIONARY. LIKE CONTROLLED BUILDING EXPLOSIONS, THE TIMEBOMBS OF THE PSYCHE ARE ALLOWED TO GO OFF IN WAYS THAT DON’T RISK THE MAIN STRUCTURE, SO THEY DON’T BUILD IN PRESSURE BEYOND WHAT THE REST OF THE TEAM CAN ABSORB.

AND THE SANE TEAM GIVES THEM SPACE TO DO SO.

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EAT

SO MUCH OF FLAGGING SANITY IS NOTHING MORE THAN CALORIE DEFICIT, SO ASSESSING WHERE YOUR CALORIES ARE GOING SHOULD BE A FIRST STEP. IN EXTREME COLD YOU WILL BE BURNING A LOT OF KCALS EVEN WHEN SLEEPING, SOMETHING MANY OVERLOOK, AND IF YOU’RE GOING TO BED ALREADY WELL IN THE KCAL-HOLE THEN 10 HOURS IN A FROZEN TENT WON’T MAKE UP FOR MUCH.

WE COMMONLY SEE A SPIRAL OF TOO LITTLE FAT, ERRONEOUSLY SUPPLEMENTED WITH SUGAR AS A VAIN ATTEMPT TO MAKE UP FOR IT. THIS JUST TURNS BONKING CLIMBERS INTO STRUNG OUT SUGAR JUNKIES, FIXING NOTHING, AND MUTATING THE PROBLEM EXPONENTIALLY IN THE SAME WAY MORE WATER EXACERBATES HYPERNATREMIA.

ANNOYING, ONCE ABOVE ABOUT 5500m, THIS FAT ISSUE IS HARD TO FIX, MEANING YOU HAVE TO PREPARE FOR IT WELL IF YOU DON’T HAVE CATERED CAMPS TO RESORT BACK TO. CHINA MAKES THIS EASY DUE TO THE SCOPE OF FOOD AVAILABLE, BUT CAREFUL MEAL PLANNING IS NEEDED FOR ONCE YOU LEAVE THE PACK ANIMALS BEHIND.

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ENGAGE

SOME MENTAL ISSUES ARE SMOKE AND MIRRORS, THAT LIKE INFLUENCERS WHO ONLY EXIST IN A HEAVILY EDITED WORLD ON THEIR OWN TERRITORY, FALL APART WHEN ENGAGED. MOST MAGIC ONLY WORKS IF YOU ASSUME IT’S ILLUSION, AND WHEN YOU ACTUALLY DO MAGIC ITSELF IT’S INSTEAD EFFORT AND STRATEGY.

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DIVERT

UNHEALTHY MINDSETS, LIKE ALL THINGS, REQUIRE ENERGY, AND THAT ENERGY CAN BE DIVERTED TO OTHER THINGS. THIS MAY NOT RESOLVE THE DEEPER MATTER, BUT IT CAN BUY TIME AND SPACE, TO SIMPLY LET THE WORLD ROLL ON A FEW CLICKS TILL YOU ARE BETTER PLACED TO SORT IT.

BAD NIGHTS ARE A BIG DEAL, STUCK IN CAMPS WITH NO WAY OUT AS IT’S TOO COLD AND EXPOSED OUTSIDE. THE STRESS OF THESE TESTS ALL OF US, AND RATHER THAN LAY THERE STEWING IN LOOPING THOUGHTS, THE ENERGY CAN BE DIVERTED TO OTHER STUFF LIKE MELTING ICE, FIXING GEAR AND WORKING OUT COMPLEX PROBLEMS.

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DEFOCUS

STEP BACK FROM THE VIEW THROUGH YOUR LITTLE HEAD AND JOIN THE BIGGER WORLD THAT’S NOT STUCK IN THE MINUTEA OF ALPINISM. WE SPEND OUR DAYS AT THE MICRO LEVEL WHICH OBSESSES OVER GRAMS, METERS, SECONDS, TINY SOUNDS AND DETECTING SLIGHT CHANGES, WHICH WILL TURN ANYONE CRAZY

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TRICK

THE MIND IS MALEABLE AND CAN BE EASILY TRICKED INTO JUMPING INTO ANOTHER GROOVE JUST LIKE A DJ DOES. FIND A MENTAL STATE YOU’D RATHER BE IN AND JUMP INTO IT EVEN IF JUST FOR A FEW SECONDS, ENOUGH TO ‘GET OFF THE X’ AND LET A FEW CYCLES PASS BEFORE GOING BACK.

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LAUGH

MILLENIA OF DAOISTS HAVE KNOWN THIS. YOU ARE A SOFT LITTLE MONKEY THAT PUT ITSELF ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN WITH SILLY CLOTHES ON, AND IF THAT DOESN’T SEEM FUNNY THEN YOU NEED TO GET A SENSE OF HUMOR. THE ARDURE OF EXPEDITIONS, REFRAMED, IS A COMEDY OF ERRORS, THAT USUALLY JUST NEEDS SOMEONE ELSE TO LAUGH WITH AND IT ALL BECOMES HILARIOUS.

LAUGHTER IS OF COURSE INFECTIOUS, AND CARRIERS OF THE INFECTION MAKE GREAT MEMBERS OF ANY TEAM EVEN IF THAT IS THEIR SINGLE CONTRIBUTION. THANKFULLY IT SEEMS OTHERS CAN CATCH IT, THOUGH SOME NEED MORE EXPOSURE THAN OTHERS, SO IF YOU’RE ONE OF THEM START EXPOSING YOURSELF AND AVOID INOCULATING YOURSELF WITH SERIOUSNESS.

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OWN IT

STEP BACK, SEE THE SCREENPLAY YOU ARE ACTING OUT, AND LIKE A GOOD MANGA ARTIST OWN THE INCIDENT AND CALL IT AN UGLY SCENE. YES YOU HAVE BEEN SELFISH, EXHAUSTED AND BELLIGERENT – AS THAT SCENE DEMANDED AS PLOT DEVICE AFTERWHICH THE NARRATIVE MOVES ON. YOU WERE THE CLIMBER THAT LOST THEMSELVES OR ACTED LIKE A DICK, AND NOW YOU’RE THE CLIMBER WHO ISN’T AND THE EVENTS AFFECTED CAN BE ANTICS IN THE STORY FOR RETELLING.

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JUST CLIMB

SOMETIMES JUST GETTING ON THE VERTICAL IS THE SOLUTION, AFTER TOO MUCH TIME MIRING IN CAMPS AND ON APPROACHES, WHATEVER THE PROBLEMS THEY MAY JUST BE FLAT-WORLD ONES. SOME PEOPLE ARE BEST EXPERIENCED FROM THE OTHER END OF A LONG ROPE AND YOU MAY BE ONE OF THEM.

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THE OTHER SIDE

THE CLIMBER IN DEGRADED SANITY CAN BECOME DANGEROUS BOTH TO THEMSELVES AND THE TEAM, AND OWES IT TO EVERYONE TO MAKE THEMSELVES THE FIRST LINE OF ACTION. SEE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE BEGINNING TO COME UNDONE AT THE SEAMS, AND IT’S TIME TO TWEAK THINGS SO THEY DON’T SPIRAL BEYOND A POINT OF NO RETURN.

THE TEAM THAT GOES CRAZY TOGETHER, PLAYS TOGETHER, AND WE ALLOW OUR TEAMS TO FIND THEIR COLLECTIVE STATE OF SANE EQUILIBRIUM. WE SEE CLIMBERS TREAT THE UNNAMED MOUNTAINS OF TIBET AND XINJIANG AS A PLACE TO TRANSFORM AND TWEAK THEIR CHARACTERS, UNFETTERED BY INDUSTRY THAT CONTROLS ANY NARRATIVE. BY CIRCUMSTANCE THESE PERSONAL SHIFTS COME FROM FINDING AUTHENTIC PARTS OF THEMSELVES, IN PLACES WHERE FEW EXPECTATIONS EXIST TO REINFORCE OLD HABITS.

THE SANE CLIMBER COMES HOME BETTER FOR THE EXPEDITION NOT WORSE FOR IT, AND THOUGH THERE IS A PERIOD OF DECOMPRESSION AND READJUSTMENT THEY BRING GOOD THINGS BACK WITH THEM TO SHARE. THE BATTLE-SHOCKED, TRAUMATIZED ADVENTURER WITH THE EMPTY STARE IS NOT A SIGN OF TOUGHNESS IT IS A SIGN OF PERSONAL FAILURE, AND THE GREATEST CLIMBERS WHO WITHSTOOD THE GREATEST CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES WERE NOT WORDLESS STOICS, THEY WERE LUCID, CANDID AND ENGAGING OF AN ADVENTURE THAT TOOK PLACE ALL THE TIME.