DANGEROUS IDEAS IN ALPINISM

IN THE LEAD UP TO OUR RETURN TO K2 IN 2024 WE ARE UPDATING THE ENTIRE FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS SITE, INCLUDING A WINNOWING AND REVITALIZING OF ARTICLES WE HAVE HAD UP FOR YEARS. WE ARE RECASTING THEM AS DANGEROUS IDEAS, NOT JUST FOR THE SEMANTIC STUNT, BUT BECAUSE EVERY SEASON AS 8000m CLIMBING DEVOLVES ELSEWHERE WHAT WE THINK AND DO SEEMS EVER MORE RADICAL.

WE DON’T THINK OUR IDEAS ARE DANGEROUS TO ANYTHING BUT AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS BECOME TOXIC, WHERE NEW GENERATIONS HAVE FAILED TO TREAT BOTH MOUNTAINS AND THE SPORT BETTER. WHILST THEY DUMP MORE TRASH, PAY LOWER WAGES, PAY MORE CORRUPT OFFICIALS AND CATER TO MORE EGOS WITH LESS ACCOUNTABILITY, WE FIND MORE AND MORE SOLUTIONS THAT MOST OTHERS IGNORE.

AS AN INDUSTRY FOR THE AFFLUENT WE THINK SOLUTIONS SHOULD BE EASIER TO COME BY – IF A BUNCH OF CLIMBERS LIKE US CAN THEN SURELY SO CAN THEY. WE THINK THE REASON IS DUE TO LAZY THINKING AND AN ACCEPTANCE OF STALLED VISION, AND THAT THINGS NEED TO BE ‘PUNKED’ INTO MOTION BY PROVOKING NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE.

SO THERE YOU GO, TRAWL THROUGH THE DANGEROUS IDEAS DROP DOWN IN THE MENU. SOME STUFF HAS BEEN REWRITTEN, OTHER STUFF JUST REFRAMED.