NEVER MIND THE ALPINISM, HERE’S OUR OWN REPLIES
FOLLOWING THE INITIAL ARTICLE WE GOT A SLEW OF QUERIES, INCLUDING BEING ASKED FOR FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS OWN REPLIES TO THE PROMPTS POSED TO MARK TWIGHT AND HENRY ROLLINS.
WHERE TWIGHT AND ROLLINS ARE PILLARS OF PUNK COMMUNITY, THIS IS A BIT DIFFERENT. FTRE NOT BEING AN INDIVIDUAL, THESE REPLIES REFLECT THIS, AS A COMPANY’S PERSPECTIVE, NO SINGLE PERSON’S. THE REPLIES HERE REPRESENT THE PUNK/ALPINISM ETHIC AND AESTHETIC WE VENTURE FORTH WITH IN AN INDUSTRY AND PROPRIETARY CONTEXT, AS INDEPENDENT PLAYERS IN AN INDUSTRY GEARED TOWARDS POPULAR CONSUMPTION. WE MAKE NO CLAIM TO ORIGINATING ANY ASPECT OF PUNK ALPINISM, ONLY TO BE KEEPING A TRADITION ALIVE FOR THOSE WHO WANT AN ALTERNATIVE.
IN FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS PERSPECTIVE, ‘PUNK ALPINISM’ IS JUST ALPINISM, AND WHAT WE DO IS IN AN UNBROKEN LINE THAT GOES BACK TO CLIMBING’S ORIGINS. LIKE PUNK ROCK, THIS STUFF NEVER WAS MEANT FOR THE MASSES, BEING A SUBCULTURE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL, THE PRAGMATIC AND THE INDIVIDUAL. CROWLEY UPSETTING VICTORIAN ENGLAND BY NOT DENYING ACCUSATIONS OF CANNIBALISM ON KANCHENJUNGA, SHIPTON BEING BOOTED OFF THE THE 1953 EVEREST EXPEDITION BECAUSE HE SAID THEY ONLY NEED A TEAM OF FOUR TO DO IT, KURTYKA SELLING CONTRABAND TO FUND TRIPS TO THE HIMALAYAS – THE PUNK ETHIC WAS ALIVE AND WELL LONG BEFORE THE NAME CAME ALONG, AND THESE EXPLOITS SURPASS ANYTHING MALCOLM MCLAREN EVER DID.
THIS IS PUNK ALPINISM AS WE EXPERIENCE IT, AS A SMALL COMPANY ON THE FRINGES.
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PUNK AS A VERB AND PUNK AS A NOUN, WHAT DOES PUNK WANT?
FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS AS A VERB, PUNK/ALPINISM WANTS TO KEEP A PLACE THAT IS UNCORRUPTED BY INDUSTRIAL EXPLOITATION. AS A NOUN, PUNK/ALPINISM WANTS TO BE DEFINED AS SEPARATE FROM THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR. AS A LIFE CHOICE IT WANTS THE BUZZ OF PROVOKING MEDIOCRITY.
THE ROLE OF ANARCHY IN PUNK
FTRE THE NATURAL STATE OF MUSIC AND CLIMBING IS ANARCHY. PUNK/ALPINISM IS SIMPLY VALUING THAT, BECAUSE ANARCHY – WHICH NEED NOT IMPLY CHAOS – MAKES ALL OPTIONS AVAILABLE. THE MEASURE OF A CLIMBER IS THE RULES THEY CHOOSE FOR THEMSELVES.
PUNK CULTURE. DOES IT TRANSFER?
FTRE NOT AUTHENTICALLY. YOU ARE PUNK/ALPINE-STYLE OR YOU ARE NOT. FOR ALL THE AUTHENTIC PUNK ALPINISM THAT’S COME BEFORE, WE THINK VERY LITTLE IS LEFT ALIVE IN CLIMBING, AND WHAT IS ISN’T SO BECAUSE IT TRANSFERRED FROM ANYWHERE ELSE, IT WAS THERE FROM THE START. DO-IT-YOURSELF ALPINISM IN PLACES YOU ARE TOLD TO BE SCARED OF IS INATE IF THAT’S WHO YOU ARE.
JUNKIES AND ATHLETES. WHY IS PUNK SO HARD ON THE BODY?
FTRE THE NEED FOR RAW EXPERIENCE IS A CHARACTER TYPE, AND PEOPLE BORN WITH IT WILL EXPRESS IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. AS A STRONG IMPULSE IT CAN OVERRIDE MORE SENSIBLE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL IMPULSES. THE DISSATISFACTION OF MODERATION CAN BE MORE DAMAGING THAN TAKING THINGS TO AN EXTREME. SOME PEOPLE ARE MADE FOR THIS STUFF.
WORK ETHIC. WHERE IS THE ENERGY SPENT?
FTRE IT’S ALL WORK, BUT IT’S GOOD WORK THAT’S WORTH EVERY CALORIE. THE ENERGY IS SPENT GOING FURTHER, INTO STRANGER PARTS OF THE WORLD AND PSYCHE. IT’S THE STUFF OF LIFE. ONE DAY THESE PLACES MIGHT NOT BE THERE AND FOR THOSE WHO WENT THAT ENERGY KEEPS EXPEDITION ALPINISM ALIVE.
COURAGE. WHAT DOES PUNK FEAR?
FTRE PUNK/ALPINISM FACES OFF AGAINST A LARGE AND ARROGANT INDUSTRY WHICH MEANS COURAGE IS CENTRAL TO IT. PUNK/ALPINISM FEARS THAT THE INDUSTRIAL MONOLITH, MEDIA AND POPULAR OPINION WILL DROWN OUT THE PUNK/ALPINISM MESSAGE, OR WORSE – CONTAIN IT AS NOVELTY. PUNK FEARS THE DAY WHEN EVERYONE JUST DOES WHAT THEY’RE TOLD TO.
ENVIRONMENT. WHAT IS PUNKS NICHE?
FTRE PUNK/ALPINISMS ENVIRONMENT IS THE STANDARD GUERILLA ONE OF THE FRINGES, THE BORDERS, THE DEVIENCIES, THE UNSANCTIONED AND ANYWHERE THE MAINSTREAM TELLS YOU NOT TO GO. THIS IS A GOOD THING BECAUSE THESE ENVIRONMENTS DON’T TOLERATE INUNDATION. WHEN THE CROWDS SHOW UP IT’S OVER.
MEDIA AND LITERACY. WHAT PLATFORM CARRIES PUNK BETTER?
FTRE MOST MEDIA IS HOSTILE TO PUNK/ALPINISM – WHEN IT’S DONE RIGHT. AUTHENTIC PUNK/ALPINISM IS AWKWARD, INCONCLUSIVE, SPOTTY AND OBLIQUE AND ANY ESTABLISHED MEDIA THAT CLAIMS TO CARRY THAT IS PROBABLY SERIOUSLY MOLDING THINGS TO FIT. THE VEHICLES FOR PUNK/ALPINISM HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THINGS LIKE ZINES, BLOGS, T-SHIRTS, PUBLIC TALKS AND SELF-PUBLISHING. LITERACY IS THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF PUNK/ALPINISM, BE IT MAPS, OTHER LANGUAGES, JOURNAL REPORTS AND THE CANON OF CLIMBING BOOKS. NOT READING THE LONG-FORM NARRATIVES OF CLIMBING IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE FUTURE OF ALPINISM. IT CAN’T BE CONVEYED IN 250 CHARACTERS.
RISK. WHAT DOES PUNK CONFRONT?
FTRE PUNK ALPINISM CONFRONTS CONSENSUS. EVERYBODY DOING SOMETHING MEANS IT’S BEEN ADAPTED FOR CONSUMPTION. CONSENSUAL OPINION CAN BECOME VICIOUS WHEN YOU CONFRONT IT.
AUDIENCE. WHO IS WATCHING AND HOW DO THEY AFFECT THINGS?
FTRE THERE ARE NO OBSERVERS, AND ANYTHING DONE WITH AN AUDIENCE MAKES IT A TWO WAY THING. THIS INCLUDES THE AUDIENCE OF THOSE WHO READ THE REPORTS, COLLATE THE JOURNALS, DESIGN AND CONTRIBUTE THE SUPPLIES, AND WHO RUN THE LOGISTICS. THE FINEST CLIMBING NEVER MAKES THE MEDIA, THERE IS NO ONE WATCHING, INTERESTED OR EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT. TRIPS LIKE THESE THE CLIMBERS ARE FREE TO DO WHAT THEY WANT.
WHAT KILLS PUNK?
NOTHING KILLS PUNK/ALPINISM. IT WAS ALWAYS THERE AND ALWAYS WILL BE, UNDER DIFFERENT NAMES AND IN THE SHADOWS, FINDING NEW NICHES. THE MAINSTREAM THINKING IT HAS KILLED PUNK OFF IS THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR IT.
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