THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE.

ALPINISM IS A MEDIA-DRIVEN THING, THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE INTERSECTION OF REPORTING, RECORDING, RESEARCHING, PUBLISHING, PHOTOGRAPHY, MAPS AND SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT HAS ALWAYS JUSTIFIED ITSELF IN THE STORIES AND DOCUMENTATION. THAT CLIMBING ITSELF IS A FORM OF MEDIA CONDUIT IS EXPRESSED ACROSS A SPECTRUM FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO ADVERTISE SPONSORS, TO STATISTICS AND RECORDS, TO SCIENTIFIC AND MEDICAL RESEARCH, AND PATRIOTISM AND POLITICS AS PEAKS ARE CLIMBED IN THE NAME OF COUNTRIES AND STATES.

HOW CLIMBING IS PRESENTED IS WHAT DETERMINES WHO SHOWS UP AND WHERE THEY GO, WITH DIFFERENT MEDIA PERSPECTIVES DICTATING THE IDEALS A CLIMBER AIMS TO FULFIL. SOME SEE ONLY NUMBERS AS THE NEW COMPETITION OF COLLECTING STATISTICS, SOME WILL BE LOOKING FOR HITS AND FOLLOWERS, OTHERS TO GET THEIR IMAGE IN MAGAZINES, SOME WILL BE LOOKING TO WRITE THE STORY AND OTHERS TO LOG THE DETAILS, NUMBERS AND RECORDS. THE LANGUAGE AN ASCENT IS RECORDED IN SETS IT INTO FURTHER CONTEXT BY TWEAKING THE PLACES IT IS PRESENTED, BY EXAMPLE SPEAKERS OF ONE LANGUAGE MUST READ TRANSLATIONS WHILST THOSE WHO ARE NATIVES CAN ATTEND THE TALK IN PERSON.

IT IS CLEAR THAT MEDIA CHANNELS HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING INTO DIFFERENT GROUPS, WHERE THE FORMAT DECIDES WHAT GETS ATTENTION. INSTAGRAM WORKS WELL FOR EVEREST AND K2 BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN THE POPULAR IMAGINATION, BUT AN OBSCURE 7000m PEAK IN CENTRAL ASIA EXCITES A WHOLE OTHER CROWD WHO LIKE SIFTING THROUGH GOOGLE EARTH AND JOURNALS. BOTH DEMAND A DIFFERENT USE OF TIME, MOTIVATION, RESOURCES AND REWARDS TO GET INTO MOTION, THAT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING DICTATES THE OUTCOME.

THE PHILOSOPHER MARSHALL MCLUHAN CONSIDERED MEDIA TO BE ‘THE EXTENSIONS OF MAN’, AND THAT MEDIA DRIVES HOW WE ACT AND SO “THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE”. THIS MEANS THAT THE FORMAT BY WHICH SOMETHING HAPPENS IS MORE RELEVANT THAN THE EVENT ITSELF. TRANSFERRED TO CLIMBING THIS MEANS THAT UNGUIDED ASCENTS WITHOUT FIXED ROPES AND OXYGEN DON’T NECESSARILY MEAN ALPINISM IF EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THEM SIMPLY FOLLOWS THE SAME FORMAT AS REGULAR TYPES OF TRIPS. THE ‘MESSAGE’ IN THIS CASE IS THAT THE SAME FORMAT PRODUCES VARIATION IN RESULT, NOT THAT MUCH NEW HAPPENS OTHER THAN THE FLAVOUR AND APPEARENCE OF THE PRODUCT.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NORMAL, AND WITHOUT STAUNCH OVERSIGHT THAT SEEMS OPPRESSIVE, THERE’S NO REAL WAY TO AVOID IT. THE ONLY OPTION IS TO CIRCUMVENT THE POTENTIAL BY GOING TO NEW PLACES WHERE NO INDUSTRY IS PRESENT. SO LONG AS CLIMBERS SIGN UP TO FOLLOW THE SAME OLD ROADS TO THE SAME OLD MOUNTAINS, THE SAME OLD RESULTS WILL ENTAIL, THAT MAY WELL SUSTAIN ALPINISM BUT CERTAINLY WON’T MOVE IT FORWARD. ANYWHERE POPULAR SOON SEES COMMERCIAL PARASITISM THAT ERODES ALPINE ETHICS FROM THE BASE UPWARDS, AS BUSINESS CLUSTER TO GET A PIECE OF THINGS AND PEOPLE STREAMLINE LOGISTICS.

ALPINISM AS A STYLE RELIES ON MINIMAL LOGISTICS, THAT SET THE STYLE IN PLACE WELL BEFORE REACHING ANY BASECAMP. YES YOU MAY CLIMB PITCHES WITHOUT OXYGEN AND CARRY YOUR OWN GEAR WHILE YOU DO IT, BUT IF YOU ARE CYCLING THROUGH A CAMP WITH A CAFE, MESS AREA, COMMS TENTS AND THE WHOLE THING SUPPLIED BY PORTERS ON CONSTANT ROTATION, THEN IT IS PSEUDO-ALPINISM THAT NEGATES THE LOGIC OF WHAT REAL ALPINISM IS.

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IT’S QUITE HARD TO DEFINE WHAT ‘TRUE’ ALPINISM IS, BUT IT’S QUITE EASY TO DEFINE WHAT IT IS NOT. ANY ASCENT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF IN-SITU SUPPORT WHETHER AT 7000m WHERE IT’S STEEP OR AT 5000M WHERE IT ISN’T, IS NOT THE SAME AS AN ASCENT WHERE THE TEAM DOES ALL THE WORK ITSELF FROM THE LAST ROAD.

ALPINISM IS NOT A CLIMBING STYLE SO MUCH AS IT IS STYLE OF SUSTAINMENT, AND THE TRIP THAT IS MORE SELF-SUSTAINED BEYOND CIVILIZATION IS THEREFORE MORE ‘ALPINE’. THIS EXTENDS TO NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL LOGISTICS BUT ALSO TO THE STRATEGY AND INFORMATION, SO THE MORE SELF-CONTAINED A TRIP IS THE MORE CLOSE IT COMES TO BEST STYLE. THIS MEANS MAKING DECISIONS AND OBSERVATIONS DIRECTLY WHICH COVERS NAVIGATION, WEATHER AND TIMELINE, WHICH MEANS PLACES WHERE THESE THINGS ARE NOT ALREADY DETERMINED BY SOME INDUSTRY FOR ITS OWN SAKE. JUST AS HAVING GUIDES AND PORTERS FIX THE ROUTE, COOK AND CARRY YOUR GEAR IS NOT ALPINISM, NOR IS HAVING THEM DECIDE WHERE YOU STAY AND PICK YOUR ROUTE EITHER.

LIKE IT OR NOT, CLIMBING IN A PLACE MEANS BEING PART OF ITS NARRATIVE, AND EVEN THE MOST PURE OF ALPINE ASCENTS IN THE KHUMBU AND BALTORO FEED OFF THE NARRATIVE THAT ALREADY EXISTS THERE. A TEAM MAY WELL CLIMB BY THE FAIREST MEANS POSSIBLE, BUT THEY HAVE HAD THEIR CHOICES LIMITED AND THEIR LOGISTICS RUN BY THE SAME OLD FACTORS THAT SEND NON-ALPINISTS UP FIXED LINES ON OXYGEN.

BOIL IT DOWN, AND THIS SCUTTLES THE NOTION OF REAL ALPINE ASCENTS IN MANY OF THE WELL KNOWN HIGH ALTITUDE REGIONS, WHERE OF THE 100 THINGS A CLIMBER MUST DO AND BE SKILLED AT, ALL OF THEM EXCEPT THE ACTUAL EXECUTION OF THE CLIMBING MOVES IS SET IN PLACE BY SOMEONE ELSE. THIS IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ON-SITE ROCK CLIMBING, WHICH IS FINE IN ITS OWN RIGHT, BUT CANNOT BE SUBSTITUTED FOR CLIMBING A NEW ROUTE.

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SERIOUS CLIMBERS KNOW ALL THIS AND IT GETS DEBATED IN ENDLESS CIRCLES, BUT VERY FEW STEP OUTSIDE THE NORMS TO DO ANYTHING CONSIDERED REAL ALPINE STYLE AT ALTITUDE. THIS DOESN’T DETRACT FROM ANY EFFORTS BUT IT SHINES A LIGHT OF HOW ALPINISM IS THOUGHT ABOUT, AND HOW THE SOLUTION TO THE ARMCHAIR SQUABBLING IS GET OUT AND SET EXAMPLES.

CLIMBERS LIKE HIRAIDE, NORMAND AND THE FOWLERS ARE FINE EXAMPLES OF THOSE HAVE DISRUPTED THE FORMATS, WAITING FOR NO ONE TO PAY THEIR WAY AND DOING THINGS FEW GET THE IMPLICATIONS OF. SOME INCH EVER CLOSER TO THE FULL EXTENT OF ALPINISM – UNSUPPORTED ASCENTS ABOVE 8000m – BY REASSERTING HOW CLIMBING CAN WORK WHEN CUT FREE OF FORMAT. THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT A SHIFT AWAY FROM THE TIRED OLD METHODS MAKES SELF-SUPPORTED ASCENTS TO 8000m ENTIRELY FEASIBLE, BUT THAT EVEN WITH THE LEGIONS ON EVEREST JUST HOW WILL NOT BE FIGURED OUT IN THAT ENVIRONMENT. THE SAME OLD TYPES OF PEOPLE TAKING THE SAME HOLIDAY TIME TO GET THE SAME PLANES AND BUSES WITH THE SAME COMPANIES HAVE VERY LITTLE CHANCE OF DOING ANYTHING REALLY NEW. MINOR VARIATIONS ON SATURATED PEAKS, SURE, BUT THE LEADING EDGE OF CLIMBING HAS NEVER COME FROM THINKING REPETITION WILL PRODUCE INNOVATION.

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THAT CLIMBING EVOLVES BY THE OPENING UP OF NEW PLACES TO DO IT IS NOTHING NEW, AND IF ANYTHING, IS THE WAY ALL CLIMBING HAS ALWAYS MOVED FORWARD. THE ALPS, CHEAP FLIGHTS INTO ALASKA, DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE HIMALAYA, THE OPENING UP OF THE SOVIET STATES, BOATS INTO ANTARCTICA AND BAFFIN, PEACE IN CENTRAL ASIA – ALL THESE THINGS ALLOWED NEW ASPECTS OF CLIMBING TO EMERGE THAT PUSHED ALPINISM ONWARDS AND UPWARDS. NEW ENVIRONMENTS FORCE NEW IDEAS AND ARE OPENED UP BY LOOKING WITH NEW EYES. RESEARCH COMES VIA OTHER AVENUES THAT SHED NEW LIGHT AND ALLOW THINGS TO GROW FROM A NEW START POINT.

THE MISTAKE IS IN WAITING FOR TOP TIER, SPONSORED CLIMBERS TO LEAD THIS, BECAUSE THAT NEVER HAS BEEN THE CASE. THE FIRST WAVES ARE ALWAYS MAVERICKS AND EXPLORERS TOO UNCONVENTIONAL FOR ANY INDUSTRY TO WANT TO BACK, WITH MONEY AND SPONSORSHIPS ONLY COMING LATER WHEN THERE’S A DOLLAR TO BE MADE.

AS A MEDIUM A PLACE INCLUDES EVERY PERSON YOU MEET THERE, ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED AND FILTERED BY THE SAME FACTORS YOU HAVE. THE CLIMBERS IN A PLACE REINFORCE IT AS A MEDIUM, SPREADING THE MEMES AND MESSAGE, AND THE LOCALS IN A PLACE ARE THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE AND YOU CLIMBING THERE.

THE DISCUSSIONS YOU HAVE, PEOPLES ACTIONS YOU SEE, HOW PEOPLE ORGANIZE AND TREAT THEIR WORLD ALL SET THE SCENE FOR THE CLIMBING. IF LOCALS DO OR DON’T WORK AS PORTERS, HOW THEY REACT TO OUTSIDERS, THE WORK PEOPLE DO AND THE CONVERSATIONS THEY HAVE, ALL CHANNEL THE DECISIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF HOW AND WHAT YOU CLIMB. INITIALLY THIS CAN BE HARD TO PERCEIVE, EXPECIALLY IN POPULAR PLACES WHERE EVERY INTERACTION WITH EVERYBODY IS THROUGH THE LENS OF A CLIMBING INDUSTRY, BUT WHERE THERE IS NO INDUSTRY OR TRADITION OF CLIMBING THE HOLD THIS HAS BECOMES GLARINGLY EVIDENT.

BY THE TIME ANY CLIMBER ARRIVES AT THE BASE OF EVEREST OR WELL ESTABLISHED PEAK, THEY HAVE BEEN CORRALED INTO A FORMAT THAT STARTS AT THE ARRIVAL HALL. THE BEST INTENTIONS GET LITTLE ROOM TO DEVIATE, AND THE BEST ASCENTS CAN SHARE EXACTLY THE SAME BASIC SET UP AS THE O2 CONGA LINE, THAT PUT THEM WHERE THEY ARE IN TIME AND SPACE AND SUBJECT TO THE SAME INDUSTRY. THE HIMALAYAS CURRENTLY ARE THE PERFECT EXAMPLE, AS WE WATCH THINGS TWIST IN THE WIND OF CLIMATE CHANGES, BECAUSE AN INDUSTRY IS TOO HARD TO BUDGE AND DO THINGS IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND PLACES. SEASONS STACKED UP TO BE IN NEPAL, PAKISTAN AND TIBET ON CERTAIN DATES BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT AUTHORITIES DEMAND, TIME AND AGAIN REDUCE THE FREEDOMS AND IDEAS OF CLIMBERS WHO MAY WANT SOMETHING ELSE.

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IF YOU ARE PRESENT YOU ARE PART OF THE PROCESS, AND TO TAKE ANOTHER MCLUHAN QUOTE, THAT “THERE ARE NO PASSENGERS, ONLY CREW”, PROVIDES ANOTHER INSIGHT INTO CLIMBING, WHERE WE CAN CONSIDER THAT EVERY CLIMBER IS INVOLVED, NOT JUST THE ELITE. LOOKED AT THIS WAY WE SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF CLIMBERS ARE SIMPLY ENGAGED IN SUSTAINING CLIMBING, WHICH BRINGS DOWN COSTS AND INCREASES AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES, SO THE VANGUARD (WHO ARE NOT NECESSARILY SPONSORED) CAN HEAD OUT FOR THE NEW STUFF.

MCLUHAN’S PHILOSOPHY USED FOUR CRITERIA BY WHICH TO JUDGE A PROCESSES EFFECTS ON THE WORLD AROUND IT, IN THIS CASE THE PROCESS, OR MEDIUM, BEING THE SPORT OF HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAINEERING.

WHAT DOES IT ENHANCE?

WHAT DOES IT MAKE OBSELETE?

WHAT DOES IT RESURRECT?

WHAT DOES IT BECOME WHEN PUSHED TO EXTREMES?

THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE IS TELEVISION AS THAT WAS THE ERA WHEN MCLUHAN WAS POPULAR, WHERE WE GET THE ENHANCEMENT OF STORIES BROADCAST, THE REPLACEMENT OF RADIO, THE RESURRECTION OF IMAGE-BASED INFORMATION AND AT IT’S EXTREME A RETURN TO THE WRITTEN WORD THAT PRESCIENTLY BECAME THE INTERNET. DESPITE NOT BEING AN ORACLE FOR PREDICTION, THE FACT THAT THIS TETRAD FORSAW THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA HALF A CENTURY BEFORE IT ARRIVED SHOWS SOME OF IT’S VALIDITY AS A WAY TO ASSESS A MEDIUM, AND THAT IT COULD BE APPLIED TO ANY EXTENSION OF HUMANITY THAT LETS US EXTEND BEYOND OUR ORGANIC LIMITS.

IF WE SUBJECT THE MEDIUM OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IN THE CURRENT WAY IT IS PRACTICED TO THESE FOUR CRITERIA WE GET;

8000m CLIMBING ENHANCES MASS CONSUMPTION OF THE ILLUSION OF ADVENTURISM AND WITH IT THE ACCOLADES.

IT MAKES OBSELETE ALMOST THE ENTIRE RISK ELEMENT THAT ONCE REQUIRED ADVANCED PREPARATION, SELF-RELIANCE AND COMMITMENT.

INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING RESURRECTS THE SOCIAL REWARDS THAT USED TO COME WITH GREAT FEATS OF ALPINISM AND MAKES THEM SUPERFICIALLY AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO HAS DREAMT OF BEING SHACKELTON, ALDRIN OR MESSNER.

AT THE EXTREMITY OF THIS STYLE OF CLIMBING IT BECOMES ABOUT CROWD MANAGEMENT, SANITATION, SUPPLY CHAINS AND SOCIAL MEDIA, TO MANAGE THE RESOURCES AND STAFFING THAT OUTNUMBER CLIMBERS EXPONENTIALLY TO ONE.

THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT THE MOST EXTREME PURSUITS BECOME THE MOST MUNDANE WHEN THE LOCATION THEY TAKE PLACE IN WANTS IT.

THE MESSAGE HERE IS CONVENIENCE, THAT HIGH PEAKS CAN BE CLIMBED EASILY AND THE ACCOLADES AWARDED, BUT THAT THE PEOPLE IMPRESSED WILL BE FLEETING JUST AS THEY WERE BEFORE THE EVENT. THE MEDIA IT USES, NO MATTER HOW EXTENSIVE, TURNS OVER FAST AND GETS BORED OR FORGETS, AND LIKEWISE THE EFFECT AN ASCENT HAS ON THE WHOLE IS LOST IN THE WHITE NOISE. JUST AS THIS STYLE OF CLIMBING REFERENCE MORE THE LOGISTICS INDUSTRY THAN IT DOES CLIMBING, SO TOO ASCENTS IN THIS STYLE CONTRIBUTE TO THE NARRATIVES ABOUT TOURISM, WILDERNESS CROWD MANAGEMENT AND WORKING CONDITIONS RATHER THAN CLIMBING. THESE THINGS ARE THE PRODUCT OF INDUSTRY SO CONTINUE THE MESSAGE OF THAT.

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TURNING THE SPOTLIGHT ONTO FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS AND THE PLACES WE GO, WE TOO CAN ONLY BE SUBJECT TO THE SAME CRITERIA, WHICH EXTRAPOLATES SOMETHING LIKE THIS;

WE ENHANCE WHAT NORMAL, INDEPENDANT CLIMBERS CAN DO, BY REMOVING THE OBLIGATIONS AND RULES IMPOSED BY ANY INDUSTRY.

WE REPLACE RELIANCE ON COMMERCIAL ELEMENTS BY STAFFING WITH EXPERTS MOTIVATED BY THINGS OTHER THAN MONEY

WE RESURRECT IDEAS ABOUT EXPLORATION AND SELF-RELIANCE BECAUSE THERE’S NO OTHER OPTIONS.

AT THE FURTHEST EXTENT OF OUR MEDIUM (THE LEAST ASSISTANCE, MOST EXTREME CONDITIONS, MOST REMOTE & HIGHEST PLACES) IT BECOMES ABOUT PHYSICS, PHYSIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY MORE THAN CLIMBING.

THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT HUMAN ENDEAVOUR HAS A LONG WAY TO GO AND THAT THE PIECES ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT. WHAT’S OUT THERE AND HOW TO CLIMB IT STILL HAS A LOT OF UNKNOWNS. SANS THE PROTECTIVE BUBBLE OF INDUSTRY WE DON’T REALLY KNOW HOW FAR A HUMAN CAN GO UNDER THEIR OWN RELIANCE, AS THESE ARE PROBLEMS SOLVED NOT BY POPULAR ATTENTION BUT BY SCIENCE, GEOGRAPHY AND EXPERIMENTATION. IN THIS CASE DETAILS ARE LOGGED AND REFERENCED FOREVER, BE IT THE NAME OF A NEW PEAK, THE HISTORICITY OF AN ASCENT, OR THE PUSHING OF LOCATION AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE. THIS MESSAGE GOES OUT TO A DISCERNING AND CRITICAL AUDIENCE WHO ADDS IT TO A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE, TO FUEL THE NEXT PHASE THAT IS STILL HARD TO PREDICT.

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SO, DOES IT MATTER?

HUMANITY NEEDS LEADING EDGES OUT INTO ANYTHING IT DOES, AND THE QUALITIES OF THOSE LEADING EDGES AFFECT HOW WE FILL OUR NICHE IN THE WORLD. WHERE WE STOP EVOLVING, OR PROGRESS BADLY, WE GET SITUATIONS WHERE HUMANITY SUFFERS SUCH AS CONFLICTS, STAGNATION AND CONGESTION. ON A LIMITED PLANET WE NEED AS LITTLE OF THIS AS POSSIBLE.

AS TRIVIAL AS CLIMBING IS IN THE BIG PICTURE, THE WAY IT IMPACTS THE FEW PLACES IT CAN HAPPEN IS VERY COMPRESSED, COMPOUNDED BY USUALLY BEING IN PLACES UNSTABLE FOR OTHER REASONS ON TOP OF INHERENTLY FRAGILE LANDSCAPES. THE AUTHORITIES IN THESE PLACES SEE THE ECONOMIC VALUE SO ENABLE THE INDUSTRIES TO CATER TO THEM, AND WE GET WHAT WE HAVE WHICH IS A PLATFORM FOR EXPLOITATION, BAD ETHICS AND A CORRUPT REPRESENTATION. THESE ARE TOXIC IN ANY SECTOR AND WOULDN’T BE ALLOWED IN MANY, BUT CLIMBING HAS CARVED OUT A NICHE WHERE EVEN BY TOURISMS DUBIOUS STANDARDS A LOT IS UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE OF ITS PERCEIVED ACCOLADES.

A ONCE NOBEL PURSUIT TO EXPLORE THE EXTREMES OF THE EARTHS TOPOGRAPHY HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY CERTAIN LOCATIONS THAT HAVE A MONOPOLY ON ACCESS TO THE GREAT RANGES. PLACES THAT ONCE ELICITED OUR FINEST ATRIBUTES OF PEOPLE, CULTURE, VISION AND COOPERATION NOW DISPLAY OUR WORST, MAKING THE MEDIUM OF HIGH MOUNTAINS NOW TOXIC AS IT ATTRACTS AN INDUSTRY WILLING TO DESTROY IT.

WE THINK WE CAN DO BETTER, AND THOUGH THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE IN PLACES, WHAT HAPPENS AT THE EXTEREMITIES OF ALPINISM HAVE YET TO BE REALIZED. THE PROBLEMS OF NEPAL AND PAKISTAN PERTAIN TO RELATIVELY EASY ACCESS AND ARE THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, BUT NOW THEY ARE SATURATED ATTENTION IS COMING TO THE MORE RIGOROUS AREAS WHERE THE CHANCE TO CHANGE THE ENDGAME OF ALPINISM STILL EXISTS. WE DON’T HAVE TO LET THIS CULMINATE IN MASS SUMMIT EVENTS FUELED BY CHEAP OXYGEN AND CHEAPER LABOUR, WHERE THINGS LIKE THE WINTER ASCENT OF K2 DONE BY THE WORST ETHICS POSSIBLE ARE THE PUNCTUATION INSTEAD OF SOMETHING BETTER.

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DISRUPTING THE STRANGLE-HOLD OF LOCATIONS AS MEDIUMS MEANS TAKING A LARGER PERSPECTIVE AND DOING TRIPS ACROSS A BIGGER REGION. WE DO THIS BY ACCLIMATING IN ONE AREA THEN EXECUTING THE ASCENT IN ANOTHER, WHICH LETS US HAVE DIFFERENT MEDIUMS TO WORK WITH FOR A SINGLE OBJECTIVE. SOMEWHERE LIKE TIBET IS MUCH DIFFERENT TO ACCLIMATE OR CLIMB IN THAN XINJIANG, ACCESSING CULTURES AND GEOGRAPHY DIFFERENTLY IN WAYS THAT MAKES THE SATURATED EXPERIENCE OF NEPAL INCOMPARABLE. BOTH PLACES CHANGE THE NARRATIVE WHEN THEY ARE EXPERIENCED WITH DIFFERENT AGENDAS, TOTALLY SHIFTING HOW THE CLIMBING HAPPENS, AND BREAKING FREE OF EVERY SINGLE ASPECT THAT INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING IS BUILT ON.

THIS PARADIGM IS LONG KNOWN IN ALPINISM, ACCLIMATING EITHER IN OTHER RANGES OR PSEUDO-ACCLIMATING IN NORMOBARIC TENTS. WHERE IT FAILS TO REALLY HAVE ANY LARGE EFFECT IS THAT IT IS USUALLY THEN APPLIED TO POPULAR MOUNTAINS, WHERE THE STREAMLINED LOGISTICS IT ALLOWS ONLY FURTHER EMBEDS THE ESTABLISHED FORMATS SUCH AS HELICOPTER ACCESS, O2 AND OVERWHELMING GUIDE SUPPORT. RATHEER THAN SET THE CLIMB FREE OF ENTRENCHED METHODS IT ONLY DEEPENDS THE RELIANCE, DOING NOTHING TO EVOLVE THE POTENTIALS OF ALPINE CLIMBING OR RESOLVE PROBLEMS WITH AN INDUSTRY.

PART OF WHY XINJIANG AND TIBET REMAINS SO WILD IS THAT NO LOCAL INDUSTRY SUPPORTS A CLIMBING SCENE, SO NO ENTRENCHED METHODS EXIST TO CORRAL AND COERCE ANY EXPEDITIONS. RIGHT DOWN TO THE NEAR-ABSENCE OF GEAR SHOPS MEANS THERE IS NO REAL FORMAT FOR LOGISTICS TO USE, SO WE COME UP WITH OUR OWN, AND THERE BEING ALMOST NO OTHER CLIMBERS ABOUT MEANS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS HAVE QUALITIES ALIEN TO THE CLIMBING WORLD. MOUNTAINS ARE NOT EVEN CONSIDERED BY THEIR RELEVANCE TO CLIMBING BUT HAVE VALUES IN OTHER WAYS, WHICH DETERMINE THE CLIMBING ACROSS THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF EXPERIENCE. AT ONE END THIS IS ETHICAL AND MENTAL, REFLECTED IN THEY STYLE OF CLIMBING. AT THE OTHER IT IS AS PRAGMATIC AS THE TRAILS USED FOR THE APPROACH AND THE SANITATION OF BASECAMPS, NONE OF WHICH HAVE EVOLVED THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF CLIMBERS.

WE AIM TO DO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT, AND ACCESS DIFFERENT MOUNTAIN AREAS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, IN ORDER TO PUSH THE IDEALS OF ALPINISM HIGHER, AND TO HAVE A MORE POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE LOCATIONS. BY THE STATUTES OF MCLUHANS TETRAD THIS READS AS ENHANCING HUMAN POTENTIAL AND QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE, MAKING OBSELETE RELIANCE ON LARGE SCALE EMBEDDED LOGISTICS, RESURRECTING DREAMS OF CLIMBING THE HIGHEST PEAKS WITH VERY LITTLE RESOURCES, AND AT THE EXTEREMITIES DOING ASCENTS IN WAYS SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE THAT REFRAME WHAT ALPINISM CAN BE.

WE THINK ALL THIS IS THE PORTAL INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF WHAT ALPINISM WILL BE, WHERE THE BEST ELEMENTS FROM ACROSS THE FIELD ARE COMBINED AND REFINED INTO ASCENTS THAT PUT THE SPORT BACK AS A LITERAL PEAK OF HUMAN POTENTIAL. FOR THIS IT ALL NEEDS REFRAMING, AND LINING UP IN THE SAME OLD PLACES CLOGGED WITH OUTDATED METHODS WON’T ALLOW THAT. JUST LIKE BEFORE, THE OBJECTIVES OF THE NEXT GENERATION WILL ONLY COME NOT ON TOP OF THE OLD STUFF BUT IN SPITE OF IT.