WORKING CLIMBERS? WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

WE REFER TO OURSELVES AS WORKING CLIMBERS. NOT PROFESSIONALS. NOT SPONSORED. NOT GUIDES, NOT ATHELETES. NOT AMBASSADORS. THOUGH THOSE TITLES MAY FIT OTHERS, NONE OF THEM FIT WHAT WE DO, BEING AT ONCE TOO POSTURING, BUT THEN ALSO NOT POSTURING ENOUGH.

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BASICALLY, WE PUT BREAD ON OUR TABLES AND (VERY COOL) CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS BY THE EFFORTS OF OUR CLIMBING. MOST OF THIS IS ‘WORK’ IN ANY SENSE OF THE WORD, AND VERY UTILITARIAN, BUT IT ALL COMES TOGETHER TO BE AMAZING AND WE’D ARGUE THE BEST DAMN JOB IN THE WORLD.

WE MAKE OUR OWN WAY, OUT ON THE LUNATIC FRINGE OF AN OTHERWISE STAID AN ESTABLISHED INDUSTRY. EVERYTHING WE CLIMB WE DEVELOP FROM SCRATCH, BASED ON THE DATA GLEANED FROM A WIDE SPECTRUM OF EXPERTS, BREWED TOGETHER IN OUR OWN CAULDRON OF TIME, PLACE AND ATTITUDE, TO EXIST FOR A SHORT TIME TILL IT IS DONE, EVOLVES INTO SOMETHING NEW OR WE PASS ON TO OTHERS.

WORKING IN CLIMBING, PERHAPS SURPRISINGLY, IS NOT ALL CLIMBING. ONLY A SMALL PART INVOLVES SWINGING TOOLS INTO ICE – BUT IT IS THE CULMINATIVE PART ALL THE REST LEADS TO SO IS DISPROPORTIONATELY IN THE FORGROUND. THE REST IS ALL GREAT STUFF, THAT INVOLVES MANY HOURS PLANNING, DESIGNING, DISCUSSING, FIELDING HUNDREDS OF QUESTIONS, CALCULATING EQUATIONS AND COSTS, AND ALL ACROSS A DOZEN LANGUAGES, TIME ZONES AND PERSPECTIVES THAT EACH NEEDS TO GET ITS ROLE DONE.

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BEING WORKING CLIMBERS SHIFTS THE OBJECTIVES TO WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT, WITH MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT HAVING AS MUCH PRECEDENCE AS REMUNERATION AND INDUSTRY CREDIBILITY. OF COURSE WE ARE DOING THIS BECAUSE WE CLIMB, BUT THE AIM OF THE WORK PART IS TO PUSH THE DIRECTION OF A CERTAIN SORT OF CLIMBING AND THAT NEEDS THE MOMENTUM OF BUSINESS.

TREATING CLIMBING AS MEANINGFUL WORK IN ORDER TO PROGRESS IS SOMETHING COMMON TO ALL SORTS OF PHILOSOPHIES, WHERE THE NATURE OF THE WORK ENCAPSULATES A MUCH LARGER ARRAY OF THINGS. THE RECREATIONAL OR EVEN PRO CLIMBER DOESN’T PULL TOGETHER THE ELEMENTS NEEDED TO CLIMB NOT JUST FOR THEMSELVES BUT FOR A CROSS SECTION OF CLIMBERS, WHERE THERE ARE AS MANY ATTRIBUTES BEYOND PERFORMANCE AND ACCOLADES, PROBABLY MORE.

PULLING OFF COMPLICATED LOGISTICS TO UNKNOWN PLACES IS AKIN TO A BANK JOB, EVERY BIT AS MUCH A CAPER, WITH THE VALUE EQUALLED BETWEEN AUDACITY AND DARING, AND ANY PERSONAL GAIN. AS A WORKING CLIMBER, AS IN THE CAREER BANK ROBBER, A FAIR LIVING CAN BE EARNED ANY OTHER WAY, BUT THERE IS PRIDE IN THE EXPERTISE NEEDED TO PULL OFF SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE ATTEMPTS.

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WE VERY MUCH MAINTAIN THE LABEL OF WORK, AND DON’T FOLLOW THE ‘LIFESTYLE AS WORK’ MENTALITY. THIS STUFF IS FAR TOO SERIOUS AND CONSEQUENTIAL TO REGARD AS PERSONAL, AND DEMANDS THE SEPARATION AS WORK TO KEEP DISCIPLINED. MANY DAYS ARE LONG, STRESSFUL, THE DEADLINES ARE REAL AND PEOPLES HARD EARNED MONEY IS AT STAKE, AND DESPITE OUR LAISSEZ FAIRE/COWBOY APPEARENCE WE DON’T DISSAPPEAR CLIMBING WHEN THERE’S WORK TO BE DONE.

AS WITH ANYTHING DEEMED ‘WORK’ IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THINGS PROJECTING FORWARD, WHICH MEANS KEEPING ON TOP OF MULTIPLE – OFTEN DISPARATE – ELEMENTS, AND NOT STIFLING INNOVATION, IDEAS AND POTENTIAL. A SINGLE DAY INCLUDE REVIEWING COMPUTER DESIGN MODELLING, TRANSLATING POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINA, RUNNING THE NUMBERS ON CAMEL LOADS AND WRITING ARTICLES FOR THE WEBSITE. THIS BUSINESS EXISTS AS MUCH IN THE MIND AS IT DOES IN THE MOUNTAINS, SO NEEDS TO BE LINKED AS A CONTINUUM, WHERE ENERGY AND THINKING BECOME PHYSICAL REALITY AND NOT JUST FANTASY.

ALL THIS MEANS A RUTHLESS WINNOWING OF WHAT WE DO, AS THE REMOTE HIGH ALTITUDE WILDERNESSES OF TIBET AND XINJIANG DO NOT TOLERATE LAZY THINKING OR MUCH COMPROMISE. THE FANTASTIC ELEMENTS OF WHAT WE DO ARE IN REALITY JUST THE PRESENTATION OF GRIST, TOIL, ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH, WITH EVERY TRIP BEING PULLED TOGETHER UNIQUELY FROM ACROSS A HUGE CATCHMENT OF RESOURCES.

IN MANY WAYS THE WORK OF A WORKING CLIMBER IS LOGISTICS – HOW TO GET HUMAN BEINGS UP AND DOWN DIFFICULT OBJECTIVES AS EFFICIENTLY AS FEASIBLE. WE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY, AND REFERENCE LOTS OF EQUATIONS AND DATA POINTS, THEN RUN IT ALL THROUGH THE MILL OF HARD EARNED EXPERIENCE. OFTEN THE NUMBERS REFUSE TO CRUNCH, BE THEY FOR FUEL CONSUPTION, ALTITUDE GAIN, TEAM SIZE, FLIGHT ARRIVALS, WAGES OR GLACIER LENGTH, AND THE WORK THEN IS AS GLAMOROUS AS ACCOUNTING OR MIDDLE MANAGEMENT.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT MAKES US THE RICHEST GUYS IN THE ROOM, MAYBE NOT IN DOLLARS BUT IN VALUE OF THE WORK. EVERY TRIP PUSHES THE FRONTIERS OF WHAT THE HUMAN INTERFACE CAN DO, WE SET THE EXAMPLE FOR FAIR PRACTICES AND TEAM WORK RIGHT WHERE IT MATTERS, WE CONTINUOUSLY MAKE THE ANNALS OF HISTORY LAID DOWN IN MAPS, WE IGNITE AND FOSTER INNOVATION IN THE INTERSECTION OF MATERIAL, MEDICAL, SPORTS AND GEOGRAPHIC DISCIPLINES, WE HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE ACROSS THE BROADEST SELECTION POSSIBLE IN HUMANITY, AND WE PAID FOR OUR EXPERTISE IN A FIELD WITH NO COMPETITION. WE WIN.

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AT THE END OF THE DAY WE LOVE WHAT WE DO, AND WAKE UP EACH MORNING READY TO DO MORE. WHETHER THAT’S TO SIT BEFORE SCREEN AND PLOT LOGICTICS, PIECE TOGETHER YARDS OF DYNEEMA OR DEFROST A FOZEN TENT AND START MELTING SNOW BY TORCH LIGHT, IT’S ALL PART OF A JOB WE CREATED WITH A VERY, VERY SINGULAR GOAL – TO GET PEOPLE CLIMBING THE GREATEST PEAKS ON EARTH.