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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN DISTILLING FOR A LONG TIME, BREWED UP FROM LONG CONVERSATIONS ON LONG APPROACHES, HUNDREDS OF EMAILS AND ZOOM CALLS, AND IN RESTAURANTS ALL ACROSS XINJIANG AND TIBET. A RECENT COMMENT ON EQUIPE SOLITAIRE MADE IT TIME TO ACTUALLY GET IT OUT THERE, TWEAKED A BIT FOR CURRENT CONVERSATIONS AS ONE SEASON GOES ON, ANOTHER WILL START SOON AND OUR OWN IS SOLIDIFYING.

THE DIALOGUE RAISED WHAT WILL THE GREAT ASCENTS AHEAD OF US LOOK LIKE, IT BEING DIFFICULT TO SEE OVER THE WHITE NOISE OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING THAT SUCKS ALL OXYGEN OUT OF THE SPACE. THIS PERTAINS EXPLICITLY TO 8000m ASCENTS, WHERE CLIMBING HAS SLOWED TO A STARVED CRAWL, WHERE MOST OF THE NOISE IS AND MOST OF THE POTENTIAL IS BUT LITTLE IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. IT’S BEEN YEARS SINCE PIOLET DORS WENT OUT TO ANYTHING ON AN 8000m PEAKS, AND THOUGH GREAT ONE OFF EVENTS HAPPEN – VENDRINES RECENT K2 ASCENT THE EXAMPLE HERE – SEEMINGLY STAGNANT IS THE COLLECTIVE TIDE TO REAPPRAISE 8000m CLIMBING AS A CONCEPT.

PREVIOUSLY THERE HAVE BEEN ZEITGEISTS OF 8000m CLIMBING, THAT ROLLED THE WORLD OF THE TIME INTO RADICAL NEW FORMS OF CLIMBING. THESE EPOCHS ARE EASILY VIEWED AS JUST TECHNOLOGICAL EVENTS (OXYGEN, NYLON, LEDS etc) BUT THAT IS JUST SUPERFICIAL, LAZY THINKING, AS THE REAL DRIVERS OF REVOLUTION OF ANY SORT INCLUDING 8000m CLIMBING HAVE BEEN POLITICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL.

WE DON’T USE THE WORD REVOLUTION LIGHTLY HERE, AND DON’T CONSIDER IT A REVOLUTION UNLESS THE COURSE OF SOMETHING IS CHANGED. CONTINUING THE TRAJECTORY OF SOMETHING CERTAINLY IS NO REVOLUTION – WHATEVER THAT TRAJECTORY MIGHT BE – A REAL REVOLUTION HAS TO EITHER CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE GAME ITSELF OR REPLACE THE GAME WITH ANOTHER.

THE FUNDAMENTAL FACTOR THAT SHIFTS 8000m CLIMBING IS POLITICAL, OR PUT ANOTHER WAY – CHANGES TO THE PLACES WHERE THESE MOUNTAINS ARE. THE EBB, FLOW AND SUBVERSION OF THE GEOPOLITICAL RISK BOARD IMMEDIATELY AROUND THE PEAKS AND IN NEIGHBOURING REGIONS IS WHAT DETERMINES WHERE YOU CAN GO AND WHO CAN GO THERE, AND HAS BEEN THE VALVE BY WHICH THE RIGHT PERSON HAS BEEN AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RIGHT MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB IT.

SOCIOLOGICALLY, IT TAKES A CERTAIN TYPE OF PERSON TO SHIFT THE COURSE OF ALPINISM, AND IF THAT PERSON IS STUCK IN A SLATE MINE, PAINTING A SMOKE STACK OR PAYING A MILLION DOLLAR MORTGAGE THE CHANCES OF THEM GETTING THE TIME IN AT 8000m IS SLIM. IT’S ONE THING TO DO THE TRIP TO CLIMB BIG STUFF AND ANOTHER THING TO DEVELOP THE ELEGANCE AND ABILITY TO DO IT WELL, AND NOT ALL PARTS OF ALL SOCIETIES ARE FERTILE TO THAT. AFFLUENCE ISN’T THE DECIDER IT MAY APPEAR TO BE HERE, WHAT MATTERS IS A SOCIETIES TOLERANCE FOR RISK AND ONCE THAT MEANT GETTING ALL THE CATTLE TO MARKET, NOW IT CAN MEAN KEEPING THE BANK AND BOSS HAPPY. 

IDEOLOGICAL. THIS STUFF NEVER HAS BEEN DRIVEN BY SPONSORS AND ATHLETES, THAT IDEA IS PURE PROPAGANDA DREAMED UP BY COMPANIES WHO SELL AN IMAGE NOT AN ABILITY. THE TRUE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE INDIVIDUALS THAT STEER THE COURSE OF ALPINISM IS A CORNUCOPIA OF IDEOLOGIES RANGING FROM THE OCCULT TO NATIONALISM, TO HUMANISM, LIBERTARIANISM, PUNK AND STOICISM. IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT THE ZEIGEISTS IN 8000m CLIMBING HAVE PARALLELED GENERAL WORLD EVENTS, EACH BRINGING NEW PEOPLE FROM NEW PLACES WITH NEW IDEAS. KING AND COUNTRY OR THE FAILURES OF SOVIETISM AND FASCISM HAVE DRIVEN CHANGES AT 8000m, JUST AS DID CHANGES TO MEDIA, IDENTITY AND FITNESS.

ALL THESE THINGS CONSTANTLY MIX AND INTERSECT,  AND JUST BECAUSE NOTHING MUCH IS HAPPENING AT 8000m DOESN’T MEAN THE ELEMENTS ARE NOT RIPENING SOMEWHERE UNNOTICED. UNLIKE REGULAR 8000m CLIMBING THAT BUILDS UPON A LONG CURVE OF PROGRESS THAT TAPERED LONG AGO, THESE NEW STYLES DON’T CONFORM TO THE NORMAL TROPES AND EXPECTATIONS. THE FACTORS STATED ABOVE FAVOUR THE MISFIT, THE RADICAL AND THE ADAPTABLE AND A COLLECTIVE OF SUCH TYPES DOESN’T ENTERTAIN A NEAT AND TIDY WAY FORWARD, WHICH IN THIS BUSINESS CAN HAVE SOME HARD LESSONS, AND NOT ALL WHO BEGIN GET TO SEE THE END RESULTS.

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OF COURSE YOU ASK HAVE WE SEEN THIS FUTURE? AND WE KNOW WE HAVE, BECAUSE WE ARE FAR ENOUGH OUTSIDE ANY INDUSTRY THAT CLOUDS THE SIGNAL WITH BULLSHIT. OUR DATA FEEDS AND IN SITU OBSERVATIONS ARE MOSTLY UNTAINTED BY THE FRENZY, DISTORTION AND HYPERBOLE OF THE 8000m INDUSTRY AT LARGE, NO ONE IS THERE TELLING US HOW TO DO ANYTHING, AND STANDING IN FRONT OF THESE OBJECTIVES MAKES IT AS CLEAR TO US AS THINGS WERE CLEAR TO THE FIRST TEAMS IN FRONT OF ALL THE 8000m OBJECTIVES.

SO WHAT THE FUCK IS IT THEN? IT IS WHAT IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN; LEANER, MORE ELEGANT AND INTO NEW ENVIRONMENTAL NICHES, WHICH ARE THE SAME STANDARDS ALL ADVANCES IN 8000m HAVE RUN BY THROUGH FROM SHIPTON, BUHL, MESSNER, KURTYKA, URUBKO, HOUSE AND HIRAIDE. THE COMMON THREAD HERE IS THAT THERE IS NO COMMON THREAD, WITH EVERY INNOVATION AND ADVANCEMENT BEING ONE OF THE HYPER-SPECIFICITY THAT COMES WITH APPRAISING THINGS ANEW. THE TAKE AWAY IS THAT BY FOLLOWING THE PROVEN METHODS AND GOING TO THE ESTABLISHED PLACES AND WORKING WITH THE KNOWN ‘EXPERTS’ AND USING THE SIGNATURE RESOURCES IS THE LAST WAY TO FOSTER NEW FORMS OF CLIMBING – NOT BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE LIMITS OF CLIMBING BUT BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE LIMITS OF THINKING.

WHAT IT IS THEN IS THE STUFF NOT BEING LOOKED AT, THE OVERLAP OF EQUATIONS NOT BEING CONSIDERED, GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF LIMITS. THE LEANER IS LEANER, THE ELEGANCE IS MORE ELEGANT AND THE ENVIRONMENTS LESS DEFINED. THE GREAT 8000m ASCENTS AHEAD OF US WON’T HAPPEN IN THE SAME SPACE AS THE FAST FOOD ASCENTS HAPPENING NOW, BECAUSE THE THINGS AFFECTING LEANNESS, ELEGANCE AND ENVIRONMENT WON’T ALLOW IT. FUTURE ASCENTS THAT GO FURTHER – MUCH FURTHER, WITH LESS – MUCH LESS, WON’T TOLERATE THE RESTRICTIONS OF INDUSTRY, IN THIS CASE ONLY WILDERNESS CAN PROVIDE THE FREEDOM THAT INDUSTRY STIFLES.

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THE REASON THE FUTURE IS HARD TO DISCERN IS THAT THESE ASCENTS WILL NOT SPRING FROM FAMILIAR FORMATS, THEY WILL NOT COME FROM AN INDUSTRY HELL BENT ON COMMODIFYING CLIMBING, AND CERTAINLY WILL NOT COME FROM THE SAME OLD CHANNELS AND PLACES INVESTED IN WHAT CONTEMPORARY CLIMBING HAS TO LOOK LIKE. THE CLIMBING MEDIA, PUNDITS AND GEAR INDUSTRIES ARE NEITHER EQUIPPED TO, OR EVEN ABLE TO, PRESENT A PROFILE OF WHAT THE NEXT REAL EVOLUTIONS WILL BE. THESE ARE PARASITIC PLAYERS THAT PICK AT THE EDGE OF THE REAL STUFF, CONTRIBUTING NOTHING THEMSELVES TO CLIMBING, ASIDE FROM THE SHALLOW PERCEPTION THINGS HAPPEN IN 250 CHARACTERS AND STOCK IMAGES CAN FILL IN THE REST. 

THE BASELINE OF SERIOUS CLIMBING TOO IS THAT ANYONE ONTO SOMETHING ISN’T TELLING THE PAPERS, WHICH HINTS AT WHY WE ARE SO VAGUE AND WHY WE PRESENT SO FEW IMAGES OF ACTUAL CLIMBING. DECADES NOW HAS SHOWN US THAT THE CLIMBING INDUSTRY WOULD RATHER CORRUPT AND TOXIFY WHAT IT PRESIDES OVER RATHER THAN ACT NOBLY, AND CAN’T BE TRUSTED TO HAVE EVEN AN INFORMED CONVERSATION LET ALONE ONE THAT TOUCHES ON THE RADICAL PERSPECTIVES INTERESTING CLIMBING IS MADE OF. WHERE ONCE THE THREATS TO EXPEDITIONS WERE NASTY GOVERNMENTS, CORRUPT OFFICIALS, MALARIA AND BRIGANDRY, TODAY IT IS VOYEURISM, TRIVIALIZATION AND ONLINE COWARDICE.

IT IS HAPPENING, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE CLIMBING TABLOIDS MAKE OUT, BEING DONE BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T LOOK LIKE THE ONES IN THE ADVERTISING, WHO DON’T CARRY CAMERAS AND WHO KNOW REALLY WHAT THEY DON’T WANT. 

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THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT FIT YOUR WEEKENDS AND YOUR HOLIDAYS. YOU WILL NOT CLICK TO BUY, OPT IN OR CLIP ON. THERE WILL BE NO OXYGEN OR FIXED LINES AND YOGA CLASSES BETWEEN ROTATIONS, BECAUSE THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT BE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE NORTH FACE, OFF THE RACK, IN MATCHING COLOURS. THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT SHOW YOU NIMSDAI FLYING A FLAG AND FIXING THE LINES WITH FURTENBACH, KENTON AND MINGMA SHERPA, TO JUG THE STEEP PARTS USING HARDWARE MADE IN SHANGHAI.

THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT BE BROUGHT TO YOU BY JIMMY CHIN AND NETFLIX AND WILL NOT STAR KILIAN AND HARILA, SIMONE OR MIKE HORN. THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT GET YOU SELFIES IN DYNEEMA, THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT PAY YOUR RENT, THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT MAKE YOU AN AMBASSADOR, BECAUSE THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

THE AMERICAN ALPINE JOURNAL WILL NOT SHOW PICTURES OF YOU CARRYING YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN FUEL AND FOOD UP THE GLACIER OR VOMITING OUT THE TENT DOOR. EXPLORERSWEB WILL NOT TRACK YOUR PROGRESS AND THERE WILL BE NO COMMENT SECTION AND YOU WILL NOT GET MORE LIKES. THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

THERE WILL BE NO DRONE FOOTAGE OF STEPPING ONTO THE SUMMIT EDITED INTO A MONTAGE FOR TIKTOK. THERE WILL BE NO PICTURES OF THE BORDER POSTS, AND THE LOCAL MARKETS AND LEAVING THE LAST TOWN WITH NO RESUPPLY. THERE WILL BE NO PODCASTS ABOUT THE LOCALS WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT CLIMBING, WHOSE LIVES WON’T CHANGE WHEN YOU LEAVE. THERE WILL BE NO SELFIES OF  RAPPING THE ROUTE IN A TEAL, PURPLE AND PINK DOWN SUIT WORN FOR TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT.

TOUCHING THE VOID, FREE SOLO AND ALPINIST MAGAZINE WILL NO LONGER BE SO FUCKING RELEVANT AND NO ONE WILL CARE IF ANYONE ELSE USES OXYGEN ON EVEREST BECAUSE REAL ALPINISTS WILL BE IN THE RANGES NO ONE HAS HEARD OF LOOKING FOR A BETTER OBJECTIVE. THESE EXPEDITIONS WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

THERE WILL BE NO BLOG POSTS OR LINKS FROM ANY SPONSORS AND NO INTERVIEWS WITH THE PIOLET DOR JURY AND MESSNER IN HIS CASTLE. THE SOUNDTRACK WILL NOT BE NINTIES TECHNO OR INTROSPECTIVE ACOUSTIC GUITAR NOR ANYTHING BY GREENDAY, LED ZEPPLIN OR VANGELIS. THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED.

THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT HAPPEN BEFORE OR AFTER TRUE WINTER, AFTER THE MONSOON, BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS OR WHEN FLIGHTS ARE CHEAPER. THERE WILL BE NO CONCERNS ABOUT TOURISTS AT THE AIRPORT, GUNS IN THE GLOVE BOX OR WASHING MACHINES IN THE HOTEL. THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT GO BETTER WITH RED BULL. THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT FIX NOMICS THAT FALL APART. THE EXPEDITION WILL PUT YOU ON RUN OUT LEAD.

THE EXPEDITION WILL HAVE NO REHEARSAL. 

THE EXPEDITION WILL BE LIVE.

(ALL RESPECT TO GIL SCOTT-HERON)

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