CRITICAL THINKING

IF YOU CLIMBED IN EASTERN TIBET ANY TIME IN THE LAST 30 YEARS YOU PROBABLY PASSED THROUGH THE JIAOTONG FANDIAN, OR THE TRAFFIC HOTEL, IN CHENGDU. TO SAY THIS PLACE HAD A PIVOTAL ROLE IN CLIMBING HISTORY IS NOT TO WAX LYRICAL. . THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE OPTIONS FOR TRAVELLERS IN CHINA WERE…
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NOT EVERYTHING FOR ALPINE CLIMBING NEEDS TO BE SUPER-EXPENSIVE, SPEC-MADE, HARDCORE GEAR FROM THE BIG BRANDS. OVER THE WINTER OF 2022/23 WE GOT A LOT OF DAYS AND NIGHTS CLIMBING, ALMOST ALL OF THEM AT SOME POINT USING THE MARNI GLOVES FROM UNIQLO. “UNIQLO?” YOU MIGHT SAY, AND YES, THE JAPANESE STREETWEAR COMPANY BETTER KNOWN…
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DON’T THINK IT CAN’T HAPPEN. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EFFECTS OURSELVES AND WITNESSED AT LEAST ONE FATALITY BECAUSE OF IT. ASPHYXIATION FROM TOXIC GASES AND LACK OF AIR IS A REAL HAZARD WITH EXPEDITION CLIMBING . SERIOUS CLIMBING MEANS COOKING INSIDE A TENT OR SNOW HOLE BECAUSE IT IS NOT REALISTIC OUT IN THE OPEN…
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K2’S OVER-COMMERCIALIZATION AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT K2’S SOUTH SIDE IS NO LONGER THE REMOTE & EXISTENTIAL CLIMBING EXPERIENCE IT ONCE WAS. AS THE 8000m INDUSTRY AS DEVOURED ALL OTHER OF THE WORLDS 14 HIGHEST PEAKS, SO IT’S ARRIVED AT K2. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN K2 WAS SET APART FROM OTHER 8000m…
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FOR A START, WE DON’T BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE – WE LIVE WITH IT. IN A BUSINESS THAT COVERS ICE, GLACIERS, RIVERS, DESERTS & SEASONS AS A FUNDAMENTAL, BELIEF HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT WHEN THE EXPERIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS THE VERY MEDIUM WE ARE CLIMBING ON. ANY POLITICIAN OR DENIER WHO THINKS CLIMATE CHANGE IS A HOAX WE INVITE TO SPEND A WEEK WITH US.

MORE THAN ONE CLIMBER HAS CONFIRMED THE TRIP, SORTED THE TEAM, BOUGHT & PACKED THEIR GEAR, TRAINED, BOOKED FLIGHTS AND GOT THE STAMPS ONLY TO IMPLODE AS THE TRIP STARTS. SEVERAL TIMES WE’VE WATCHED AS WE STEP OFF IN A FOREIGN PLACE, LOADED UP AND FOCUSED, THEN PEOPLE WHO UNTIL THEN HAD SEEMED FINE CRUMBLE.…
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CONFIRMING THE TRIP IS OUR PART IN THIS. YOURS IS PREPARING YOURSELF. ONCE YOU’VE GOT THE DATES AND OBJECTIVE SQUARED AWAY YOU NEED TO GET YOURSELF READY TO LEAVE. THE KEY HERE IS TIME. 6 MONTHS OR A WEEK, THERE’S SEVERAL FACTORS NEEDED TO AVOID ARRIVING IN A FOREIGN LAND WITH PROBLEMS YOU COULD HAVE…
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AHHH GEAR. IF IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE GEAR K2 WOULD HAVE BEEN CLIMBED IN WINTER NOW AND THERE’D BE NOWHERE LEFT TO EXPLORE. PERHAPS THANKFULLY, THROWING MONEY AT GEAR AFFECTS EXPEDITIONS NOT HOW PEOPLE EXPECT, AS HISTORY SHOWS US WITH HARD STUFF BEING DONE IN THE CANVAS-AND-LEATHER ERA THATS NEVER BEEN REPEATED. THE RIGHT…
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IT’S ONE THING TO KNOW YOU WANT TO HEAD OFF ON A TRIP. IT’S ANOTHER TO DO IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. LARGE TEAMS OR SOLO, ‘THE TEAM’ WORKS AS BOTH A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS AND AS A UNIT ITSELF. WE’VE FOUND OVER THE YEARS IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE IF A TEAM IS A BUNCH OF…
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EVERYONE ASSUMES MONEY WILL BE THE #1 ISSUE, BUT PUT IN ORDER IT’S ACTUALLY FAIRLY EASY TO WORK OUT. LIKE TIME, MONEY IS A PRODUCT OF LIFESTYLE CHOICES. THE BASIC PARADIGM HERE IS TO BRING COSTS DOWN AND VALUE UP, TO GET THE MOST FOR WHAT YOU PAY SO YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM YOUR…
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