CRITICAL THINKING

IT’S BEEN A LONG HAUL BUT NOW THINGS ARE REOPENING AND WE ARE RESURRECTING EXPEDITION CLIMBING IN THE PARTS OF TIBET AND XINJIANG WE GO TO THE RIGHT WAY. COVID 19 SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN, AND IN THAT TIME CHINAS PLACE IN THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, AS HAS THE CLIMBING INDUSTRY, THE CLIMBING MEDIA, AND THE…
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THE FINEST THING SAID ABOUT OUR TRIPS IS BEING CALLED “THE THINKING CLIMBERS EXPEDITIONS”. WE DON’T ALWAYS GET GREAT PRESS, HAVING BEEN CALLED STATE AGENTS, RADICALS, WANNABES, HASBEENS, RIP-OFFS, RACISTS, CAVALIERS, DELUSIONAL, AND PART-OF-THE-PROBLEM, SO WHEN SOMEONE WHO HAS ACTUALLY BEEN CLIMBING WITH US GIVES US PRAISE WE FEEL COMPELLED TO EXPLAIN IT. . THE…
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IT IS ABSURD TO TRY TO QUANTIFY BIG ALPINE ROUTES WITH GRADES AND VECTORS THAT COME FROM THE RECREATIONAL CLIMBING WORLD. HOPELESS ATTEMPT ARE MADE THAN INCLUDE LONG STRINGS OF NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS AND MEMES, WITH THE BEST WE FEEL BEING THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE REMOTENESS AND TIME ON ROUTE, THOUGH WHICH…
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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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