CRITICAL THINKING

WHAT WAS IT ARTHUR C. CLARKE SAID…THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DISCOVER LIMITS IS TO VENTURE PAST THEM, AND THAT ANYTHING SUFFICIENTLY ADVANCED IS INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM MAGIC?

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ‘JUST’ FROSTBITE, AND THE HISTORY OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IS THE HISTORY OF LOSING BODY PARTS TO THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE AND COLD. READ ANY ACCOUNTS AND MENTION OF FEET GETTING DANGEROUSLY COLD IS ALMOST GUARANTEED, WITH ENOUGH TALES OF BAD OUTCOMES TO MAKE THE POINT

AMERICANS HAVE BROUGHT MUCH TO ALPINISM, AND WE WILL GO SO FAR TO SAY THE BEAK MAY BE THEIR GREATEST CONTRIBUTION, FROM THE CAULDRON OF YOSEMITE THAT RAISED THE BEAK FROM OBSCURITY TO BECOME A PILLAR OF BIG WALLS AND BY ASSOCIATION BIG ALPINE. AN ARRAY OF VARIATIONS SPANNING THE WALMART MASS PRODUCTION OF BLACK DIAMOND TO THE ESOTERIC GENIUS OF PIKA AND MOSES EXIST, WITH BEARTOOTH BEING THE FIRST TRUE ALPINE DESIGN.

SAN FRONTIERES MEANS TO LOOK AT PLACES ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES THAT ARE NOT CONTROLLED BY CONVENTIONAL BORDERS. ALL BORDERS AND LIMITS ARE SEEN AS ARBITARY CONVENTIONS, SOME MORE CONTRIVED THAN OTHERS, THAT OFTEN RESULT IN BLINDSPOTS OVER OTHERWISE NOBLE AND EXCITING POSSIBILITIES. HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS, THE PRESENT PARADIGM BEING THE RESULT OF ABSTRACT BORDERS, NOT NATURAL ONES, THAT HAVE BEEN CONTESTED MORE BY POLITICS AND INDUSTRY THAN BY CLIMBERS.

THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW CLIMBING BOOKS WE CAME AWAY FROM SATISFIED, NOT FEELING WE HAD BEEN GIVEN JUST HALF THE TALE BECAUSE THE GOOD STUFF WAS LEFT OUT IN FEAR OF BORING A GENERAL AUDIENCE

IT MAY BE THE COFFEE TALKING, BUT WE THINK THESE UPGRADES ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS IN ANY GEAR WE USE, AND ARE AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS FOR WHAT A TOP LEVEL DESIGN PROCESS CAN BE

IT IS EXPECTED THAT TEAMSTERS WILL HAVE A WORKING HARNESS SET UP THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH, THAT IS CARRIED COMPLETE, READY TO GO STRAIGHT FROM THEIR PACKS. THE START OF A ROUTE AT +5000m IS NOT THE PLACE TO START ARRANGING YOUR PERSONAL GEAR

ELITE ALPINISM WITHOUT KAZUYA AND KENRO BECOMES A DIFFERENT THING NOW, AS THEY REPRESENTED AN EXTREME LEADING EDGE OF STYLE AND COMMITMENT THAT HAS FEW OTHERS IN ITS COHORT. AT A TIME WHERE HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING HAS DEVOLVED INTO MOSTLY COMMERCIALISM AND A GAME OF STATISTICS, THEIR TYPE OF CLIMBING KEPT THE CURVE SET BY KURTYKA, MACINTYRE AND FOWLER ALOFT.

THIS PROFILE IS BASICALLY THE DESCRIPTION OF A FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS CLIMBER; ONE WHO HAS DARED TO CLICK ON THE SILLY NAME, HAS MADE IT PAST THE INKY & GLITCHY GRAPHICS AND SPELLING, HAS SEEN PAST THE STUFF ABOUT CROWLEY, XINJIANG AND THE POOR STATE OF 8000m CLIMBING, HAS SALIVATED OVER THE EXOTIC AND QUEERLY COLOURED GEAR, AND WITH EACH TURN TAKING THEM FURTHER FROM MAINSTREAM CLIMBING HAS FELT MORE AND MORE THIS IS THE PLACE FOR THEM

THESE DAYS THINGS CAN BE SO LIGHT AND EFFICIENT IT IS AMAZING HOW FAR UP THINGS CAN BE LIVABLE, BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE SORT OF CAMPS BIG ALPINISM WAS ONCE DEPENDANT ON. NOW, WITH A SMALL AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES – WHAT WILL FIT IN A SMALL STUFF SACK – HIGH CAMPS CAN BE PERFECTLY HABITABLE IN PLACES ONCE RESERVED FOR SPARTAN BIVYS, PUSHING THE OLD MEME TO NEW POSSIBILITIES THAT ‘WHAT YOU CAN CLIMB DEPENDS ON HOW LONG YOU CAN STAY UP THERE’