CRITICAL THINKING

FROM NOVEMBER TO MARCH WE ARE ROLLING OUT EXPEDITIONS ACROSS TIBET AND INNER ASIA. THIS IS WHAT WE LIVE FOR, AND INVOLVES EXTENDED TIME AWAY FROM COMMUNICATIONS, BUT IS A TIME OF HIGH ENERGY AND IDEAS AND A GOOD TIME TO ENAGAGE US. PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT US, AND WE WILL REPLY WHEN…
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CLIMBING AND MEDIA HAVE LONG BEEN SYNONYMOUS, ALL THE WAY BACK TO YOUNGHUSBAND, SHIPTON AND THE DUKE OF ABRUZZI WHERE REPORTS FUELED SPONSORSHIP, PUBLIC CURISOITY AND POLITICS. TODAY IS NO DIFFERENT, THOUGH OF COURSE THE SCALE IS EXPONENTIALLY LARGER, WITH THE FOOTPRINT OF AN EXPEDITION IN MEDIA GOING FAR BEYOND THE CLIMBING WORLD. THERE WAS…
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WHEN ALL IS DEEPLY FROZEN, THE ROCK IS GOOD, YOU ARE ON YOUR TOOLS WITH BIG GLOVES AND THE RACK IS ALREADY AN ORCHESTRA OF ASSORTED OPTIONS, CAMS FILL THE PLACE FOR SMALLER CRACKS THAT ARE SMOOTH, WHEN THINGS ARE TOO INTENSE TO SPEND THE TIME ON A GOOD NUT. THIS ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY A SMALL PART OF ANY ASCENT, BUT A PART THAT IS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE SO DESERVES ATTENTION.

OUR PREVIOUS POST WITH THE ALEISTER CROWLEY SHIRT CERTAINLY ACHEIVED ITS AIM; TO SELL SHIRTS AND TO GET INTEREST, EVEN IF ONLY BY THE LOW HANGING FRUIT OF CONTROVERSY. THANKS TO INSTAGRAM MOST OF THE INTERACTION WAS ABOUT CROWLEY AND THE NATURE OF HIS IDEAS, AND WE FOUND A SECTOR ALMOST AS DROWNED IN COMPETING…
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WE LEARNED EARLY ON THAT THE WAY TO WORK IN CHINA IS TO PLAY THE LONG GAME, TO DEVELOP PERSONAL TRUST ACROSS A PROCESS OF DISCUSSIONS, DEMONSTRATIONS AND QUALITY COMMUNICATIONS. THIS HAPPENS IN THE OFFICES AND OUT IN THE BASECAMPS, BUT ALSO IMPORTANTLY AT THE DINNERS, OVER COFFEE, SHARING WHISKY AND SMALL GIFTS. LIKE ANYWHERE THERE IS A CERTAIN INSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE, AND IN CHINA IT IS NO DIFFERENT TO ANY OTHER BUREAUCRATIC PROCESS.

IT IS ENTIRELY FEASIBLE TO PAIR AN 8000m LINER WITH A 6000m SHELL, FRANKENSTEINING THE BOOT YOU WANT FROM THE PIECES YOU LIKE. COST IS OBVIOUSLY MORE, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF A WINTER HIGH ALTITUDE TRIP IS NOT MUCH, CONSIDERING THE IMPACT IT HAS ON YOUR CLIMBING.

NO WE ARE NOT OCCULTISTS, BUT THE STATEMENT IS ONE WE THINK ALL CLIMBERS SHOULD BE CLEAR ON, FINDING IT INTERESTING THE INTERACTIONS WE HAVE WHEN POSED WITH THE IDEA. AND YES, THAT IS ALEISTER CROWLEY, NAKED IN A HOTSPRING IN THE NORTH KARAKORAM (THAT WE KNOW THE LOCATION OF).

MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT ALL THE OTHER COMPANIES ARE DOING DOESN’T IT..?

OVER OUR TIME IN TIBET AND XINJIANG WE HAVE CLIMBED THIS WAY FOR FIRST ASCENTS, EXPLORATORY ASCENTS, ASCENTS INTO VERY CONTENTIOUS AREAS, MULTI-PEAK TRIPS AND OF COURSE LOTS OF ASCENTS TO ESTABLISHED AREAS DONE IN MORE EFFICIENT WAYS. WHILE WE WILL NEVER CLAIM TO HAVE ORIGINATED THE CONCEPTS WE WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE OWNED IT, BY MAKING IT A FOCUS OF OUR BUSINESS, OPENING IT TO OTHERS AND GETTING THE RESULTS.

WE KNOW HALF A DOZEN CLIMBERS WEARING T-SHIRTS MIGHT NOT REVERSE THE IMPACT PEOPLE HAVE ON THE WORLD, BUT RATHER THAN GIVE THAT SPACE TO THE NORTH FACE AND RAB WE THINK WE CAN DO SOMETHING BETTER WITH IT. WE KNOW THE WAY T-SHIRTS CONTRIBUTE TO BANDS, BRANDS, POLITICS AND TEAMS, SO IF THIS GETS THE MESSAGE AMONGST CLIMBERS THEN PART OF THE MISSION IS ACHEIVED.