IN THE CASE OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T INCREASE A CLIMBERS PERFORMANCE – IT REPLACES IT
RECENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING ALWAYS COME AROUND TO THE SUBJECT OF TECHNOLOGY, USUALLY RELATING TO PERFORMANCE ENHANCING METHODS, BUT ALSO ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS.
HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING ALWAYS HAS GONE HAND IN HAND WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. FROM ADVANCES IN DESIGN IN THE DAYS OF ECKENSTEIN & CROWLEY, THE RISE OF SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN WITH FINCH & MALLORY, THE POST-WAR EXPLOSION OF TECHNOLOGY THAT WENT WITH CLOTHING, THE MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES SINCE THE 80’s THAT HAVE BOUGHT US STRONGER & LIGHTER GEAR, TO THE DIGITAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES THAT PUT GPS, FORECASTING & CAMERAS ON THE TOP OF THE HARDEST PEAKS. THE PRESENCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY IN EXPEDITION CLIMBING IS AS OLD AS EXPEDITION CLIMBING ITSELF, WHAT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE OR SO IS IT’S EFFICACY FOR AN INDUSTRY WITH AN EXPONENTIALLY EXPANDING FOOTPRINT.
WE HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH TECHNOLOGY BEING USED IN THE MOUNTAINS. WE JUST DON’T USE IT WHEN IT REPLACES THE MOUNTAINS. OUR ETHIC IS THAT A SUFFICIENTLY PREPARED CLIMBER CAN DO THESE THINGS, AND THAT TECHNOLOGY’S ROLE IS TO INCREASE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR PERFORMANCE & EXPLORATION, NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR IT.
CURRENTLY THERE IS AN INDUSTRIAL SURGE TO PUT MORE PEOPLE ON SUMMITS BY USING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE IT OPEN TO MORE PEOPLE BY BOTH LOWERING THE STANDARD OF PREPARATION & RAISING THE AMOUNT OF NOISE BROADCAST. THE CONCEPT OF WELL PREPARED PEOPLE ENDEAVOURING IN HARD ENVIRONMENTS WELL OFF THE GRID STILL EXISTS, BUT EVERY YEAR IS FURTHER LOST IN THE INCREASING NOISE OF GENERIC TRIPS WITH LARGE FOOTPRINTS, OFTEN WITH LITTLE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO BEING MADE.
HIGH- & LOW- TECH DISTINCTIONS
WE DON’T THINK THERE IS SUCH THING AS EXCLUSIVELY HIGH- OR LOW- TECH TRIPS, BUT ALL TRIPS SIT TOWARDS ONE SIDE OF THE EQUATION OR THE OTHER.
HIGH-TECH DEPENDENT EXPEDITIONS ARE ONES WHERE HUMAN INTERACTION WITH THE CLIMBING & MOUNTAIN IS STREAMLINED TO IT’S FUNCTIONAL MINIMUM USING TECHNOLOGY THAT REPLACES WHAT A HUMAN CAN DO BUT HAS CHOSEN NOT TO. IT DOESN’T MAKE HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING POSSIBLE – WE ALL KNOW IT IS – IT MAKES IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE, TO THE POINT IT NOW EXCLUDES NO ONE NO MATTER HOW UNPREPARED THEY ARE FOR THE REALITIES.
THESE TRIPS ARE VERY STREAMLINED AS THEY TAKE PLACE WITHIN A MARGIN BASED ENTIRELY ON WHAT THE SPECIALIST RESOURCES CAN WORK WITHIN. SCHEDULES, LOADS, STAFF & TRANSPORT ARE ALL TUNED TO NARROW MARGINS SET BY TECHNOLOGY, NOT THE ORGANIC CONDITIONS OF THE MOUNTAIN. COSTS REFLECT THIS, GOING TOWARDS HIRING, OVERSEEING, MOVING & MAINTAINING DEVICES AND DESPITE SHORTER TIMELINES WORK OUT NO NO CHEAPER. THESE TRIPS ARE KNOWN FOR INCLUDING LITTLE OTHER EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF THE SCHEDULED ASCENT – THE ITINERARIES ARE DEPENDENT ON THE CLIMBERS MONITORED METRICS, NOT THEIR APTITUDE FOR EXPEDITION CLIMBING.
LOW-TECH EXPEDITIONS ARE ONES THAT DON’T REPLACE HUMAN ABILITY FOR TECHNOLOGICAL SUBSTITUTES. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY ACTUALLY ‘LOW TECH’ AT ALL, VERY OFTEN USING HIGH TECHNOLOGY MATERIALS, DESIGNS & EQUIPMENT – BUT THEY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HUMAN CAPABILITY AND TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITY AND DON’T MAKE UP FOR THE FORMER WITH THE LATTER. LOW-TECH EXPEDITIONS USE METHODS THAT NORMAL HUMAN PERFORMANCE CAN ACHIEVE WITHOUT SUBSTITION & DON’T ALTER THE AMBIENT ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE UP FOR SHORT-COMINGS IN INDIVIDUAL PHYSIOLOGY OR EXPECTATIONS. LOW-TECH EXPEDITIONS, BY ADJUSTING TO ALTITUDE WITHOUT ARTIFICIALLY ALTERING IT, ARE BY THEIR NATURE SLOWER & SPEND MORE TIME ADJUSTING TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THESE SORTS OF TRIPS MAY NOT RESULT IN MORE OR LESS SUMMITS, BUT THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT MORE MOUNTAIN TIME.
THE TECH
THERE’S VARIOUS FORMS OF TECHNOLOGY THAT HIGH- & LOW- IS PREFIXED BY AND COMMUNICATIONS, NUTRITION, EQUIPMENT & INFORMATION, BUT IT’S USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH PERFORMANCE -RELATED METHODS LIKE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN, PRE-TRIP PREPARATION & PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORING.
PREPARATION TECH
THE EVIDENCE THAT HYPOXIA TENTS WORKS FOR HIGH ALTITUDE ASCENTS IS STILL LACKING, BUT IT DOES SEEM TO WORK FOR THE APPROACH. WHILST TRAINING WITH MASKS & IN PRESSURIZED ROOMS HAS NO EFFECT BECAUSE IT ISN’T FOR LONG ENOUGH, CONSISTENT SLEEPING AT INCREASING ALTITUDES APPEARS TO BUY TIME ON APROACHES THAT CAN HAVE A KNOCK ON EFFECT WITH THE CLIMBING.
THAT SAID, THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS & REASONS TO DO A LOW TECH APPROACH THAT CAN HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON THE CLIMBING PART OF A TRIP, THE PRIMARY ONE BEING TIME SPENT BUILDING YOUR OWN AWARENESS. LIKE ALL TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES, IT DOESN’T INCREASE PERFORMANCE, IT JUST PUTS IT INTO THE HANDS OF SOMEONE ELSE, SOMETHING WITH INHERENT RISKS. IF YOU ARE GUIDED & PORTERED THE ENTIRE WAY UP THE PEAK AND WILL NEVER BE MAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS FOR YOURSELF THEN THERE IS LITTLE NEED TO BUILD SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, BUT IF YOU ARE THE OBSERVATIONS GAINED DURING THE APPROACH ARE THE VITAL INFORMATION AN ASCENT IS BASED ON.
NUTRITION
LIKE THE REAL FOOD vs DEHY CONVERSATION, NUTRITION IS A MAJOR PART OF STAYING ON THE MOUNTAIN LONG ENOUGH TO GET THINGS DONE. THE LONGER THE TRIP THE MORE LOW-TECH ‘REAL FOOD’ YOU NEED IN RATIO TO HIGH-TECH SUPPLEMENTS & SPORTS FOODS.
HIGH-TECH FOODS DEFINITELY HAVE THEIR PLACE IN CRAMMING KCALS & NUTRIENTS INTO COMPACT FORMATS FOR USE HIGH ON THE MOUNTAIN, BUT IT IS THE REST OF YOUR DIET THAT THE ENTIRE TRIP IS FOUNDED ON. WE SEE A LOT OF ATTEMPTS MADE TO DO EXTENDED TRIPS ON FORMULAS & SUPPLEMENTS ONLY (WE’VE DONE THEM OURSELVES) MOSTLY IN ORDER TO SAVE WEIGHT – AND EVERY TIME THE MAIN CAUSE FOR COMING DOWN EARLY IS TO EAT REAL FOOD. FOR THE SAKE OF AN ACCEPTABLE INCREASE WEIGHT, REAL FOOD TAKEN UP COULD HAVE SAVED MORE THAN ENOUGH OF THE TIMELINE & ENERGY TO MAKE IT WORTH CARRYING.
FORECASTING
HIGH TECH WEATHER FORECASTING CAN BE BOTH THE BIGGEST SAFETY FACTOR AND DEADLIEST ELEMENT ON AN EXPEDITION. LIKE OTHER HIGH-TECH ELEMENTS, IF IT’S ALL YOU ARE RELYING ON ANY ADVANTAGES FROM IT ARE BALANCED BY THE CHANCES OF IT FAILING, AND WHATEVER THE TECHNOLOGY USED, NOT ALL TRIPS THAT USE IT SUCCEED.
WEATHER FORECASTING HAS COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST 15 YEARS, BOTH IN QUALITY & AVAILABILITY. ONCE EXPENSIVE BESPOKE SERVICES, NOW FREE INFORMATION & MODELLED INTERPRETATION ARE EASY TO GET NEARLY ANYWHERE. THE GOOD THING HERE IS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE USING MORE DATA TO GET BETTER AT PREDICTING THE WEATHER, AND THIS IS ONE EFFECT OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WE ARE HAPPY ABOUT. THE PROBLEM COMES WHEN PEOPLE IGNORE THE WEATHER RIGHT AROUND THEM BECAUSE OF IT. AS GOOD AS FORECASTING HAS BECOME – EVERY YEAR CLIMBERS STILL DIE IN ADVERSE WEATHER OR BECAUSE OF IT.
THE ART IN WEATHER FORECASTING ISN’T IN DISCERNING THE DATA – IT’S IN RELATING IT TO WHAT YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF. ANY WEATHER, WHATEVER IT IS, IS IN RELATION TO WHAT IS ALREADY GOING ON AND THAT REQUIRES ACTUAL OBSERVATION FIRST HAND JUST AS THE AVALANCHE FORECAST HAS NO VERACITY TILL YOU DIG A PIT TO CORRELATE IT.
PERFORMANCE
LET’S BE CLEAR THAT IN THE CASE OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T INCREASE A CLIMBERS PERFORMANCE – IT REPLACES IT. A CLIMBER UNPREPARED TO CLIMB ABOVE 7000m ISN’T SUDDENLY NOW ABLE TO BECAUSE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN CHANGES THEIR ABILITY – THE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN HAS GOT THEM ABOVE 7000m BY CHANGING THEIR ENVIRONMENT. SOME USE THE ALLUSION TO USING PEDS IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE, BUT THE BETTER ANALOGY IS USING AN ELECTRIC BIKE. THE BODY ISN’T BETTER AT WORKING HARDER – IT’S NOT DOING THE HARD WORK IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN DOESN’T ENHANCE PERFORMANCE ABILITY – IT REPLACES IT BY SUBSTITUTING THE MOUNTAINS ENVIRONMENT WITH ONE CARRIED UP THERE IN A BOTTLE. LIKEWISE ‘PRE-ACCLIMATING’ IN A HYPOXIA TENT REPLACES THE REAL ENVIRONMENT OF A MOUNTAIN WITH THE ARTIFICIAL ONE OF A TENT. BOTH SWAP OUT THE INTRINSIC ENVIRONMENTS OF WHERE THE SPORT TAKES PLACE NOT TO MAKE THE CLIMBING POSSIBLE, BUT TO MAKE IT EASY.
MATERIALS
HIGH-TECH MATERIALS OFFER HUGE ADVANTAGES OVER THE OLD STUFF BUT STILL NEED TO BE USED WELL. THE LATEST CARBON-KEVLAR TOOLS HAVE NO ADVANTAGE IN THE HANDS OF SOMEONE WHO CAN’T USE ALUMINIUM ONES. LIKE WITH SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN & UPDATING FORECASTS, THE GREATEST ASCENTS OF OUR TIMES IN LEATHER, WOOL & STEEL BECAUSE THE USERS COULD DO THESE THINGSREGARDLESS, AND THE TECHNOLOGY ONLY ENHANCED IT DIDN’T REPLACE.
MATERIALS LIKE NEW GEN INSULATION, UHMWPE FABRICS, TITANIUM, CARBON FIBRE & AEROGEL ARE WELL WORTH INVESTING IN BECAUSE THEY MAKE THE EFFECTS OF YOUR OWN ABILITIES GO FURTHER. RATHER THAN LETTING YOU SCALE BACK THE EFFORT YOU NEED TO APPLY, THESE TECHNOLOGIES LET YOU PUSH ALL THAT YOU HAVE FURTHER BY INCREASING THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR RESOURCES, NOT MAKING UP FOR HAVING LESS. EQUIPMENT THAT INSULATES BETTER, IS STRONGER, IS LIGHTER, DOESN’T FREEZE & STAYS DRIER WORKS DIRECTLY WITH YOUR ABILITIES NOT IN SPITE OF THEM.
MONITORING
A COMBINATION OF COMMUNICATIONS, MEDICAL DEVICE AVAILABILITY & DATA ANALYSIS MEANS A CLIMBERS PHYSIOLOGY CAN BE REMOTELY MONITORED ROUND THE CLOCK SO THEY CAN BE ADVISED HOW TO ACT. THIS IS USUALLY USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRE-TRIP PREPARATION METHODS, ACCELERATED APPROACHES & SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN (OFTEN THE HIGHEST FLOW RATE AVAILABLE) – AND IT PROBABLY SHOULD BE. THIS TECH SUPPORTS ITSELF BECAUSE THOSE USING IT ARE TOTALLY RELIANT ON AND ANY ORGANIC EFFECTS THAT COMES INTO IT CAN HAVE DRAMATIC RESULTS. INTERESTING IN IT’S OWN RIGHT, THIS DEGREE OF ‘CYBER-CLIMBING’ WORKS IN LOGISTICS-SATURATED PLACES LIKE EVEREST AND NOW THE BALTORO WHERE ALL THE WORK IS DONE BEFORE THE CLIMBER SHOWS UP, MITIGATION METHODS ARE EVER-PRESENT & COMMUNICATIONS ARE ASSURED. EVEN IF SOME OF THE ELEMENTS ARE YET TO SHOW EVIDENCE OF WORKING, THE CONTINGENCY AROUND THE USER CAN MAKE UP FOR IT.
EFFICACY FOR THIS DROPS AWAY RAPIDLY WITH INHERENTLY LONGER APPROACHES TO MORE REMOTE LOCATIONS, WITHOUT INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT & FORMATTED SCHEDULES. WITHOUT EITHER PREDICTABLE ITINERARIES OR RELIABLE COMMS CLIMBERS ARE LEFT TO MONITOR THERE OWN CONDITION, SOMETHING ANY WELL PREPARED CLIMBER WILL BE USED TO.
SUSTAINABILITY
TECHNOLOGY’S MAIN EFFECT HASN’T BEEN TO RAISE SUSTAINABILITY & REDUCE RESOURCE FOOTPRINT, IT HAS INCREASED IT. MORE PEOPLE WITH MORE STUFF ARE GOING UP MORE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS THEM TO, AND REGARDLESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL CLIMBER’S FOOTPRINT THE COMBINED ACTIVITY IS HAVING A BIGGER & BIGGER IMPACT RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE WORLDS MOST SENSITIVE PLACES. IT’S A COSMIC GIGGLE THAT MUCH TECHNOLOGY IS NEEDED TO OFFSET THE IMPACT OF THE PREVIOUS ROUND OF TECHNOLOGY.
HIGHER TECH REQUIRES A MUCH LARGER FOOT PRINT TO SUSTAIN IT. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO CLAIM IT REDUCES FOOTPRINT BY REDUCING THE TIME A CLIMBER SPENDS OUT THERE, BUT THE REALITY IS IT IS HAS THE LARGEST FOOT PRINT OF ANY METHOD. THE HI TECH CLIMBER SPENDS LESS TIME IN THE FIELD (THE PART OF A TRIP WITH THE LEAST FOOTPRINT), REQUIRES MORE RESOURCES TO BE CARRIED & MAINTAINED, A MORE COMPLEX TEAM TO CARRY, TRANSPORT, ORGANIZE & OVERSEE THE TECHNOLOGY THEY ARE USING – OFTEN APART FROM THE BULK ‘LOW TECH’ LOGISTICS REGULAR TRIPS USE.
TECHNOLOGY ON OUR TRIPS
WE ARE NOT BACKWARDS-LOOKING LUDDITES AND WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TECHNOLOGIES WHEN THEY FURTHER OUR VALUES AROUND THE CULTURES, LOCATIONS & STYLES WE CLIMB WITH, BUT NOT WHERE IT COMPROMISES THE SAFETY, AUTHENTICITY, EXPECTATIONS, VALUE & PERFORMANCE OF THE TRIP.
OUR CRITERIA FOR THE UPTAKE OF TECHNOLOGY IS WHERE IT;
- INCREASES SAFETY BY LETTING US CLIMB WITH A WIDER CONTINGENCY
- INCREASES RESILIENCE SO WE CAN CLIMB IN WIDER SPECTRUM OF CONDITIONS
- INCREASES RESOURCE EFFICIENCY SO WE CAN HAVE A SMALLER BUT MORE FUNCTIONAL FOOTPRINT
- INCREASES VALUE OF THE TRIP WITH MORE QUALITY MOUNTAIN TIME FOR YOUR MONEY
WHERE WE DON’T TAKE UP NEW TECHNOLOGIES IS WHEN IT;
- DECREASES SAFETY BY NARROWING THE BASIC ABILITIES OF A CLIMBER
- SUBSTITUTES FOR LACK OF OR INAPPROPRIATE PREPARATION
- SUBSTITUTES FOR NOT MAKING TIME TO ADJUST TO THE ENVIRONMENT WE ARE IN
- WHEN IT’S NOT SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE OR EFFICACY
- WHEN IT’S NOT COST EFFECTIVE OR DOESN’T INCREASE THE DOLLAR VALUE OF A TRIP
- WHEN IT REQUIRES A LARGER RESOURCE FOOTPRINT THAN CAN BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT IT
EXAMPLES OF WHERE WE READILY EMPLOY HIGH TECHNOLOGIES ARE THE MATERIALS WE USE LIKE CARBON FIBRE TOOLS & DYNEEMA TO MAKE GEAR THAT WORKS BETTER, COMMS THAT HELP US NAVIGATE OTHERWISE UNDOCUMENTED TERRAIN, SOLAR TECH THAT LETS US AVOID GASOLINE GENERATORS & ELECTRONICS THAT LETS US DOCUMENT ASPECTS OF OUR TRIPS.
EXAMPLES OF WHERE WE REJECT HIGH TECHNOLOGY ARE SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN BECAUSE IT’S OUTSIDE BOTH THE DOLLAR & ETHICAL VALUES OF OUR TRIPS, ‘PRE-ACCLIMATION’ BECAUSE IT HAS MINIMAL EFFECT WITH THE TIMELINES OF OUR TRIPS, AND MONITORED PHYSIOLOGICAL FEEDBACK BECAUSE IT’S TOO RELIANT ON MODELS FOR THE UNIQUE OBJECTIVES OF OUR TRIPS.
REMOTE PLACES LIKE THE NORTH SIDE OF THE KARAKORUM AND TIBET WILL REMAIN OUT OF REACH OF UNNECESSARY TECHNOLOGY FOR A WHILE YET. TO BE CLEAR; WE HAVE NO ISSUES WITH THE USE OF SUBSTITUTED TECHNOLOGY IN OTHER PLACES, WHERE THEY ARE ALREADY SET UP WITH THE LOGISTICS FOR IT. USING REPLACEMENT TECHNOLOGY THERE IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF FITTING IT INTO AN EXISTING SET OF LOGISTICS. BUT ON THE NORTH SIDE, THE BASELINE LOGISTICS CAN’T SUPPORT IT AND WE ARE NOT ABOUT TO REENGINEER AN AUTHENTIC PROCESS TO DO SO.
