Mountaineering Style

This post goes a little deeper then a Mountain Light Jacket from The North Face or a R2 fleece from Patagonia. I would like to talk about a climbing style that is poisoning the sport of mountaineering. Mark Jenkins has written a great article in the September 2005 issue of Outside magazine entitled The Element of Style.

The article starts with a conversation with Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks. Viesturs reflects on reading the book, Annapurna. It was written by Maurice Herzog; outlining the first accent of the 26,545-foot Nepalese peak with the same name by a 1950 French expedition. Viesturs remembers:

"Camaraderie, bravery, sacrifice, perseverance. That's the book that got me into climbing. I grew up in the great mountaineering state of Illinois and moved to Seattle right after high school. I could see Rainier out my dorm-room window. That was my Annapurna then."

Later, Ed touches on his training strategy:

Could I train myself to meet the demands of climbing at high altitude? Could I train my mind? It wasn't just about getting to the top; I wanted to experience what it felt like up there. Going without oxygen was more interesting, more challenging—technically, physically, and mentally.

The below illustration depicts two forms of mountaineering style. The one on the right is the Ed Viesturs way. The one on the left is a style that is creeping into the mountaineering community like an infectious disease.

The climber on the left is clipped into a fixed line; has a supplemental oxygen mask; and is carrying an abundant amount of gear. Equipment that may never be carried back down.

This type of climbing is what destroys not only the nature of the sport but also the "field of play":

Fixed lines contribute to the despoliation of our mountains. They allow an excess of equipment—extra food, oxygen tanks, computers, iPods, etc.—to be carried to high camps, and much of it is never brought back down. Even the fixed lines themselves are often not removed, leaving yet more debris on the peak. Leave No Trace has been a maxim for backpackers for decades, and yet this basic principle is frequently ignored in mountaineering.

I have to admit, I have been guilty of carrying my iPod on some of my mountaineering trips, thus, contributing to the degradation of mountaineering style. However, I do agree with the point Jenkins is making. Would I love the chance to say that I've published a From The Still post on the top of Everest? Of course, but that's showing some serious disrespect to my climbing buddies and the mountain.

Jenkins goes on with the comparison of using a step ladder as an aid to dunk a basketball to illustrate the absurdity of the use of oxygen tanks in mountaineering. What type of message can this send to current and future climbers? Hey, you know what? If we carry more gear and some oxygen tanks it is really only going to be like climbing to 24,000 feet instead of 26,000 feet. Our training can be tailored to that; more gear, less elevation. It should be our duty to ask the following questions on every climb: Am I climbing in a ethical way? Am I climbing in a respectful way?

Why we climb is personal, but how we climb—a question hardly ever asked—is communal. How we climb defines the spirit of our sport. How we climb has a direct impact on not just the practice and future of mountaineering but the health of the alpine environment.

If you read just one page of this article, read page 5. Climbers everywhere should be able to..

...visualize the day when, with ultra-modern bivouac gear, a climbing party of two sets off to do an 8000m. peak just as today one sets off to do a hard route on the Grand Teton or Mont Blanc...Such climbing demands deep outdoor acumen, technique that has become instinctual, mental stamina, the legs and lungs of a locomotive—all of which require years of apprenticeship in the mountains to develop. When you substitute oxygen for training, fixed lines for technique, and Sherpas for uncompromising personal responsibility, you've not only diminished the great, mortal game of mountaineering; you may have diminished yourself.

TF6S and I are going to attempt to do a series on this subject. I'm sure he will keep up his end of the bargain providing intelligent content from research and personal experience. Let's hope that I can keep up mine!