"Because it's there."

Peregrinator

Hooded On A Hill
Joined
May 27, 2004
Posts
89,482
The words of great climber George Leigh Mallory, asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb Mt Everest. perhaps the most famous quote ever on climbing, and certainly the one that gets the most play among non-climbers.

In this thread, I will attempt to answer your questions about the craft of moving on technically challenging terrain in the mountains. Rock, Ice, Snow, Altitude...what do you want to know?

I started rock climbing a little over ten years ago, actually the week of the Oklahoma City bombing, by taking four days of lessons with other litsters and great friends atmas and HungryJoe. I started ice climbing maybe a year or two later, and I've been hiking all my life; I've climbed some technical snow and some high stuff. I certainly don't know it all, but I like it, and I like to talk about it.

Ask away.
 
Peregrinator said:
"Because it's there."

there have been times in my life i've felt like this about penis.

conquer and climb all over "because it's there."
 
In what way is "because it's there" a satisfying answer?
Would that be your answer?
 
Marathonman said:
Why can't people leave Billy Buckner alone?

He played a non-climbing sport.

"If all else fails, immortality can always be achieved through spectacular error."

~Mark Twain, maybe?
 
Why did Hillary tell a group of people (mountain climbers I believe) her mother named her after Sir Edmund.... years BEFORE he ever climbed Everest?

Is that the kind of question you were looking for?
 
Hester said:
there have been times in my life i've felt like this about penis.

conquer and climb all over "because it's there."

That may explain its popularity as a pithy turn of phrase.
 
Have you ever almost shit your pants because you were scared?
 
Malachi said:
In what way is "because it's there" a satisfying answer?
Would that be your answer?

Well, my answer would be that I don't especially want to climb Everest. /evasive

I think it wasn't satisfying, but it does nicely capture the fact that mountaineering is a supremely selfish endeavor; no one benefits except the climber, except in cases of fundraising or glacial research or something.
 
BlueEyesInLevis said:
Why did Hillary tell a group of people (mountain climbers I believe) her mother named her after Sir Edmund.... years BEFORE he ever climbed Everest?

Is that the kind of question you were looking for?

:avery:

He was famous long before he climbed Everest, but I think she might be lying.
 
I don't mean to be morbid, but the thought crossed my mind ...

Do you have any personal experience with a situation in climbing where one or more members have had to sacrifice themselves to prevent the entire group from dying? Is there any training in climbing that addresses this kind of situation?

On a lighter note ...

Ever had sex in the mountains? Was it different? Better? Worse? Did she compare you with the size of the mountain? Was the mountain's phallic nature an aphrodisiac to her? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
LeahLo519 said:
Have you ever almost shit your pants because you were scared?

Not that I recall, but I've definitely had moments where if I were so inclined I would have. There are times when if you fall, you're going to fall a long way, and you're not sure you can climb any further as a result of exhaustion or ability, and your legs start shaking ("Elvis" or "sewing machine" leg), your hands sweat, your brain starts seizing up. Climbing is a seriously mental game.

It's kind of comparable to tightrope walking; I know that you could walk fifteen feet along a two-by-four laying on the ground. Try it stretched between two telephone poles.
 
How do you feel about the death zone, HACE and HAHE?

See, those are the things that make me think climbers are completely insane.
 
Why?


Oh - and what do you think of people who get lost/trapped on a mountainside and we spend thousands of $$$ in search and rescue to get them down? Shouldn't THEY have to pay for that? I mean - why should I have to pay for some - um - idiot (ok - silly person) who wants to just go out and climb around?
 
Typo Fu Master said:
I don't mean to be morbid, but the thought crossed my mind ...

Do you have any personal experience with a situation in climbing where one or more members have had to sacrifice themselves to prevent the entire group from dying? Is there any training in climbing that addresses this kind of situation?

The closest I've come to that is a friend who dies while guiding on Denali. A client had fallen and Chris went to help, fell, and died. I've never been "out there" that much in terms of danger. It's actually really rare, except for the world-class folks who are really pushing the envelope. Climbing has an undeserved reputation for hazards; most of them are easily mitigated.

On a lighter note ...

Ever had sex in the mountains? Was it different? Better? Worse? Did she compare you with the size of the mountain? Was the mountain's phallic nature an aphrodisiac to her? Inquiring minds want to know!

Um, only on smaller mountains, never at any kind of serious altitude. Same as sex while camping.
 
The restroom situation.

So. What happens when your extra-tiny bladder doth protest?
 
Hi Pere.

How do you condition for a "climb"... err, what's your regimen before an expedition?

Are there times when you get exhausted and wonder, 'Why am I up here doing this? I need a nap but I have to stay focused.'

If so, what do you to stay alert and up for it all?
 
What do you think of the guides who take "amatures" on major mountains like everest? With sometimes tragic results.
 
Recidiva said:
How do you feel about the death zone, HACE and HAHE?

See, those are the things that make me think climbers are completely insane.

I assume you mean HAPE and HACE?

They're significant hazards at igher altitudes, but if you're vigilant, they're generally unnecessary. You can almost always get down in time to avoid any serious issues with them. Acclimitization goes a long way toward prevention as well.

The Death Zone refers to the region above 18,000 feet, where the human body is unable to further acclimatize, and wounds don't heal. Digestion becomes difficult.

It's the main reason other than weather that the really high mountains are a very different kind of challenge. I'd go, with the right people and if someone else paid for it.
 
LeahLo519 said:
Have you ever almost shit your pants because you were scared?


Were you three, sweetie?

Big girls don't do that anymore, okay? :cathappy:
 
Moonlust said:
So. What happens when your extra-tiny bladder doth protest?

You hold it until you have a chance to pee. In particularly sensitive ecosystems, people pee in bottles and carry it out.
 
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