Andrew Bisharat på R&I hemsida som en kommentar
"In the course of its history, mountaineering has embodied two competing--but perhaps equally valid--strains of thought in terms of what it is at its essence: 1) there's the idea that climbing mountains is about adventure, exploration and seeking a solitary experience, where one relies on one's own skills to get up and down a peak. The Freedom of the Hills, etc. 2) Then there's the concept that peaks can and should be conquered (historically, for nationalistic glory); and that peaks are trophies for our own vainglory.
Today, just replace the glory of the nation with that of the sponsoring corporation, and the idea is the same--even if the marketing language boasts otherwise. For the climber himself, he is likely caught somewhere between these two strains--with some climbers able to handle the balance better than others ... I don't think it's any longer possible to find a solitary experience, where self reliance and honed skills are tested, on Everest any longer ... And if that's the case, then the question becomes why climb it? I think that's what this article is suggesting ... Where do the motivations come from?
It's a testament to what motivates most humans that Everest gets gang-banged every year, yet surrounding the region are thousands of unclimbed, aesthetic peaks without names and without routes--and that will likely continue to be the case for the next 50 years.
I don't think it's too far of a stretch for Freddie to have used the Action Direct example either; the idea is that when the inherent difficulties of the challenge are being mitigated, then it's hard to call it valid. That doesn't mean people aren't free to do what they want, how they want ... it's just a valuation thing: one thing is more valid, more badass, than another. If you had to climb through the Khumbu icefall by rapping in and climbing back up each and every serac; if you didn't use fixed ropes to stock camps; if you didn't use oxygen to bring down the altitude challenge, the number of Everest ascents would be under 10, I bet. Instead it's around 5,000. No one would ever be able to redpoint Action Direct in their first year of climbing, but it's not uncommon for Everest to be a climber's first summit. I think this article is lamenting the fact that what should be so rad, so challenging, and has become diminished. "
Anyway ... interesting discussion! Flame on
Källa:
http://www.rockandice.com/news/1945-mount-everest-is-completely-irrelevant