In
the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you
can't. Rusty
Baille.
For
climbers, the term "classic route" is frequently taken to
mean a poorly protected underrated route with death fall potential.
Sandbagging, the act of underrating the difficulty of a route, used
to be a common phenomena among climbers who didn't want to appear
frail, fearful or feeble on a climbing route or mountain.
These
days, and I know I'm dating myself - in the chronological not the
romantic sense - overestimating the difficulty and danger of a climb
seems more common than ever before - at least for some folks. Never
before have I seen so many "if you fall you die routes"
that are actually little more than easy snow climbs or scrambles.
The
corollary to overestimating difficulty is the protection and gear
racket. This schema involves extorting people to wear crampons, use
two tools, protect the route, and/or belay each pitch. Failing to
employ any one of these techniques will result in certain death or,
at a minimum, dismemberment. Maybe I'm a lazy climber, opposed to
carrying extra gear, as I find there are actually all sorts of routes
you can climb without ropes, protection, crampons, or fixed belays,
if you simply haven't carried that stuff along with you. You learn
to kick steps, use poles for ice axes, and solo safely if you really
don't have any other choice.
The
irony is, in the past, we underrated difficulty to veil ourselves in
a miasma of experience, expertise and exceptional bravery. Now, our
climbs are characterized by hyperbole and hubris, and, instead of
appearing courageous, competent and capable, we emerge as insipid,
incompetent bumblers.
Descending Escalade Peak in the Selkirks
No comments:
Post a Comment