The Message of Steve House
I ADMIRE STEVE HOUSE for his approach to the mountains. Step by step he has become the best alpinist he can become. In my view he is at the top of mountaineering. He climbs the right routes on the right mountains in a time when everyone is climbing Everest. Often we haven’t even heard of the peak he is climbing on. But how, and with whom, he is climbing interests me.
In this book he gives up his experiences, his stories, his heritage. There are no words of the “climax” on the summit, no words of victory. Instead, Steve tells about suffering through freezing cold bivouacs, the discomfort of high-altitude, the deep emptiness after a high success.
Steve House is a great adventurer; he knows that “success must never be assured.” He is also a great storyteller. He tells about doing, not about morals or lessons. His commitment to his goals lets him try and try again. The times he succeeds he learns that success is as temporary as the snow in spring.
I am keen to read these stories of one of today’s best climbers – to know about Steve’s mentors; his moments of learning, evolution and revelation; his heroes and dreams; the moments he excels and when he fails; his partners and his trust in them, and his sorrow when he loses them – to know about his life. These stories evoke strong emotions in me. I remember the loss of my own friends, my fears before great climbs, my care for my partners.
In this day, climbing has become a global phenomenon and most climbers around the world act like they are in a climbing movie with beautiful, colorful Gore-Tex suits and shiny aluminium. In contrast, Steve says, “My most rewarding days were days when I cut away everything.” And with these few words he holds the same line as Mummery, Bonatti, and Robbins. It’s the style that makes the difference.
“The simpler we make things, the richer the experiences become.” But only if we remain active, only if we try, only if we risk – and especially when we fail. Failure is a part of learning. Through our failures we learn the most. “Action is the message.”
– Reinhold Messner