TO most people mountains are two-dimensional scenery, as pretty as color pictures and no more real. To a small number of men and women, however, each peak is a solid, unique, three-dimensional entity. These few find in the mountains fundamentals that give deep meaning and joy to their lives beyond and above all ordinary pursuits. They are the ones who climb.
And what is mountain climbing, besides getting to the top of peaks under your own power? The sport has many facets. Non-technical ascents resemble uphill hikes, often long and strenuous. They require little more than energy and good outdoor common sense – including the judgment to know where the non-technical climbing stops and the technical begins. Technical climbing means climbing with a rope and other equipment on terrain that is hazardous without protection. Between the two types there is some overlap. Hiking and backpacking are involved in the approach to most technical climbs. Some peaks have both easy and difficult routes to the summit, or the route itself is a mixture of climbing problems. Non-technical climbing often provides background skills, knowledge, and inspiration for learning about technical aspects of the sport.
Technical climbing is of two kinds. Rock climbing refers to scaling cliffs with the protection of equipment and special techniques. It is frequently an exuberant end in itself, but may also be an integral part of major ascents. In snow, ice, and glacier work, ropes are also used for protection. Some of the techniques are similar to those used on rock, but most of the equipment is different. Both rock climbing, and snow and ice climbing, have their partisans and specialists. Many climbers, especially those of long experience, have an intense interest and competence in all phases of mountain climbing. These are the mountaineers.
Roped climbing is a poorly understood sport in the United States, where people say things to climbers like: “You must be Swiss (or French) – you are wearing one of those hats (or baggy pants).”
Or, “I could never do that; heights make me want to jump off.”
Or, “But you don’t look like a mountain climber.”
Or, most frequently, “You ought to give up climbing. It is too dangerous!”
Climbers do not think of themselves as curiosities or uicidal crackpots, nor of their sport as a sensation. With such a general reaction to climbing, it is no wonder that its enthusiasts become rather reticent and withdrawn with outsiders (except perhaps for promoting the sensation theory through photography).
A swimmer, skier, or ball player does not become really good at his sport without a bent for it, and long training in muscle skills and techniques. A climber too finds that a natural flair is helpful – but is indispensable only for outstanding proficiency. Almost anyone can learn to climb competently if he is fired with sufficient zeal and desire to put forth the effort. He must develop skills in specialized, complicated, and sometimes controversial techniques, through both instruction and long practice. He must become familiar with equipment, its evolution, and how to use it. He must gain a detailed knowledge of constantly changing natural conditions. If he seeks really challenging ascents, he must prepare for extreme physical demands. He must possess a high degree of determination and willppwer. And he must be able to judge his own capacities and those of the people he climbs with.
When all this knowledge, drive, and experience are fused together, the climber is far safer on potentially dangerous cliffs or glaciers than a careless hiker is on a trail. It should be reassuring to friends and relatives that this training has, as its primary aim, safety in climbing. Only a fool really gets his kicks out of risking his life, and most climbers are not fools.
Well, then, what are they? They seem full of paradoxes. They are sometimes “loners,” and are certainly individualists who shudder at the thought of regimentation. However, they readily accept teamwork, and gather in organized or unorganized groups for companionship. Climbing requires an unusual amount of physical fitness and stamina; yet many climbers are students or professional men. The sport demands serious attention to inherent hazard; yet climbers are humorous and lighthearted. Some are world-famous in the climbing fraternity for their skills and accomplishments; others have the capacity or desire to do only moderate climbs, but may enjoy the sport just as much.
Climbers are not of uniform build, age, or sex. The majority are young men in their late teens and early twenties, with a background of outdoor pursuits in which skills adaptable to climbing have been developed. Some start climbing later in life. Quite a few women and girls climb. Though they seldom have the strength or desire to be rope leaders, they take their place as team members with the same joys and obligations as their male companions. Technical climbing is not a sport for children or for very young teen-agers. They have neither the sustained interest nor the endurance necessary, and cannot take a responsible place on a rope until they reach fuller physical development and possess mature good judgment.
A climber’s role in his sport does not remain static. An enthusiastic and talented beginner learns rapidly. Many climb fanatically for a few years and then quit. Others find climbing such an absorbing way of life that they pursue it for as long as physical capacities and time permit; experience, and often endurance, increase with the years. A snow and ice climber may add rock climbing to his repertoire, and a rock specialist may decide his forte is mountaineering.
People seldom climb half-heartedly. Most are simply unaware of the sport; some are intellectually intrigued but have no intention of becoming involved; others are horrified. But a few are wild about it. Why do they like to climb? Mountain climbing is a varied and challenging sport with great esthetic and physical appeal. Each climb is an adventure of such a highly personal nature that if you need to ask “Why?”, you will never get an answer you fully understand. Climbers seldom try to explain their motivation to non-climbers, though they speculate and philosophize among themselves.
To each potential climber, the sport is an exciting new world. If it catches your interest, you have an inkling of why. If you want to know how, learn – but learn safely.