women's struggle for the 14 eight thousand recent months has made headlines in the world of mountaineering Hispanic coming struggle keeping the English Edurne Pasaban and Korea Oh Eun Sun for being the first woman to crown the 14 eight thousand, a struggle that seems to have won the Korean with his recent ascent of Annapurna
, despite doubts about whether there really was in time to the top of Kachenjunga or really did not crown. My friends
competition climbers have followed with great interest, including patriotism, questioning the success of Miss O more passion if it's it already does Edurne environment and some media, especially English. Laughable the way the news of the sixth day after the summit of Miss Oh, trying to discredit the Korean "bringing a team of over 20 partners who make it work" and "the whole deployment Korean TV "... as if Edurne not take her to an elite group of English mountain and all the support of TVE through its program at the Edge of the Impossible.
mountaineer
My interest by "race" has been limited: the truth is that I care very little if Edurne, Miss O and Paquita la del barrio the first conquest the 14 eight thousand. I think this is nothing but a struggle of sponsors, which take advantage respective broadcasters trying to sell the show. I have no objection to that, whenever reasonably fair fight and not attended any embarrassing episode. Sure there is a significant audience enjoys the show. I can also understand the interest of the protagonists, as well as "make history" is a way to get sponsors for the future and to achieve fame and income based on books, films and lectures ... something not insignificant for a scene, the professional mountaineering, which allows very few make a living with relief.
So no way, however, because the players who have gotten into this race (or have been drawn by others) tell me that for them to be the first is not so important, and they will not hunt record, and the most important thing is the beauty of the mountain, and shared experiences, and blah, blah, blah ... openly acknowledge that it has a lot of marketing activity does not detract from some climbs are still very committed to anyway.
why I think so exaggerated is the continued presence of Edurne programs and media and its presentation as a hero of our time, as unfair is the attempt to discredit his achievements as if such ascents were walks in the countryside.
In this regard, I usually follow with pleasure and interest that Oscar Gogorza chronicles devoted to the world of mountaineering in the newspaper. However, his insistence on finding
purity mountaineering taken him to be unjust with Edurne and his team and give some sense of "persecution mania" to all who follow in their chronicles. Okay
inform the general public that there is another climbing, the truly "elite", carried out by people seeking innovative ways to climb a mountain, not trite opening new channels, usually seeking technical difficulty and commitment, and in any case trying to give a character of adventure activity that was partly lost in recent times. It is true that these people are not usually appear in the mass media, and many of them see them and want them to earn a living ... but after all, this is the path they have chosen. Their presence in the mountaineering world is widely acknowledged by the scene, and recognize them more or less among the general public may not care too much. This does not detract from, or difficulty, or commitment to an activity such as Edurne: certainly play in another league (something she has never denied), but also is true that we are talking about up eight thousand, an activity engaged even if the ascent is made through normal channels and with generous equipment and personnel. It seems unfair to suggest that what makes Edurne is "walking in the mountains." Once left
clear my position on Edurne, back to the subject that "to be the first ...." In my understanding of climbing the concept of "being the first" has little place. Of course, being the first to ascend a mountain has the merit of confronting the unknown, the component of "exploration" and "adventure" ... something that was very important in the past and less so now, if only because there are few mountains without climbing. But being the first to climb to 14 eight thousand, three thousand of the 300 or the Pyrenees, or be the first to repeat x times the Everest, or climb the mountain so lame ... In short, this sort of thing, devoid of interest to me.
This does not answer a naive search of purism, but something more selfish
what can be learned from this activity? What lessons can take a young mountaineer, someone who starts, it all? In my opinion, very little ...
Moreover, my role models in the mountaineering world, such as Gaston Rebufat, rarely were the first ... This legendary Alpine guide, who was part of the first expedition to Annapurna (the top end trod your expedition mates Hezog and Lachenal), leaves us in his memoirs a poignant lesson waiver the top for the sake of friendship when his companions returned from the summit seriously touched and he and Terray, half blind and freeze, they decide to charge them back (on the slopes of Annapurna and the 50 material!! ) and try to make them safe. I leave you with his words:
"As we left the two small shops in the V field to try to reach the camps below, it seems that during these times Terray and I are in charge of a mission that corresponds to what I like most about my job as a guide: enjoying the surrender in the name of friendship and negotiate with the storm to get to safety peers. The news of his victory should not die here, it is important that Herzog and Lachenal's own ads directly, otherwise, little mind around. " Rebufat
From people like, as Troillet, you can learn. That mountain is going to live, not die, and that the challenge is to seek to enjoy doing what you love. I have learned very little "of the first", except for Edmund Hillary. Particularly Reinhold Messner, a modern hermit, reclusive and elitist, star to be the first served to write books that reflect their solitary nature and his philosophy of life so special ... little interest in my humble opinion, for any willing novice mountaineer to learn.
What can you teach Edurne and Juanito Oiarzabal, or Miss Oh, despite its many conferences? Very little. Unlike everything Iñaki Ochoa Horia or Colibasanu, or the Dawa Sherpa and Sonam
... and many others whose performance on the mountain itself can serve as inspiration for a young mountaineer. Following