Obviously, most of us are too prudent and too cautious to even consider this question. But, is there a part of you that admires mountaineers who would rather die than give up, turn back or surrender to a mountain? I certainly admire the fearless and the crazy brave.

Not me, I admire climbers who come back alive.

Remember that guy who wrote "Doctor on Everest"? He made it to 300 ft short of the summit. Because it was PAST his turn around time, he turned around. He got back down with few problems... and wondered ever since if he should have kept going.

I admire him even more for turning around with a good safety margin. Smart!

Uh, death please. No, cake! Cake! Cake, sorry.

I agree that I admire climbers more who turn around, rather than go for the top and risk it. Like Ed Viesturs always says, "Getting to the top is optional, getting back down is mandatory". If you are smart enough and have enough self control to turn around, I think that takes alot more than to go for the summit and risk your life and possibly others. And, if you live, you can always try it again under most circumstances.

bergs wrote:Obviously, most of us are too prudent and too cautious to even consider this question. But, is there a part of you that admires mountaineers who would rather die than give up, turn back or surrender to a mountain? I certainly admire the fearless and the crazy brave.

Are you married with a large life insurance policy?

I admire my cousin, who is a retired crop duster pilot.

Sometimes a hobby can be taken too seriously.

drjohnso1182 wrote:Uh, death please. No, cake! Cake! Cake, sorry.

Great comment, nothing to add but the link!

Christian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZVjKlBCvhg

Neophiteat48 wrote:Are you married with a large life insurance policy?

Thought A: Salience of the word married, or for that matter, dependents or someone you would like to see once you get back down etc?

Thought B: Conversely, you would need to be in the company of someone that also has the same ambitions, surely! Then again, anyone see the Mt St Elias movie where the Yank is talking to the European guy about leaving the Yank behind if he thought the going was getting too dangerous.. guess that comes down to Thought A again eh?

Some tales resonate, others do not. I admire restraint and caution, particularly when exercised against great ambition. Its takes a rational mind to over come the irrational spirit.

But there are other tales, sad though they seem on the surface, that take on a light of their own. These young men and women, who fell before us, their stories breathe life into the fabric of the sport.

That they did it willingly, the dice rolled and cast.... never to return.

I've been reading Joe Simpson's Beckoning Silence, can you tell? Staring at pictures of Toni Kurtz, Andreas Hinterstrosser, Karl Mehringer and Max Sedlmayer by the dim candlelight... Eiger Dreams indeed.

DMT

bergs wrote:Obviously, most of us are too prudent and too cautious to even consider this question. But, is there a part of you that admires mountaineers who would rather die than give up, turn back or surrender to a mountain? I certainly admire the fearless and the crazy brave.

They are obviously stubborn and stupid. Nothing to admire.

I think its all misconception in the original post. I'd say probably 99.999% of climbers, if they could, somehow know for sure beforehand, they would die attaining a summit, they would turn around. They only continued on because they thought they could probably get away with it and live.

It's one thing taking a calculated risk to achieve a summit, but knowingly going to your death, that's a whole 'nother ballgame.

There are tons of stories in history where people knowingly gave their lives for a greater cause - now, that's admirable.

granite4brains wrote:I think its all misconception in the original post. I'd say probably 99.999% of climbers, if they could, somehow know for sure beforehand, they would die attaining a summit, they would turn around. They only continued on because they thought they could probably get away with it and live.

It's one thing taking a calculated risk to achieve a summit, but knowingly going to your death, that's a whole 'nother ballgame.

There are tons of stories in history where people knowingly gave their lives for a greater cause - now, that's admirable.

"Forward!" he cried, from the rear, and the front line died.

One of the magical properties of climbing is to be able to run the gauntlet of near or certain death and through will, ability and some luck, emerge alive from the other end.

And that will that empowers some to live, also empowers them to suspend disbelief. In this crazy game, that ability to suspend disbelief is both necessary and potentially a curse?

DMT

Dingus Milktoast wrote:

granite4brains wrote:I think its all misconception in the original post. I'd say probably 99.999% of climbers, if they could, somehow know for sure beforehand, they would die attaining a summit, they would turn around. They only continued on because they thought they could probably get away with it and live.

It's one thing taking a calculated risk to achieve a summit, but knowingly going to your death, that's a whole 'nother ballgame.

There are tons of stories in history where people knowingly gave their lives for a greater cause - now, that's admirable.

"Forward!" he cried, from the rear, and the front line died.

DMT

huh? If you're appying that to what I said, I think you may have misunderstood what I was saying?

bergs wrote:Obviously, most of us are too prudent and too cautious to even consider this question....

SUMMIT OR DEATH

HA! Speak for yourself!

Years ago a climbing partner of mine (who shall remain un-named) and I decided SUMMIT OR DEATH. We were going to attempt a very difficult route on a major mountain and it was SUMMIT OR DEATH.

It was all very silly. When we finally got up on the mountain we were scared out of our minds and we went from SUMMIT OR DEATH to something more like RETREAT BEFORE I SHIT MYSELF.