Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 4:20 pm
Ama Dablam. Summit Day = 2nd happiest day of my life
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rdesota wrote:Ama Dablam. Summit Day = 2nd happiest day of my life
Tom Fralich wrote:Matterhorn
When I first started getting into mountaineering, I thought it would be incredible if I could ever make it up the thing, even with a guide. I was in Europe on several occasions early in my climbing career, but the stars never seemed to align. Years passed and I climbed in lots of places, including Peru, Ecuador, and two trips to NZ. Then one summer, I found myself in the Alps again and it seemed my time had come. For whatever reason, my partner wasn't interested, so after a month of climbing together, we parted ways and I boarded the train from Chamonix to Zermatt. I intended to solo, but secretly hoped that I might meet someone to climb along with, or even rope up with if necessary. Being early season, there were very few climbers at the hut, so I decided to take an afternoon stroll up the first hour of the route to see how it felt. It seemed to go effortlessly and I became more confident. I left the hut alone that night at 4AM and the entire world seemed reduced to the 20 ft radius illuminated by my headlamp. In all my climbs since, I've never felt as confident or as isolated as I did that night. I made it to the summit in just 4 hours and had the world to myself for a few minutes until another party arrived.
I've done bigger, nastier climbs since, but this will always be THE ONE. What once had seemed nearly impossible had become almost trivial. I think it was the day that I became a climber.
Tom Fralich wrote:Matterhorn
When I first started getting into mountaineering, I thought it would be incredible if I could ever make it up the thing, even with a guide. I was in Europe on several occasions early in my climbing career, but the stars never seemed to align. Years passed and I climbed in lots of places, including Peru, Ecuador, and two trips to NZ. Then one summer, I found myself in the Alps again and it seemed my time had come. For whatever reason, my partner wasn't interested, so after a month of climbing together, we parted ways and I boarded the train from Chamonix to Zermatt. I intended to solo, but secretly hoped that I might meet someone to climb along with, or even rope up with if necessary. Being early season, there were very few climbers at the hut, so I decided to take an afternoon stroll up the first hour of the route to see how it felt. It seemed to go effortlessly and I became more confident. I left the hut alone that night at 4AM and the entire world seemed reduced to the 20 ft radius illuminated by my headlamp. In all my climbs since, I've never felt as confident or as isolated as I did that night. I made it to the summit in just 4 hours and had the world to myself for a few minutes until another party arrived.
I've done bigger, nastier climbs since, but this will always be THE ONE. What once had seemed nearly impossible had become almost trivial. I think it was the day that I became a climber.
Gary Schenk wrote:Gafoto wrote:...Mount Peale in the La Sals...
The La Sals look cool, even from a distance. I'd like to spend some time in them.