SummitPost.org

I was informed this morning by my aunt that my cousin Jason Wells (one of the climbers on El Capitan) died. This year has been continually reminding us about the perils of extreme climbing and has been giving moments of pause. A shame I didn't get to go climbing with him.

The pair, experienced climbers in their 40s, had climbed El Capitan many times before and were reported to have been training for a speed ascent of it...

“I’ve been worrying about this speed game for a while. The faster you go the more dangerous it is,” Ken Yager said... “I understand the attraction of it, but [speed climbing is] a lot different than what we did here 30 or 40 years ago, and what we did then was plenty dangerous. With speed climbing you don’t have time to double-check your systems. It’s all fun and games until you lose a party like this. It’s horrible.”

- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -rock-face

"Speed is safety" my partner Vincent tells me at 14,000 feet as we prepare our way onto a high altitude Peruvian mountain. With rock climbing making sure everything is bomber is essential while in other alpine scenarios performance can save your life. When struck by tragedy rather than determining whether one should or should not climb, if one still is compelled to continue they should learn everything they can to be safer (this includes already safe climbers). Luck plays a big role, however so does choosing the intensity of the sport and where (Denali vs Annapurna for example). As someone who has played on the rougher fields and has almost been swept away by avalanches; the mortality becomes more apparent.

Josh Lewis wrote:A shame I didn't get to go climbing with him.

Or maybe you're lucky.