Risk & Selfishness
Nonkel V has proposed to go & do some preparation for our Canadian trip in Grindelwald, home of the Eiger from Oct 27 until Nov 4. That sounds really great & I urgently need a vacation. Mmm, Doesn't everybody urgently needs one? Trouble is, that's also the period of my girlfriend's birthday. (Incoming !)
One of the reasons I started this blog is to try to explain to non-climbing sceptics what this lifestyle is all about. I need to convince my girlfriend that climbing is not a selfish pursuit of rich white boys. Yes, I know, hard job but someone's got to do it.
Recently I took up skydiving. Even though it's not a great aerobic workout I think it helps a lot with climbing, especially in the more scary moments. I'm curious to learn more about the relationship between skydiving & climbing. Steph Davis is a skydiver, so is Leo Houlding. One thing is sure: skydiving is as addictive as climbing.
There's obviously the BASE connection. With my 11 jumps I'm nowhere near my first base jump, but the idea is intriguing. I've seen BASE described as a fast way to get down after alpine ascents but somehow I doubt about that. Weather conditions (wind, visibility) need to be perfect for BASE & even though a base rig is smaller it's still a lot of stuff to haul up. Not exactly for the unprepared.
Skydiving & base are clearly high-risk, high-adrenaline activities. Lots of people ask why I like these kinds of activities. Some point to a probable (among many) chemical deficiency in my brain. I don't experience skydiving as a high-risk activity. To me it's more about risk management, staying on top of things, training your mind to stay in control when things go bad.
Both climbing & skydiving are highly technical activities which can be practiced safely with good preparation. I'm not doing this for 'kicks'. E.g. I don't think bungee jumping is very interesting. Kicks for sure, but where is the technical difficulty? Buy the ticket, attach the big rubber band & if you're braindead enough you just jump down with a big holler. I don't like risk that cannot be mitigated by mental, technical & physical preparation.
So, two questions to answer with this blog: Why is climbing not a selfish pursuit? Why participate in high-risk activities if it's not for the 'kicks'? Many people ask me, let's try to find some good reasons in follow-up posts.
One of the reasons I started this blog is to try to explain to non-climbing sceptics what this lifestyle is all about. I need to convince my girlfriend that climbing is not a selfish pursuit of rich white boys. Yes, I know, hard job but someone's got to do it.
Recently I took up skydiving. Even though it's not a great aerobic workout I think it helps a lot with climbing, especially in the more scary moments. I'm curious to learn more about the relationship between skydiving & climbing. Steph Davis is a skydiver, so is Leo Houlding. One thing is sure: skydiving is as addictive as climbing.
There's obviously the BASE connection. With my 11 jumps I'm nowhere near my first base jump, but the idea is intriguing. I've seen BASE described as a fast way to get down after alpine ascents but somehow I doubt about that. Weather conditions (wind, visibility) need to be perfect for BASE & even though a base rig is smaller it's still a lot of stuff to haul up. Not exactly for the unprepared.
Skydiving & base are clearly high-risk, high-adrenaline activities. Lots of people ask why I like these kinds of activities. Some point to a probable (among many) chemical deficiency in my brain. I don't experience skydiving as a high-risk activity. To me it's more about risk management, staying on top of things, training your mind to stay in control when things go bad.
Both climbing & skydiving are highly technical activities which can be practiced safely with good preparation. I'm not doing this for 'kicks'. E.g. I don't think bungee jumping is very interesting. Kicks for sure, but where is the technical difficulty? Buy the ticket, attach the big rubber band & if you're braindead enough you just jump down with a big holler. I don't like risk that cannot be mitigated by mental, technical & physical preparation.
So, two questions to answer with this blog: Why is climbing not a selfish pursuit? Why participate in high-risk activities if it's not for the 'kicks'? Many people ask me, let's try to find some good reasons in follow-up posts.
posted by Anonymous at
12:22 PM
