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The Mountains Are Full Of Danger And The Unknown: Is Mountaineering Worth The Risk?

by Cat Beany McBean

Yes, I am a climber and as a climber I believe mountaineering is worth the risk and I accept the risk. Mountaineering is very personal, its more than just a sport or hobby, its a way of life, a way of life which is a passion, a freedom, a force. This force is a passion for the mountains, for the challenges faced and the satisfaction gained.

There are many challenges faced while climbing, the most noticeable one being the risk, the risk of the known and more importantly the risk of the unknown. The risk of climbing lies not only in the physical possibilities of avalanche, crevasses and storms but also the lack of mental ability and fitness to handle various situations. These risks add to the challenge of climbing, a challenge which goes far beyond the physical limits of endurance to the mental limits. To overcome ones own fears and uncertainties is probably one of the greatest challenges in climbing, "...I am a mountaineer. The mountains are my vehicle to knowledge and self fulfilment..."(Dingle & Hillary, 1982:11).

Knowledge and self-fulfilment are the challenges which may never be overcome, but the mountain itself can be conquered. In conquering the mountain you have challenged the risks, raced against nature and the elements and won, and in the words of Ed Hillary "We knocked the bastard off!".The conquest of the mountain and the satisfaction gained has come from using the risks and the possibility of the risks to your advantage, better climbing, total awareness and alertness. This is the knowledge of climbing, how to survive and to survive in the best possible way.

Survival is the ultimate challenge and the source of the ultimate satisfaction. The satisfaction gained from climbing is the a driving force, a satisfaction which is personal and complex but yet is expressed so perfectly in the words "Because it is there" (Mallory, 1924) and "Because I want to" (Dingle & Hillary, 1982:11). Both of these replies give a romantic atmosphere which is associated with the allure of the mountains, an atmosphere developed from a long history of climbing. This atmosphere has also enhanced the risks to a romantic high so that the early fatalities have been immortalised and worshipped, such as Mallory and Irvine on Everest in 1924 - Did they ever reach the summit and conquer the mountain before the mountain and risks conquered them?

Emerging from the long history of climbing is a tradition of risk acceptance. This tradition has reinforced the satisfaction achieved from challenging the risks. In his autobiography John Hunt expressed his satisfaction gained from climbing, "I am content with the thought that sufficient unto my days were the discoveries and delights which they brought to myself" (Hunt, 1978 :14). Like the mountain itself, the tradition of risk acceptance remains through time. Though the years pass and the climbers change, there is still the challenge to take and conquer, and the satisfaction to gain. This acceptance of the risk, the lure of the challenge and the satisfaction was the passion for which Bill Denz climbed.

"I get a kick out of climbing itself. There are a number of factors involved, however. The first name of the game is survival If you expose yourself to a lot of hard climbing there is a 50-50 chance that you will be killed and this is the part I am dubious about. So this is the reason that when I go climbing I like to do a good big hard climb and get right out of it, because the more you expose yourself the more likely you are to get killed, so that means when I do a climb it's' a good one - a new route, simply because it is a dangerous place and if you like climbing and want to get the maximum mileage out of it you have to reduce the risk." (Denz, 1977).

Like Denz and Hunt, I enjoy the mountains, the challenge and the satisfaction. Yes I do believe I mountaineering is worth the risk.