Once Upon A Climb

Once Upon A Climb...

Walter Bonatti called it: 'A Shining Light on the Scales of Human Values.' (1962). Three years later, the finest climber who ever lived suddenly stopped extreme climbing and guiding - why? His swansong in 1965 a new direct route on the North face of the Matterhorn - in winter. It is only now, forty years on that we find out why. I believe that Bonatti saw forty years ago, the demise of the sport of climbing; mountaineering, an ongoing demise recently (2008) written about by Michael Kodas in his latest book: 'High Crimes - Everest in an Age of Greed.'

The coils of rope that I am carrying on an ascent to the summit of Mont Blanc were symbolic of the kind of ropes that traditional climbers used to carry, it is a hawser laid rope. In the beginning, safety ropes were made this way, originally, made of a vegetable fibre they were eventually made of the much stronger nylon fibre but retained the three stranded hawser-laid appearance. During the seven ascents that followed during the summer of 1986 on Mont Blanc, during the Bi-Centenary celebrations of the first ascent, the ropes coped well with fourteen weeks of constant climbing use.

I have seen many changes since 1951 when I started hillwalking and climbing and they have not been for the good of climbing; mountaineering, far  from it. Apparently, nothing can save the sports as there is now, no agreement on ethics. The word artificial climbing has changed. It used to mean  direct aid whilst climbing, today, it means most aspects of climbing. Climbing has become an artificial sport per se and because young climbers over recent years have been introduced into an artificial arena their concept of risk has become clouded. Their idea of clean, traditional climbing is apparently, none existent. Young climbers being introduced to outdoors climbing via artificial climbing walls.?? Being introduced the an artificial climbing world has raised the spectre of 'outdoor' climbing' becoming unusual another aspect of climbing to be catered; trained for. Place as many expansion bolts as you like will not reduce the number of abseiling accidents; fatal or otherwise. Both Bonatti and Reinhold Messner have expressed, in print, the above entiments - climbing being ruined; being brought into disrepute. Climbing to be soon, dragged into the murky Olympic arena - drug testing and all.

Climber A, has just climbed an 8a. Really! After practising the climbing moves on a top-rope; after roping down and pre-placing extenders on the bolts then, and only then, supposedly making a first ascent of that particular climbing line. A first ascent any number of climbers could have made if they had been prepared to - cheat. Apparently, this is called a headpoint - or is it a red-point whatever it is called, it is cheating; no concept of risk - just plain cheating.

Real risk they would not recognise if it jumped up and bit them on the bottom. And yet risk is all around us / them in a mountain environment. In 1999 (every winter) during the worst winter in Europe for many years even none climbers; tourist were killed in their droves. 38 were killed in Austria in one avalanche; 12 in Chamonix; Montroc whilst they slept, in a single accident. Climbers, guides and mountain clients making up the rest of that winters tragic statistic.

  To be continued...