Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer
I began reading Eiger Dreams because I thought its title sounded fun – a play on “I got dreams”. I liked the way Jon Krakauer writes, and although I don’t climb, I could follow his trail of thought. He doesn’t just write about glory and success. He shows behind the scenes.
In particular, I appreciated reading about the unique experiences of the author and his contemporaries, written as a collection of essays in the late 1980s, each on a different topic, with mountains being their uniting element. We find out about ice climbing the Eiger North Wall, Chamonix, Alaska, the Himalayas, and what it’s like to be tent bound. I discovered that there are a variety of philosophies to climbing, depending on what is being climbed and what gear is being used. Or not. Climbing a boulder is not quite the same as climbing the highest mountain in the Himalayas, and yet both require great skill.
Bouldering
Bouldering, as the name implies, is about ascending boulders that are less than 9 m (30 ft) high; made popular by John Gill, who said, “I recognized that mainstream philosophy is a very binding force that can keep you locked into a certain perspective, and I didn’t like that.”
Bouldering for John Gill is connected with the state of mind. The preparation is both mental and physical, so it feels seamless; like being sewn into the rock.
“It’s a climbing activity with metaphysical, mystical, and philosophical overtones.”
I think that only a mathematician like Gill can state, “One of the objectives is to achieve an interesting result – ideally an unexpected result – in an elegant fashion, with a smooth flow, using some unexpected simplicity. There is the question of style.”
Of ice climbing
Yvon Chouinard, a self-taught blacksmith, sold quality pitons, carabiners, and other climbing stuff he had designed, made, and tested. Himself. He said that his way of life was “just climbing and selling gear I’d make out of the trunk of my car.” The business grew. In the long run, though, the bulk of sales came from his sideline of top-notch outdoor clothing, designed and tested with the same philosophy as the hardware.
While reading this story, I paused and thought of the jackets and vests we got at company events in last year, and wondered, “Wait, isn’t this Patagonia ?”
Yep. It sure is.
Yvon wrote a book called “let my people go surfing” – about the education of a reluctant businessman, meaning himself. I contrived to get myself a copy as a result of our latest Customer Forum and am slowly reading it.
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Chomolungma or Qomolangma
Not surprisingly, Mount Everest is not its first name. It has several others that are much older, namely, Chomolungma, meaning “Goddess Mother of the Land”, or Sagarmatha, meaning “Goddess of the Sky”; which I personally find prettier and more apt.
Chomolungma aka Sagarmatha aka Mount Everest is considered, since 1865, as the highest mountain in the world. In 1986, its height was challenged by newly sampled altitude data of another mountain called K2. Debate ensued. Some folks who thought they had climbed the highest mountain in the world suddenly felt challenged. On October 6, 1987, it was settled once and for all with the most precise measurements at the time. K2 at 8,611 m is about 3% smaller than Everest/Chomolungma /Sagarmatha which remains the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 m.
A bad summer on K2
K2 is located in the northernmost corner of Pakistan, in the heart of the Karakoram Range. It is a striking mountain that’s very difficult to climb. 1986 was a tough year: 1 out of 5 people who attempted to climb K2 that summer did not come back from it alive. Jon Krakauer goes into the history, politics, and techniques of climbing 8,000-meter peaks and tells some of the climbers’ stories, intertwined with explaining the effects of weather conditions.
Canyoneering
Canyoneering is about exploring canyons. It is not as technically difficult as climbing and doesn’t need much specialized equipment – it’s a hybrid made of river running, rock climbing, and backpacking. The focus of canyoneering is on discovering paths to proceed through the canyon, without getting intimidated by such different worlds complete with abrupt 2,000-meter plunges, gushing rivers, caves, ruins of ancient settlements, waterfalls and different vegetation. Canyons represent wilderness. Untamed.
Fast forward to here and now
One of the most memorable moments for me this year was to hear Benedikt B?hm speak at a company event. During his entire lucid and on-point speech, my thoughts kept being thrown back to what I’d read in Eiger Dreams, kind of like homework. I understood, too, that contemporary climbing has moved on. Benedikt B?hm uses a technique called speed climbing, without extra oxygen – done during a favorable weather window – in order to remain as little as possible in the mountain zones that have the most risk associated with them. He prepares for the climb mentally and physically, assesses his risks for each part of the mountain, and reduces what he carries to the utmost minimum. He skis down. I think his authentic experience on mountains helps him lead in business. He's a CEO.
And he's about to climb another Himalayan peak.
#speedup #helpingband #climbing #books #outdoors #mountains #challenges #mindset