I am fascinated by how many people want to do this knowing that around 25% of attempts on K2 end up a popsicle. Also the idea not becoming a popsicle is an “achievement” baffles me.
I kind of see the appeal. The desire to challenge yourself, and the people I know who climb (rock climbing not alpine style mountaineering) really enjoy the physical expertise required. In that regard it's not much different from those people who do other extreme sports. I'd also imagine the views from the top must be overwhelmingly beautiful. Part of me would love to do it - but a) I'm too old to start now, and b) I have a terrible fear of heights.
I just finished Perdurabo, a superb biography about Crowley. He was an excellent mountain climber and was part of the very first (official) K2 expedition. The bio spends a good chunk of time on this part of his life, as it was his main focus prior to the occult stuff. Not unrelated: t'was a fellow climber who encouraged his occult interests (moving mountains, if you will...)
During the bio, you also get to meet the dude who invented the crampon. These were fascinating, innovative, and driven individuals. Some might call them crazy and/or egotistical...but maybe that is what it takes to accomplish extraordinary feats 🤷
Mountain climbing has come up a lot in my recent readings: besides that bio, one of the main characters in The Satanic Verses is a female climber; and I just finished a short story collection by Dan Simmons featuring a story ("On K2 with Kanakaredes") about a group of humans who go climbing with an alien ambassador. It delves into the psychology of what might motivate a Mind (human or otherwise) to do something as reckless and rebellious as risking it all for the simple sake of #BeenThereDoneThat
Important not to confuse the 1986 K2 Disaster with the 1995 K2 Disaster, or the 2008 K2 Disaster, or any K2 Disasters that have not yet occurred but which, judging by past performance, will certainly happen in future.
I still can’t wrap my head around the desire to do things like this-it seems to be nothing but ego.
I am fascinated by how many people want to do this knowing that around 25% of attempts on K2 end up a popsicle. Also the idea not becoming a popsicle is an “achievement” baffles me.
“Remember, every corpse on Everest was a very motivated person!”
"How did he die, officer?" - "Happy!"
Some people are shitheads. I have never understood why this is but it’s a very persistent trait of human kind
I kind of see the appeal. The desire to challenge yourself, and the people I know who climb (rock climbing not alpine style mountaineering) really enjoy the physical expertise required. In that regard it's not much different from those people who do other extreme sports. I'd also imagine the views from the top must be overwhelmingly beautiful. Part of me would love to do it - but a) I'm too old to start now, and b) I have a terrible fear of heights.
I just finished Perdurabo, a superb biography about Crowley. He was an excellent mountain climber and was part of the very first (official) K2 expedition. The bio spends a good chunk of time on this part of his life, as it was his main focus prior to the occult stuff. Not unrelated: t'was a fellow climber who encouraged his occult interests (moving mountains, if you will...)
During the bio, you also get to meet the dude who invented the crampon. These were fascinating, innovative, and driven individuals. Some might call them crazy and/or egotistical...but maybe that is what it takes to accomplish extraordinary feats 🤷
Mountain climbing has come up a lot in my recent readings: besides that bio, one of the main characters in The Satanic Verses is a female climber; and I just finished a short story collection by Dan Simmons featuring a story ("On K2 with Kanakaredes") about a group of humans who go climbing with an alien ambassador. It delves into the psychology of what might motivate a Mind (human or otherwise) to do something as reckless and rebellious as risking it all for the simple sake of #BeenThereDoneThat
Important not to confuse the 1986 K2 Disaster with the 1995 K2 Disaster, or the 2008 K2 Disaster, or any K2 Disasters that have not yet occurred but which, judging by past performance, will certainly happen in future.
Lets talk Nanga Parba
*Parbat