Climbing

Who’s Your Mountain Guide?

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

I used to treat mountain guides like many people treat ski instructors; once they showed you the rudimentary basics, you were on your own to figure out the slopes all the way to double diamond.

Part of that approach is appealing to me (in mountaineering).  Many great climbers from the past learned to climb virtually on their own and then improved through their own tenacity for climbing.  The idea of approaching a mountain on your own, just you and it, was part of the romantic wilderness experience.  It also has the potential for greatness or a great fall, separating the bold as either brilliant or foolish.

Among non-climbers, mountain guides are often thought of in terms of the client-guide relationship described in Krakauer’s book of the 1996 Everest disaster, Into Thin Air.  In that relationship, the guide was similar to a shepherd, herding the wealthy (or semi-wealthy) clients to get to the summit.  I’d like to debunk that stereotype.

Now that I climb much, much less than I dreamed I would at this point in my life, I value guides differently than when Rock and River Guides in the Adirondacks taught me years ago.  For me today, mountain guides are still teaching me, reminding me of things I have forgotten or pointing out how to do things better.  This is especially true as gear continues to change and improve.  For instance, there are some better belay devices out there today than the ATC I initially learned to use.

Guides are also the guardians of the future of the sport.  Depsite that the Outdoor Foundation reports that climbing has declined with new entrants in the past four years (I suspect because of the economic downturn, which began in late 2006 with the delinquency and foreclosure crisis), the refinement of climbing depends on the knowledge of mountain skills and the quality of the instructors.  Even people (especially young people) are not flocking to the sport as they did several years ago, those that are sending ought to continue and develop their skills until other priorities (God forbid!) take over.  For me, I rely on guides to give me the pointers before I venture out again.

They’re value is appreciated even more so when things go wrong for hikers and climbers alike.  It is often a mountain guide that comes to the rescue.  In these events, the mountain guides expertise is appreciated even more and respected more than simply a recreational skiing instructor.

As an old issue of Climbing said, they have all the responsibility of a surgeon, despite a plumbers wage.   In that, they are part of the working class, at least in teh United States and Canada.  After a rescue (or hopefully you think so without one) they should be recognized as professionals.

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What $$$ Should We Pay for Recreation?

/ Andrew Szalay / 2 Comments

Remember the old National Parks Pass?  For $50US it allowed users access to America’s National Parks where fees were charged for free for up to one year.  But it had a shortcoming among the complicated land management system in the United States; if your trip took you to a differently designated public land, such as a National Forest or Bureau of Land Management area, the National Park Pass did not work.

At the same time, the government of the United States offered the Eagle Pass.  For a much greater fee, it gave the user and his or her immediate family access to all of the federally managed parkland.  But it was a difficult pass for the various park agencies to coordinate (accepting fees, issuing cards and maintaining records).

Around 2005 the National Park Service lead the way for the other land mangement agencies to issue a new pass, the America the Beautiful Pass, to replace the National Pass, Eagle Pass and the other annual park passes.  The pass costs $80US and gives access to all of the publically accessible land under the control of the United States government (but not the state governments, such as state parks).

I worked on Capitol Hill when this transition was being finalized and at the last minute I worked with the Congressman I served to make this pass available at a significant discount to Veterans that have been discharged under any category other than dishonorable (honorable, medical, and so forth) . We thought it made sense: Give veterans free access to the very land that they served and fought to defend.

We faced resistence from the National Park Service, but we succeeded in starting a chain reaction among the federally controlled public land managers: One by one they announced that on Veterans Day (November 11) each year, US servicemen and women and veterans would be permitted in the park for free.  It was a small consolation, but we took it.  The Veterans Eagle Parks Pass Act continues to be introduced in Congress and seeks support for enactment.

Through this effort, I learned that the land managers missed some opportunities to decide what the right prices ought to be and who could or should be given special access.  Of course, politics hampered some of that discussion.  Admitedly, my boss and I probably did not help with out last minute efforts.  Currently, the pass gives a lifetime benefit to permanently disabled Americans for free and sells the pass to Senior Citizens (Americans over the age of 62) for $10US and is good for the rest of their lives.  This is great, but my boss and I felt that veterans were also deserving.

So why not veterans?  And why was it priced at $80 for the year?  The park service deemed that properly identifying veterans was too difficult and that the $80 price tag made sense to raise revenue while covering expenses.

Land management agencies are all feeling the pinch of the down economy.  Inflation has been creeping upward and governments are all seeking more revenue to pay their employees (wage earners just like you and I) pay for their overhead.  This even applies to the park rangers and other workers in public land management.

What is really dismal, is that it is possible that the land management agencies could increase user fees and access fees to prohibit we hikers and climbers from accessing these great lands regularly.  Most notably, we have heard a lot of discussion about this at Mount Rainier and for climbing Denali.  Theoretically it could become cost prohibitive.

The American Alpine Club (AAC) points out in its policies that revenue to access fees are often arbitrary.  Arguably, fees are sometimes assessed just for the sake of revenue even though there is no cost of maintenance.

We ought to scrutinize the fees charged at the parks we visit.  They are a tax on our ability to enjoy the land.  We ought to weigh in on and speak up.

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Being First is One Thing, Getting There Another

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

As of today, Lonnie Dupre has 25 days remaining to attain his goal.  If he succeeds, he would be the first solo climber to reach Denali’s summit in January.  So far, only Russians Artur Testov and Vladimir Ananich have been there then, having topped out on January 16, 1998.

Last I heard, Lonnie Dupre just got the approval from his pilot in Talkeetna to fly to and land on the Kahiltna Glacier, where he will start his ascent up the West Buttress.

I think missions like this are always ripe for disaster.  When a climber sets a goal with a schedule like his there are various ways to be disappointed: the date might be missed, the summit might not be reached, and injury or fatality may occur.

A goal like this can motivate the climber to push him or herself too far or too hard to be successful.  Goals and objectives are good.  They are key to motivating and often drive us toward accomplishment and self-improvement.  But setting the right goals and expectations might moderate some of the self-imposed challenges climbers face.

A good alternative might be to set the simpler goal of reaching Denali’s summit in winter and see how the weather and circumstances come.  If the climber becomes the first to reach the top in January, great, but if not at least the climb was epic!

I don’t mean to disparage Dupre’s objectives.  They are fantastic and I am partially envious!  Like any mountaineer with a goal he or she has declared publicly, he is in a precarious position. Pressure from ego, satisfying sponsors, and the risk of failure can factor negatively climbing wisely sometimes.  Anyone that has set out for a bona fide first ascent — like Edmund Hillary on Everest or Hudson Stuck on Mount McKinley — probably realizes that the glory of success is great but that accomplishing the goal to get it was daunting and might not have happened.

Let’s hope Dupre can compartmentalized and separate the pressures of his mission from his logical analysis.  A key to being a great alpinist, it seems to me, is luck, nerve, perseverance and analytical skill.  Such a balancing act of such factors could result in a Zen-like moment.  Let’s also hope the weather cooperates!

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Why the European Guide Certification is Still the Benchmark

/ Andrew Szalay / 4 Comments

You may have heard that the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) and the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA) held their first joint meeting and did so in Boulder, Colorado in November.  The AMGA is a member of the IFMGA, which is also known as the UIAGM in French and IVBV in German, but the concept and demands of the IFMGA certification is a high standard and is also alluring to North American alpinists.

IFMGA was established in 1965 by guides from Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria.  At the time that was the “international” community of mountain guides; they worked to provide each other open access to the Alps over their own borders.  Today, European states are considerably more open to each other, and “international” may seem like a stretch.  Today, IFMGA guides are truly international, including a rare, exceptional few dozen in North America, including Canadian alpinist Barry Blanchard.

IFMGA guides must demonstrate proficiency in three key disciplines of mountain travel: Rock, Alpine and Ski.  The European inclusion of skiing for standards and expectations of their best mountain guides has always interested me, as a climber that grew up in the Northeast United States.  The culture in my part of the country allowed me to separate climbing skills from skiing (so I only learned to ski recently).  However, in Europe skiing and climbing, when it came to the guiding culture, high-level skiing skills were expected of the best hired hands in the business.

From all reports, the joint meeting was like any other business convention, which entails board meetings, committee proposals and discussions and some exhibits.  According to the American Alpine Institute Climbing Blog, the most contentious issue was that while AMGA guides have broad access in the Alps, the European guides do not receive the same open access in the United States.  This is interesting because, as I said, several Americans have sought out the IFMGA certification.

The certification if being a IFMGA Mountain Guide is badge of honor, and perhaps because of its European roots, has a mystique among North Americans.  The handful of American guides that have it often use it in their advertising for business (and rightfully so).  It is admittedly more difficult than AMGA standards.  IFMGA guide applicants must have several years of climbing experience, be sponsored by a IFMGA guide, and pass a rigorous multi-day exam in the backcountry while under the scrutiny of the certifiers.  The certification gives the guide membership in the IFMGA and makes them an IFMGA licensed guide able to climb throughout Europe.

Regardless of the differences, the IFMGA designation may be more valuable to guides in North America and elsewhere than even in Europe.  The Europeans set the bar high and all else respected that and have met the standard only in rare occasions.

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Broad Peak and the Sought-After First Winter Ascent in the Karakoram

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

Broad Peak in the Karakoram on a day the Poles are unlikely to see (By Svy123 2006)

The so-called 8,000ers (peaks above 8,000 meters) have all been climbed, but not all of them have been topped-out in winter.  This is most notable in the Karakoram Range, where five of the world’s highest peaks stand and none of them have had an alpinist arrive on the summit between early December and the beginning of March. 

Right now, a Polish expedition lead by Artur Hajzer is already in the Baltoro region staging its bid for Broad Peak (26,401 ft./ 8,047 m.).  For the 8,000-meter peaks that have been climbed in winter, those seven winter-first ascents were all accomplished by Polish expeditions. 

But Broad Peak, like other Karakoram 8,000ers, has been tried before in winter.  In 2006 and 2007, Italian super alpinist Simone Moro led attempts on Broad Peak in the coldest months, including an unsuccessful 2006 climb, which was almost a solo attempt.  What he said in advance of that trip shows his determination: “I will stay there until end of February; and I didn’t find any photographer or cameraman to come with me. So I will have to do all by myself.”  Ultimately, he climbed with Shaheen Baig.  In 2007, he returned in winter only to be turned back again. 

  
While a Polish expedition attempted Nanga Parbat (26,657 ft./8,125 m.) in the Karakoram winter, also in 2007, most attempts in Pakistan have been aimed at Broad Peak.  This is interesting because it must appear achievable to the climbers over the other four 8,000ers in the region, including Nanga Parbat, K2, and Gasherbrum I and II.  If the winter conditions in the Karakoram are holding the climbers back from the tops of these mountains, then the lowest mountain or one with the most direct lines may be the simplest, which could be Gasherbrum II. 

However, we all choose our targets in climbing and even hiking because of our passion for the trail, route or the romance of the peak.  We tend to obsess over our objective.  The reason for the recent attempts on Broad Peak could be based on Moro’s singular excitement over that goal, and the Hajzer expedition on the Godwin Austin Glacier now may have chosen Broad Peak because of the rich, recent information from Moro’s two seasons of attempts.  I am very curious about why Broad Peak has been so popular and am asking some knowledgeable people – I will let you know what insight they share, if any.

While a Polish expedition attempted Nanga Parbat (26,657 ft./8,125 m.) in the Karakoram winter, also in 2007, most attempts in Pakistan have been aimed at Broad Peak.  This is interesting because it must appear achievable to the climbers over the other four 8,000ers in the region, including Nanga Parbat, K2, and Gasherbrum I and II.  If the winter conditions in the Karakoram are holding the climbers back from the tops of these mountains, then the lowest mountain or one with the most direct lines may be the simplest, which could be Gasherbrum II. 

The so-called 8,000ers (peaks above 8,000 meters) have all been climbed, but not all of them have been topped-out in winter.  This is most notable in the Karakoram Range, where five of the world’s highest peaks stand and none of them have had an alpinist arrive on the summit between early December and the beginning of March. However, we all choose our targets in climbing and even hiking because of our passion for the trail, route or the romance of the peak.  We tend to obsess over our objective.  The reason for the recent attempts on Broad Peak could be based on Moro’s singular excitement over that goal, and the Hajzer expedition on the Godwin Austin Glacier now may have chosen Broad Peak because of the rich, recent information from Moro’s two seasons of attempts.  I am very curious about why Broad Peak has been so popular and am asking some knowledgeable people – I will let you know what insight they share, if any.

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Colin Haley Solos Cerro Standhardt

/ Andrew Szalay / Leave a comment

This past weekend, alpinist Colin Haley was in Patagonia where he sended the Exocet route on Cerro Standhardt solo, according to his blog.  Cerro Standhardt neighbors Cerro Torre and Cerro Egger.

The Exocet route has never been soloed, until now.  It involves some scrambling, water ice (WI5) and some mixed climbing.

The route had been attempted solo before in 1994 by Tommy Bonapace, an Austrian climber, but was forced down due to one of those legendary “broom of God” Patagonian storms.

Haley’s accomplishment is all the more interesting when all the peaks in Patagonia have been conquored and the most challenging routes have been mostly repeated.  It’s good to know there are still some records that can still be a “first.”

Well done, Colin!

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