This past week, we read argumentatively the most read and recognized mountaineering book, Annapurna. Pairing this timeless classic with an in-depth historical account of the so-called “Golden Age” of mountaineering, was a true delight. This change in pace allowed for the gloom and doom of the previous weeks to finally come into the light.

Annapurna tells a tale of not just conquering a 8,000 meter peak, but also adventure and exploration paired with comradery that inspires many. The reason that the adventure was, in my opinion, so successful was because of the lack of an ending destination that had been planned. The initial goal was simply to climb one of the many great Himalayan peaks that tower over 8,000 meters in elevation. Herzog did not know where he was leading his expedition other than up. This time allowed them to be successful because of the amount of experience acquired before the final assault on Annapurna. For example, Herzog decided that everyone needed to get acclimated after the people who had not spent the night at a higher altitude yet were wheezing, while those who had were not. If this acclimation was not implemented, there would not have been a successful expedition. The procuring adventure not only saved lives, but also made the expedition successful.

However, an expedition with no estimated length or knowledge of required supplies, required a large amount of funding. Furthermore, one must have the means available to them in order to be able to participate in a multi-month long expedition. This cost associated with mountaineering forces it to be an upper-middle class hobbie. For example, the American Alpine club was primarily made up of wealthy, Northeastern intellectuals, such as Teddy Roosevelt. Yet, wealth was not the only determinant for mountaineering; historically, mountaineering reflects a masculine sport, because of the time period where imperialism was taking place.

Women have been involved in mountaineering and been apart of the history. However, women are never mentioned in full accounts within mountaineering history. Although mountaineering is the most literary of sports, the vast majority of mountaineering books out there are written by men. This is not because the women of mountaineering do not write books, rather that the male authored books are more attractive to the public, and therefore, have grown more popular, while the women are forgotten. The battle between the brotherhood of the rope vs the feminine rope is a perfect example of the split between the sexes. Instead of a split, there should just be a the fellowship of the rope. The lack of femininity in the history of mountaineering is a mystery, however, it should be pointed out.

Mountaineering has been made famous by many people from all walks of life. The beauty of the summit becomes a community and brings people together. Annapurna is a good example of one of the beauty that can come from a great feat, such as conquering part of the great Himalayas. Annapurna shows that the epic free-spirited climber or the everyday adventurer can have success on a great conquest with determination.