As we have touched on in class, mountaineering requires a vast amount of experience in climbing, environmental assimilation, and a sense of adventure; but as a human being I’ve always asked myself in class would it be at all possible for a person such as myself, who is very inexperienced in mountaineering and clueless in very dangerous situations that require immediate thinking, I’d always wondered if I could climb a peak of somewhat respectable altitude.

Last week, we had discussed the commercialization of mountaineering and the money that is made by companies that sell and assist ascents or as the article Shit Happens states, “rats.” I had often wondered if that was something I could do as I am pretty athletic and training would not be out of the question. But upon reading Shit Happens, I had a much larger and respectful approach to mountaineering and the individuals that truly engage and commit themselves to these ascents and adventures. This sport is not something that one can just pick up and head to Nepal the next day, it requires thinking, reflection of oneself, and experience.

I especially liked the concept of “selling thrill” as that reminds me of selling drugs because many individuals who try addictive drugs feel that they are invincible or that they are the one person that will not succumb to the dangers of whatever addictive drug they choose to try. This very much feels like engaging in dangerous physical activities such as mountaineering, you are chasing a natural thrill or high, but it is nonetheless dangerous and very life-threatening and as human beings, we tend to think that we are invincible and that nothing can harm us and that alone has led to the death or demise of many people and civilizations because of the lack of respect for nature and also the dangers that inhabit nature.

The very idea of high-risk sports or activities has in a sense, lost their title of “high-risk” because of the selling point of such adventures. The motto seems to be that anyone can do it, regardless of experience, age, or season; this only makes a dangerous situation that much more dangerous. I think that is incredibly stupid of human beings to not weigh the pros and cons of dangerous activities, but as previously stated, we tend to feel invincible and that totally contradicts an important aspect of mountaineering and that is looking at oneself completely honest and embracing your strengths and weaknesses to stay a live, to make a successful ascent, and to live to tell of the thrill of the adventure. Society has started to take away from the sense of personal experience when it comes to mountaineering, you now go in supervised groups and are given a specific time frame (~21 days) of such experience, merchandise of all kinds can now be readily purchased at such sites, and the companies that profit from mountaineering or whatever high-risk sport steer you away from thinking about the dangers are ahead so long as they fill their pockets with your money.

There is no longer any type of “sport” associated with mountaineering because of the now lack of self-reliance and I also felt that the need to push yourself such as you do in sports is also gone. Businesses now make it very easy for people to participate in such events specifically to make money and seem to lack respect for nature or human life.