Fallen Giants and Into Thin Air have both displayed a common theme – the “golden age” of Himalaya mountaineering is dead. The counterculture movements of the 1960s influenced not just the western views on the Himalaya region but have extended up to that mountaineering itself. A new generation of climbers is shaking things up and…
Reading Response
Into Thin Air
by Colton •
I tried to shake myself from the pessimistic feelings that had recently developed since reading Shit Happens, but it had primed me for this weeks reading. I tried to see the clients as genuine enthusiasts and lovers of the sport of Mountaineering, yet my disdain persisted. I do not think these climbers deserved to be…
Uncategorized
“Beyond the Edge” in Review
by mmd •
Beyond the Edge is a 2013 documentary film that recounts the first successful summiting expedition of Everest in 1953. What makes this film stand out is that there is no single voiceover that drives the film but it is narrated in sound clips from interviews given by Sir Edmund Hillary, the expedition leader Colonel…
Reading Response, Week 9
K2: The Savage Mountain & Shit Happens
by lcm •
Instead of “Drama of the Summit” could the week be renamed “Depressing Stories of Mountaineering”? The account of the 1953 attempt of K2 led by Dr. Charles S. Houston is not of conquest, rather it is an account of defeat. Even the authors justify the value of their trip as “a venture made for sport…
Final Papers
Maoist’s and Terrorist in the Himalya
by wmg •
My proposal for my term paper will focus on the radical Maoist, and radical Islamic groups in the Greater Ranges. From attempting to overthrow the Nepalese Monarchy, to kidnapping westerners, even British soldiers, all happening in the last 20 years. I will also be exploring the political ramifications of this, such as the British training…
Links, News
Neat GoPro Footage of Himalayan Climb
by th •
Links, News
Red Bull Link: Sasha DiGiulian First Woman to Ascend Eiger Route
by th •
Heres a link from the Red Bull website, for anyone whose interested in the gender issues surrounding mountaineering. A 22 yr old female just attempted to climb the North Face of the Eiger. She’s the first female to ascend this particular route on the North Face, and describes why it is so important. Enjoy! http://www.redbull.com/us/en/adventure/stories/1331746365694/sasha-digiulian-climbs-eiger-interview?wtk=us000028&linkId=22051896
Final Papers
Final Paper Topic – Bryant Lymburn
by Bryant Lymburn •
For my final paper I was thinking that I could explore the quest of people who are conducting or have done ski mountaineering on peaks greater than 8000 meters. I may need to lower this elevation to account for more skiers conducting these items. Sources: The Man who skied down Eversest – movie Skiing everest (2009)…
Reading Response, Week 9
Shit Happened on Everest & K2: For Different Reasons
by th •
I really enjoyed both these readings this week. Until K2: The Savage Mountain, I had never heard of the incredible, and tragic, story of the1953 American expedition. This story was one tale of bad luck after another, yet at the same time, a story of incredible heroism and friendship. Charles Houston and Robert Bates did…
Uncategorized, Week 9
K2 the savage mountain
by nap •
K2 The Savage Mountain offered a fresh and honest literally account of the first American expedition to K2. A major contrast to a majority of the texts that we have read so far in this class, which highlighted individual glory and the pursuit of masculine adventure high in mountains as well as bringing pride and…