|
Smears
of Fear Eli
Helmuth
Ephemeral.
As the word rolls off the tongue it conveys more
than its simple definition: Lasting only one day.
I learned early in my tutelage in the high peaks
of Rocky Mountain National Park, that catching a
classic ice route in rare condition is the essence
and the joy of alpine ice climbing. It would be great
if these smears of fear, these smatterings of thin
ice covering glittering granite were timeless, but
that is not their nature. They come and go, these
brief moments of ice over rock. Unannounced and seldom
noticed (unless one is attuned to their possibility),
they are often gone by the end of the day. But if
you can be there at sunrise to find these frozen
assets glimmering in the new day’s sun you’ve
found something better than diamonds.
My
tutor to the Colorado high peaks once shared: For
every four times that I’ve
hiked to do an intended route, I’ve been lucky to find the treasure just
once. One very memorable hike, we did find the frozen treasure. Three hundred
feet of ice no thicker than a CD case, sticking firmly (for the moment) to
the side of Mt. Meeker at over 13,500'. It was not in any guide book, and had
no name to speak of. Maybe it had been climbed by Duncan or Alex way back when—who
knew? It didn’t matter. We didn’t tell anyone of this journey,
and what a journey it was.
How
do we climb this stuff? I wondered as we arrived.
I learned the answer as I watched the Master, gently
tap his pick in, and, with the delicacy of a ballet
dancer, lightly step into the former pick holes
with his mono-points: Very carefully. Take deep
breaths for buoyancy, be light as a mouse. Don’t
break the ice.
But
if we do, as quickly as it appeared, it will be
gone, and we’ll begin
the hunt anew.
Eli
Helmuth
UIAGM/IFMGA
mountain guide, prolific first ascensionist, BD gear
tester and the adopted father of a 60-pound poodle,
Eli has spent the last 20 years living and
working in the mountains. Currently based out of
Estes Park, Colorado, this avid, bordering on rabid,
all-arounder climbs and skis at least 300 days a
year in pursuit of the perfect crack, the freshest
ice and the deepest powder.
|
|
The
Borders of Revolution Pete
Athans
When
anyone asks you why you climb, do you suffer a
loss for words? Do you hear yourself resorting
to some well rehearsed pleasantry, shop worn cliché or
time honored but ambiguous phrase typified by George
Mallory’s quip, “Because it’s there?” At the expansive heart of alpinism there is a defiance
of language. Inside us, however, we suspect the truth:
climbing answers the longing for a fusion of vision,
movement, dreams and imagination in our lives. As
climbers, we have heard around the campfires and
base camps from Yosemite to Patagonia to Everest
that climbing is the seamless interface between art,
sport and life. Why do we find ourselves tongue-tied
to explain?
I
passionately believe the power of alpine climbing
can provide the basis for a revolution against
fixity—the status quo. Psychologically,
climbers are revolutionaries. We’ve all
seen and railed against life’s triviality,
false seriousness and the commercial banality of modern existence. When we
have grown exasperated with the absurd and even
ridiculous lives we lead, as empty of substance
as they are overwhelmed with materialism, we
are secretly comforted because we know the antidote.
Alpinism provides a world of possibilities to
redeem us, inspiring our imagination and dreams.
If those old in spirit no longer dream, if they
suffer the sterility of knowing what to expect,
then the endlessly fertile and youthful imagination
of those who know how to dream must intervene.
Climbing protects the vitality of our lives.
Our
speechlessness upon witnessing a sublime mountainscape
might reveal some causes. When we behold the mountains
we cannot always express our intoxication with
the natural world and the social circumstances
around us. On a climb, we revive our bond with
the natural world, something innate and timeless;
we also enhance our relationships with each
other. It is a mental and spiritual intimacy
that gives us the tools to create something
like art, something practically non-essential,
but beautiful, inspiring. This ability to
create and transform reality by creating
something new gives us a taste of ultimate
liberty. This is strong wine indeed!
So,
the next time you are asked why you climb,you don’t
have to dodge the issue. Take the challenge and
tell them why you love the mountains, alpine walls,
crags and boulders. Better yet, dispense with talking and simply take them
climbing. Even George Mallory would smile at that.
Pete
Athans
In
1980 Pete, Glenn Randall and Peter Metcalf
completed the first alpine-style ascent of the Southeast
Spur on Mt. Hunter using the Peter Metcalf Mount
Hunter diet plan. Despite their meager rations (six
days of food), they all proved undefeatable, completing
the route in 13 days. Athans went on to summit Mount
Everest a record seven times and, in the past two
decades, has participated in 15 expeditions up both
the Nepalese and Tibetan sides of the mountain. In
1996 Pete was a key participant in the Everest rescue
of several climbers who had severe frostbite. For
his efforts the American Alpine Club awarded him
and his partner the David J. Sowles Award.
|
