Touching the Void

SteveR_100Milers

Flirting with the fun of the Lakes last few days...think sharp edge and Jacks Rake. Got hold of this and realised how wussy I really am. Watched this and the army up everest expedition back to back last night till the early hours. Am in awe of these folks who think nothing of clinging onto a wall with their finger tips and tips of crampons.

then again, this is kind of surreal: dan osman soloing Bear's Reach. :shock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rdCfM03Zhs

jpembroke

I climbed for about 13 years. I've hurt myself loads more on a bike than I ever did on rock and ice. Despite the impression given by books like Touching the Void, climbing is quite a safe sport.

Great speed climbing clip btw, thanks for that.

ddraver

Are you talking about the Joe Simpson one?!

Its an amazing story, isnt it. And one of the best books i ve ever read....

doobie919

Good god, that's some crazy stuff right there.

Is that the asme guy who climbed up huge monuments with just his bare hands, no supports or ropes or anything?

SteveR_100Milers

Just watched the film of his book the beckoning silence about the (2nd) ill fated attempt of the Eiger, when Toni Curz died hanging on a rope half way up the mountain. Fascinating stuff, and truly amazing photography.

As regards mountainerring is safer than cycling...some of the Everest stats are interesting, where the death rates exceed 100% ratio to succesful summits (i.e. more people have died trying than achieved it). I don't think that death rates of cyclists get anywhere near! though admittedly there is a big difference between the Hilary step and Napes needle......

Adamskii

Dan Osman did some crazy stuff but taking that many risks caught him out eventually.

Monty Dog

I was an avid climber throughout my teens - I started cycling to get to the crags rather than rely on lifts/public transport. However, extreme rock climbing takes its toll on joint joints and in the end I had to give up because of acute tendonitis and the reluctance to have cortisone injections. I doubt there's a sport which relies on such physical strength and mental toughness. On my return rides from the crags and quarries north of Glasgow it was quite common to pick-up a club ride returning from the Trossachs. Many climbers were the extreme and endurance sportmen of the day, we'd do lengthy cross-country runs and bike rides before the concept of extreme sports had been invented - we just did it for fun or something to do! The ride of the West Highland way was done in the early 80's by road bike! Strangely enough one of my current cycling buddies was an avid climber too at the same age - only 20 years later we realised we had a few mutual acquaintences from our climbing days - he was a climbing buddy of Joe Simpson as well.

jpembroke

Monty Dog - I assume you were a Dumbarton Rock man. Have you seen this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOHwUUoOLYM

What a route. Shudder.

and I have tendonitis too: fingers, shoulders, wrists. I is indeed tough on the old joints.

Clever Pun

you lot might appreciate this on C4 thursday at nine.. probably more sensationlist rather than true climbing though

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3620261.ece

I watching him nearly get up the canary wharf tower in the rain... impressive

flattythehurdler

If you liked Touching the Void, you should check out a book called "The White spider", about the N face of the Eiger. best climbing book ever and one of the best sports books ever. Only "The Rider", and "Feet in the Clouds" come close. Written in 1956, I think. You think Joe is hard. Some of these boys climbed in 6 shirts as they couldn't afford a coat.

jpembroke

I thought The White Spider was a bit dull to be honest: all that teutonic philosophy and symbolism of 'The Rope'. I ploughed through it because it's supposedly a classic but it didn't do much for me. Paul Pritchard's Deep Play is probably the best climbing book I've ever read. Alternatively, if you want the cutting edge of climbing philosophy you could always try Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight. Now, that is intense.

ricadus

Yes, I was reading a history of the attempts on the Eiger's north face recently. A hideous piece of rock.

Ken Night

Monty Dog wrote:

I was an avid climber throughout my teens - I started cycling to get to the crags rather than rely on lifts/public transport.

Same here............and favourite activity was mixed climbing in the Scottish winter/Alps in summer-the latter started the love affair with France.............and riding in the Alps

I can't look down a tall building now-though I did go and look down Pink Void at Baggy Point a couple of months ago....

Favourite books

Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage-Herman Bhul
The White Spider
Mountaineering in Scotland/Undiscovered Scotland-Bill Murray

and unputdownable-Savage Arena, by Joe Tasker

SteveR_100Milers

I'm busily trawling through the Everest 96 "disaster" books of Krakauer, Boukreev and finally the IMAX one for a more balanced view. Have to say though that there are far more interesting hills to climb and people that climb them. The Eiger is a monster, I watched the Hinterstoisser traverse reconstruction and frankly anyone daft enough to even think its possible is impressively bonkers. Shame he didnt leave a fixed rope though.....

SteveR_100Milers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOHwUUoOLYM

Is this the hardest asecent in the world?

What's the general view as to which hill or rock is the hardest to get up?

jpembroke

Hey, I posted that link earlier.

In terms of trad climbing (i.e. difficulty + danger) then yes, that is about as hard as it gets. In terms of absolute difficulty (i.e. hardest moves) it doesn't get much harder than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoYjuLWg ... re=related

jpembroke

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlcQ3mxl ... re=related

cool

Ieuanllan

In terms of hills, K2 is the hardest of all.

Almost as high as Everest, but with grade 4 ice climbing above 8000m.
I'm too cowardly for grade 4 ice at normal levels in the UK, despite being a respectable-ish climber!

Having said that, there's a hill called 'Gasherbrum 4' which is absolutely nails as well.

You guys should check out 'Vertical Pleasure' by Mick Fowler. A great read that always makes me want to go climbing, plus Fowler is just pure class - excellent climber and holds down a normal job!

ricadus

If you ever want a cycling & bouldering combo trip:

http://www.peteranne.it/

SteveR_100Milers

impressive, but that for me is not as white knuckle as a climb with huge exposure. Hacking up eiger might be technically easier, but its the thought of a 2k drop if you slip that impresses me.....

jpembroke

My annual training trip is to the Verdon. I've climbed there in the past and the exposure there got to me more than climbing in the alps. I think it was the 2000ft abseil from the top to access the routes that gets to you. Cycling around the rim is hard enough for me these days.

el_presidente

jpembroke wrote:

I thought The White Spider was a bit dull to be honest: all that teutonic philosophy and symbolism of 'The Rope'. I ploughed through it because it's supposedly a classic but it didn't do much for me. Paul Pritchard's Deep Play is probably the best climbing book I've ever read. Alternatively, if you want the cutting edge of climbing philosophy you could always try Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight. Now, that is intense.

Kiss or Kill is a brilliant book. Twight's "Extreme Alpinism" is also very good. On face value it's an instruction manual but really it's a Nietschean philosophical rant on how to banish every facet of weakness from your body and mind.

Ken Night

jpembroke wrote:

My annual training trip is to the Verdon. I've climbed there in the past and the exposure there got to me more than climbing in the alps. I think it was the 2000ft abseil from the top to access the routes that gets to you. Cycling around the rim is hard enough for me these days.

I visited in 1981 and loved it-the ab was known to send hardmen home before the ropes were out

Is the tree still on Lunabong? (an awful climb up an offwidth drain IIRC)

flattythehurdler

jpembroke wrote:

I thought The White Spider was a bit dull to be honest: all that teutonic philosophy and symbolism of 'The Rope'. I ploughed through it because it's supposedly a classic but it didn't do much for me. Paul Pritchard's Deep Play is probably the best climbing book I've ever read. Alternatively, if you want the cutting edge of climbing philosophy you could always try Kiss or Kill by Mark Twight. Now, that is intense.

Which just goes to show that one man's dull teutonis philosophy is another's heroic tragedy.

heavymental

Vertical Limit is a good film isn't it.


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