Interesting. Reader comments worth checking out.
It is interesting seeing how some moths are drawn to the flame, how some justify it, and how some cannot comprehend it.
Taking this a bit further, there was an OP in the NYT re: Sierras Avalanche that killed 8 skiers in the Backcountry near Tahoe.
Says his bit about what I was babbling about in the previous post, about sidling up to the bar/taking your shot, and why.
It’s unsurprising to me that those who try to articulate why seem to end up talking of the zone/connection/handing the wheel over to the Stig. It’s the underlying thing this quasi spiritual seeking behaviour, I think. This is a yearning for something and it has nothing to do with being an adrenaline junkie, which is what it’s usually blamed on, that character flaw.
It’s quite a bit more subtle and dangerous than that, imo.
Want to share your story about why and why no more or why you persist?
Here’s some fun from someone who was able to acheive true mastery…
Context:
Things have gotten weird since I was young. Nowadays the crazy stuff often involves technical climbing as well. I guess when the best were all able to be dropped off by helicopter many peaks got ridden and combining the disciplines seems like a way to chase purity.
Here, however, is where I fall off the bus and join the normies scratching their heads…
There is a documentary I cannot find that spent time with a bunch of these folks and explained the progression. It’s bizarre to me, in that, the participants include some very high IQ folks. PHD mathematician, Surgeon, etc. What began as BASE jumping turned into trying to connect targets and clear gaps, using terrain (couloirs) etc. This is a zero sum pursuit, however.
