Rock Climbing
Why would rock climbing matter? Isn’t it just a hobby? No it’s more than that, it’s a way of life. Climbing the rocks of the earth can help you climb the rocks of life. The people that climb generally enjoy life, laugh often, and travel more than people that don’t climb, and these are just some of the reasons people should rock climb. “Rock climbing has been growing in popularity since the 1930s, and it’s no wonder. This exciting activity lets you spend time in the outdoors while challenging yourself…and bonding with friends and family. With the increasing availability of a variety of climbing venues, including indoor climbing gyms, it’s easier than ever to try rock climbing” (Kidd). Climbing gyms are popping up everywhere, even small towns have them and if they don’t, they have one close by. Gyms create an atmosphere for beginners and experienced climbers too have fun and be safe. With trained employees and skilled climbers around to help concur the wall and fears, climbing has become a friendly, trusting sport. With the knowledge gained in a gym,
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“Things didn't work out like I thought, so I had to step back and look at the whole thing. The rock seemed like the obstacles in my life, and I had to stop and figure out how to deal with the problems rather than just pushing on...I was afraid. Both my legs were shaking, and I felt like throwing up, and I said, `I can't do it. I can't. I can't but [friends] helped me, cheering for me and telling me I could... I've had a lot of struggles in my life, and now I'm starting to figure out that each struggle gives me more courage to move on and that when I get through each one I have a sense of accomplishment" (Herbertson). Rock climbing will bring great philosophies to life. After completing a climb, self-confidence is boosted and the ability to keep pressing on is stronger. You may not be able to make it over the mountain now but with time and practice, anything is
The climbers' experience in mountain climbing and at high altitudes varies; some of them are quite qualified, others very inexperienced and highly reliant on the guides. The actual summit push is when everything begins to fall apart.
Climbing Mount Everest is a horrific and thrilling experience that 290 people have died attempting to complete. In the novel “Into Thin Air” written by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer goes through his own journey of climbing Mount Everest and how commercialized the climbing of Everest had really become. In his journey he explains how climbers have paid as much as $65,000 to join a guided group that would lead them to the summit. The author bluntly states that some of the novices were not qualified to climb Mount Everest. With this amateurity it only made the journey twice as much difficult and dangerous. Unfortunately, a terrible blizzard struck Mount Everest within minutes of them reaching the top. For all of the climbers on the mountain, the blizzard turned what was to be a successful climb for all concerned into a nightmare. Because of poor planning, several of the climbers found themselves in a desperate situation that they had no
In the story “Sharon Wood: No Limits,” by Sharon Wood, the author describes Woods experience on Mount Everest. In the story Wood overcomes many obstacles to achieve her goal. She had to handle the extreme cold weather along with the heavy bags they had to carry. Due to lack of oxygen they also needed to carry oxygen tanks with themselves. It requires a lot of strength and determination to climb one of the tallest mountains in the world. Sharon Wood was an inspirational, and discipline woman. Finally, only Wood and her climbing partner, Dwayne Congdon, made it to the top. Rest of the team did not have enough ability to make it to the top. After all the struggle Wood went through; she had finally reached the top of Mount Everest. This was
Meanwhile, Boukreev had zero writing experience before The Climb and even needed the help of DeWalt to co write with him. Unlike Krakauer, DeWalt had never climbed before and was nowhere near Everest during the 1996 disaster. Henceforth, the fact that DeWalt had zero climbing experience and subpar writing abilities, infinitely discredits the facts and debate presented by The Climb. Additionally, while Boukreev was a world renowned climber, Krakauer certainly did have some climbing experience including “a number of fairly extreme ice climbs in Canada and Colorado” (Krakauer 28). Moreover, Krakauer also climbed Mooses Tooth, “pulled off a solo ascent of the Devils Thumb”, and ascended Cerro Torre which was once “thought to be the world’s hardest mountain” before attempting Everest (Krakauer 27-28). For this reason, his knowledge in the subject of climbing is extraordinary and could be seen through his language throughout the book where he uses jargon such as crampons, rig safety tethers, and harnesses. Another reason that Krakauer is more credible is because of Boukreev’s poor and
Within only 10 years, Kor completed more first ascents than any other American did before or since. It is not surprising that Kor was the most comfortable on rocks that were loose and crumbly since he began on a simple clay mound in his backyard. Layton Kor’s years of climbing came to an end in 1968 when he decided to become a door-to-door preacher, but even then he missed climbing. Unfortunately he became very ill with kidney disease but received so much support from friends and former climbing partners that were able to raise money for his medical expenses. At the age of 70, Kor did one last climb in Arizona. He said, “Climbing is hard to give up, it’s just as hard to give up as cigarettes.”
Cross country runners spend weeks to months training for that one moment, the moment they will lean across the finish line. Crossing the finish line only lasts for only a split second, but the impact is significant. People often ask why, why spend so much time training for that one moment? Well for me it’s simple. The feeling I have when I cross that finish line is like no other I’ve ever had; it is a unique combination of pride, pain, relief, and an indescribable sense of accomplishment. After reading Into Thin Air, I realized how similar climbing a mountain actually is to running a race. Climbers, just like runners, spend months training for those few glorious minutes on top.
Individuals take pride in the positive traits derived from the sport. Krakauer expands,“During my thirty-four-year tenure as a climber, I’d found that the most rewarding aspects of mountaineering derive from the sport’s emphasis on self-reliance, on making critical decisions and dealing with the consequences, on personal responsibility” (176). Despite the danger, success in mountain climbing results in a number of disciplined qualities. Regarding the aforementioned psychological effects of risky behavior, adventure can be invigorating as it is rewarding. Bass recounts, “There has to be a spirit of adventure to it, too, and an element of uncertainty and risk. Then when I persevere and prevail, when I overcome and make it, I come back down to the lowlands, back to the bankers and the regulatory officials, and by golly I’m recharged and ready to take them all on” (Bass et al 2). Climbing is an escape from the normalcy of endless routine. Mountain scaling adds an addictive element to perilous activities. Krakauer
I have decided this mathematical exploration will center around rock climbing. As I read the list of sample topics handed to me by my teacher, I instantly gravitated to rock climbing. It is a topic I have substantial interest in and a sport I routinely participate in. However the crag is a long away from the classroom, does math really have its place in rock climbing? I needed to decide where math applies in the vertical world. The solution to this question is the Spring Loaded Camming Device (SLCD). Used in rock climbing, this removable piece of protection is placed into a crack and has a unique self-locking property that prevents the “Cam” from being pulled out, especially when holding a fall. SLCD’s are so successful because of the logarithmic spiral or golden ratio they were designed from. The SLCD’s logarithmic shape, allows the device to have the same ratio of pulling force to frictional force. This ratio is completely independent of the size of the crack the cam is placed in or the amount the lobes are extended or retracted. The optimal camming angle is found between 13.5º and 14º.
They don't take into consideration the huge risks involved. Climbing Mount Everest is a cruel trial which will test your body and human nature.
You would be surprised by the amount of athletes there are that participate in these activities. One athlete in specific is Emily Harrington. Twenty-seven year old Emily Harrington has been climbing for over half her life (Word Press). During her climbing career she has been very successful. According to her Word Press biography, Emily Harrington is a “five-time sport Climbing National Champion, a two-time Sport Climbing North American Champion, has placed podium in World Cups, and finished second at the Sport Climbing World Championships in 2005.” To prepare for her climbs, Emily takes advantage of the boulders in her hometown, Boulder, Colorado (La Sportiva). She also uses gymnastics and when she’s not in her hometown, she practices wherever she gets the chance (RXR Sports). She’s even built a treadmill in her garage to train when she was limited on training resources (La Sportiva).
Climbing makes for a difficult expedition, you need to give up the wrappers when you was ascending. You need to give up the heavy things, you need to give up your wrappers, and you need to give yourselves. Sometimes we need to give up our lives to climb the mount Everest. According to snow storm, the energy, the oxygen and the people who desired prove themselves the spring’s 96s expedition to mountain Everest was destined to be the most tragic.
As the story progresses, we learn that self-discovery plays a major role in Barry’s decision making as he feels he is losing Moira to the powers of maturity and the independence a teen gains as they grow. He learns that to mend a broken relationship, he registers them for rock climbing. We are aware of this fact as it states “Taking up rock climbing had been an act of desperation”, and additionally “When he had noticed an advertisement for rock climbing, he remembered that she had spoken admiringly of classmates who had hiked the West Coast Trail. He had registered them and paid their fees.” This act of desperation reveals how the decision to take up rock climbing can really change the status of even the most fragmented relationships. This new found interest for Barry was an eye-opener in the sense that he underestimated the challenge climbing sixty feet up the cliff would be. During the climb in the story, Barry
Everest is an unbelievable mountain that has taken the lives of a number of the greatest climbers in history. It was my job to ensure that clients make it up that treacherous mountain safely. My name is Rob Hall. I was the main guide and cofounder of a climbing company called Adventure Consultants. My friend, Gary Ball, and I used to be professional climbers. Together we succeeded in climbing to the highest summit on each of the seven continents in seven months. This was our greatest achievement. After this, we decided to start our own company guiding clients up large mountains. In May 1992, we successfully led six clients to the summit of Everest. Unfortunately, Gary died of cerebral edema in October 1993 during an attempt on the world’s sixth-tallest mountain. He died in my arms and the next day I buried him in a crevasse. Despite the pain that his death had caused me, I continued guiding for our company and eventually led thirty-nine climbers to the summit of Everest.
A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
... my determination and self-assurance paid off. Not only did I learn how to climb and to overcome my fear of heights, but I also learned something about myself. I have more confidence than what I thought I did before. Sometimes when I go rock climbing I think back at this moment and just laugh to myself. The struggle, the frustration, and pain, but all worthwhile. I now know when I am faced with a new and uncomfortable situation I’m not so worried or nervous instead I challenge it. Everyone encounters a fear in their life, some walk away and some overcome it, am glad I did. I may feel out of my comfort zone in the beginning, but I know that as I practice and stay persistent being in that new situation and as my skills get better; I will slowly but surely feel more comfortable. It is a truly great, free feeling when you accomplish a goal you have set for yourself.