Pumped arms. Sketchy gear placement. Relying on a nine and a half millimeter rope to save your life in case of a fall. Your face cooking in the hot summer sun as sweat drips down your brow. Success is just one move away. You reach, performing a two handed dyno. The chalk cakes your hand as you desperately try to grab on to that bomber hold. Failure. You don’t reach high enough and your hands slip and putting you in a free fall, as you hold your breath. Six meters of weightlessness followed by an enormous jerk between your legs. Luckily, the gear holds and you are still alive, scratched up and able to climb again. Stepping out of your comfort zone not only makes you a stronger person, but makes life a little bit easier.
It all started when I was three. My father took me to the top of Sugar Loaf, the icon of my hometown, Winona, Minnesota. This rock sits on top of a bluff, overlooking the east side of the city. Looking at it, all I think about is 75 feet of pure, exposed rock climbing. After my first ascent, I was hooked; wanting to climb the same route over and over. This I did for a solid three months, conquering this rock face at least four times a week. My skills improved drastically and my father felt that it was time for me to step out of my comfort zone. We hopped in the car and set off in a southeastern trajectory to Baraboo, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, my father grabbed his pack full of gear. I, on the other hand, grabbed my pathetic, uncomfortable thirty dollar harness and expensive pair of climbing shoes and we set off to the east side of the lake. In my opinion, walking into a climb can be just as hard as the climbing itself. I was pooped by the time I reached the base of the rock, climbing over s...
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... rock cracking as the nut forms to the rock. No worries though. The nut holds and we are able to continue our rappel down to the bottom. Upon arrival, I let out a huge sigh and realize that I, once again, stepped out of my comfort zone and did something that tested both my physical and mental strength.
After every climb, I look back and think of all the things that could have gone wrong. I realize that any slight slip could have resulted in complete failure and ultimately death, which personally, I am not comfortable thinking about at such a young age. It is when we step out of that comfort zone and experience something in life we potentially could have missed, we undergo the greatest times of our lives, making us stronger, well rounded people. Like my father always told me, “A fall is not a fall unless you run out of adrenaline before you run out of rope.”
I always felt that I had to know or believe something with certainty. Not so now. I’ve come to realize how little I know about anything. With snowboarding that’s the point I most understand. It’s just when you think you’ve got it under control that the board goes out from under you, and you discover yourself sloshing in the congealed icy mush. Suspending judgement and having fun at the same time and being confident and assertive balances me, and I ascertain an equilibrium. Achieving balance, however, is a constantly mercurial endeavor. If you’re too careful, you’ll never carve the slopes, and if you’re not careful enough, you’ll lose the edge, and forces beyond your control will sling you into the trees or off the slope completely. I’m not anticipating all gloom and melancholy depression with all the snow and barren, gray trees standing stark against the aging night. In fact, anytime I strap on a snowboard and point it downhill, I feel the life force of fun and I can’t stop smiling. It’s just fun—there might not be a better word. On the next slope, should I go it alone? Bringing my favorite people along with me will be the greatest
My last trip to the summit was a journey filled with danger and hardships. The group of people that I was to lead up Everest included Doug Hansen, Sandy Pittman, Jon Krakauer, and Beck Weathers. Doug Hansen had attempted the summit on a guided expedition by me a year earlier, but we had to turn back. All and all the beginning of this trip was similar to many of my other commercial expeditions. We started at Kathmandu and worked our way to Phakding, where I picked up my crew of Sherpas. The Sherpas are very important to our expedition, so I told the team to appreciate their hard work. We then continued to climb until we stopped at Lobuje. This overcrowded village was disgusting and caused many of my clients to become ill....
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.
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
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.”
A kid who never had a bad experience with heights before goes cliff jumping for the first time with friends. He is excited and eager at first, but when he looks ove...
Many climbers are infatuated with reputability. In a number of cases, self-esteem is easily influenced by external opinions. Western society and its expansive economy have left an unparalleled impact on the nation’s collective psyche; many feel that wealth and peer-determined success are the keys to happiness. Baker and Simon point out, “risk taking in a remote and spectacular environment can provide the material for constructing personal reputation and status” (185). Impressionable minds aspire towards social acceptance in order to find some sense of release; mountain climbing is an ideal activity for those looking to impress. Without a defined sense of self-actualization, individuals cannot add true meaning to their lives. Additionally, a credible claim to being first can inspire emotional security. Individuals seek claims on merits distinguished by narrow categories of self-identity (Simon 190). The first woman and cancer survivor were inspired by self-discovery on their Everest expeditions. Many climbers feel that: “Getting to the top of any given mountain was considered much less important than how one got there: prestige was carned by tackling the most unforgiving routes with minimal equipment, in the boldest style imaginable” (Krakauer 23). Psychologically, the gesture can add positive reinforcement to one’s individuality. An individual’s cultural
I rush toward the mechanical clanking and rattling of the ski lift and collapse into the chair. Exhausted, I use this time to restore my energy. I begin to form the image of the steep route that I plan to attempt on my next run. Its nearly vertical face, large jagged rocks, and rough terrain send shivers down my spine and adrenaline into my veins. I painfully recall my previous attempt, where I did not perform the necessary technique in order to survive the run without a crash. This time,
One time I faced a challenge I went ziplining. At first I did not want to do it because I did not want to up that high off the ground. Then one of my friends asked me would you go with me. so I said yes. when I got up there to the top of the stairs. I was really nervous. I wanted to come back down. Then i said to myself you can do it.
I knew taking this shortcut was a mistake, yet I didn't think I had enough strength to keep climbing this monumental cliff with the others. The humidity was affecting my vision and the ground now started to spin. The muscles in my legs felt
I as well as many people don’t understand the symbolism of the the hangman’s knot or the history behind its uses. I have always came to understand that it was an offensive knot to others because of the lynchings going on during slavery time period. Even today the hangman’s knot still plays a role in modern hate crime acts; However the hangman’s knot dates back to as early as the 16th century. The brutality portrayed by the knot brings out many feelings among many different people, And with that causes many acts of violence and rage toward others. The hangman’s knot, or also known as noose is a hard subject for many African Americans to talk about or discuss. Because at the time of these crimes the African American race was looked down upon. They were treated like animals and were never given the least bit of respect, they were tortured, beaten, and then hanged. I can agree that if this happened to my ancestors I would be offended by the many things that used to happen, and the symbols that are used in hate crimes today.
“There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more” (Hensel), and many people failed to see Erik Weihenmayer as anything more than another blind man. However, the short story Blind to Failure by Karl Taro Greenfeld shows that he had all of the strength within him to do anything he put his mind to, including climbing Everest. New challenges may seem daunting, however, once one gains the courage to “conquer the mountains” of life, they will find that it can be exceedingly rewarding. People often ask “Well what happens if I fail?” and the answer to that question is that you will learn from the experience. Taking on challenges will always have an upside, but you have to be willing to take those risks, knowing
It’s a work out on every bone is your body. The first day back on the mountain It doesn’t feel like much, the next day as soon as you wake up it feels like you are super sick you have a headache, your coughing, and every bone hurts just to move. But no matter how big of wreck I get in what ever happens to me I will always want to go. For me there is no better feeling in the world the sound of nature. On a certain tree trail about half through I stop you can hear anything the only thing you can see are trees covered in snow it’s the most beautiful thing I can ever see. I see some people on the mountain they are handicapped yet they still manage to go they have certain bikes and people following them making sure they are safe. So no matter what is going on going to the mountain isn’t just a sport its something they love todo they don’t get paid for it they have to pay for
...e became more and more overcome with suspense and anticipation. Before we plunged to the bottom, we noticed a kayak broken in two pieces. It had been caused by a collision with a boulder, at the bottom of the fall. We were scared to death, because we thought we would hit it and flip over. However, with the help of our fast-thinking and skillful guide, we were able to make it down the fall safely. All the action was over, so we let out a sigh of relief and allowed our nerves to relax.