Until I hit the age of 60, quite some time ago, I was a half decent mountaineer. Not one of the immortals who has scaled Everest, but a plodder with two axes and crampons who engaged with a few Himalayan peaks above 20,000ft, as well as frozen waterfalls in France and Switzerland. I have stood, sat, hung, gripped and dangled from a few very intimidating spots, and there is nothing quite like it to focus the mind, or to bring on a severe bout of mindfulness! One thinks only about the next step, with hand or foot, the next action with pieces of ironmongery or a rope. I am reminded of the famous words of the pioneering Alpinist, Edward Whymper who said:

There have been joys too great to be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I have not dared to dwell; and with these in mind I say: Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.  Edward Whymper

 Mind The Gap!

Our recent posts about mindful travel has triggered memories of my mountaineering days and of three people who shared some very funny yet mindful moments. Rich Cross the Alpine Guide who taught me to ice climb and was always murmuring that Edward Whymper quote just as we started a climb …. “come on Doc, climb if you will, but remember that ….”. Then there was Mingma Sherpa in the Himalaya who would risk his own life to protect others but who would NOT share his Donut with anyone! And finally Michael my son in law, whose nutritional requirements on many an Alpine summit was supplemented with three Ginsters Cornish Pasties strapped to the outside of his rucksack!

You cannot be a mountaineer without being mindful, being utterly “in the zone” of your immediate environment. On snow and ice you are constantly considering avalanche risk, crevasse risk, as well as the security of placed ice screws or fixed ropes. Each step, each move, each action needs to be taken based on considering those risk factors. Is it any wonder that most mountaineering accidents occur on descent simply because mindfulness has evaporated in the euphoric whiff of success from reaching a summit?

So, take a look at a few shots of a Mindful Mountaineer

Alpine Ice

Himalayan Snow

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Categories: Travel

Tags: alpinism, alps, climbing, himalaya, Ice Climbing, island peak, mountaineering, Nepal, Whymper, yala