MetaFilter posts tagged with climbing

World's highest fight

daveje — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:22:35 -0800

Last weekend, almost 60 years after the first ascent by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, fights broke out between three Western climbers and a group of sherpas, at around 7200m on Mount Everest. The three Western climbers were noted alpinists Ueli Steck and Simone Moro, and photographer Jonathan Griffith. The Westerners were climbing between Camp 2 and Camp 3, when they encountered a group of sherpas fixing ropes for teams preparing to make their ascents. What exactly triggered the altercation is disputed, but there was a confrontation, and both groups separately descended to Camp 2. When the Western climbers arrived, they were physically attacked by a very large group of sherpas. The climbers believed that their lives were in danger, and only saved by the interventions of other climbers. Simone Moro's account (Italian and English) is shaping perceptions in the Western media, and while it is unlikely that we will hear a detailed account from the Sherpa side, a perhaps more balanced account can be found here. Apologies have been made, and an armistice has been signed by all parties, but the incident raises further questions about the increasing commercialisation of Everest, and the changing role and exploitation of the sherpas. Previously: Everest Traffic Jam, Ueli Steck

The Naked Edge

gruchall — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 10:55:02 -0800

Layton Kor, one of the world's most prolific and admired rock climbers, has died. Layton Kor died on April 21 at the age of 74 after battling kidney failure and prostrate cancer. Layton's first ascents blanket every corner of Colorado, the desert southwest, and Yosemite, including many of the most distinguished routes in the world, e.g., Yellow Wall on Longs Peak, The Naked Edge in Eldorado Canyon, Yellow Spur in Eldorado Canyon, Kor-Ingalls Route on Castleton Tower, Finger of Fate in the Fisher Towers, West Butress on El Capitan. Cameron Burns, Kor's biographer, said, “If Layton got a nickel for every person who ever climbed one of his routes, he’d have been a wealthy man.”

“The important thing,” he said, “is moving.”

Fizz — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 08:28:14 -0800

Becoming the All-Terrain Human: [New York Times]

"Kilian Jornet Burgada is the most dominating endurance athlete of his generation. In just eight years, Jornet has won more than 80 races, claimed some 16 titles and set at least a dozen speed records, many of them in distances that would require the rest of us to purchase an airplane ticket. He has run across entire landmasses (Corsica) and mountain ranges (the Pyrenees), nearly without pause. He regularly runs all day eating only wild berries and drinking only from streams."

Skywalker

fearfulsymmetry — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:12:38 -0800

Mustang Wanted likes to climb tall things, walk on them and occasionally hang off them. (Also trains)

Because those giant turbine blades aren't gonna clean themselves

Quietgal — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:05:47 -0800

"Companies like Rope Partner exist because rope access is the cheapest way to maintain the surfaces of wind turbines." Bonus videos: field technicians dangling from ropes here, and a first-person view from a helmetcam here.

Are you crazy to follow your dreams?

quin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:22:35 -0800

Little Octopus Climbing Over That Rock! [slyt] [via]

People must not create a myth, we're not different than other people

Riton — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 18:57:32 -0800

"Edlinger began to climb. As the last competitor, everyone at Snowbird knew how high he must get to beat his rivals and win the event. With apparent ease, he climbed past their high-points, until pausing beneath a huge overhang that had defeated all-comers. At that moment, a narrow shaft of sunlight pierced the cloud cover and illuminated Edlinger. When he completed the route, the only one from the world's best to do so, the crowd erupted. Until this point, American climbers had been unsure about competition climbing. After Edlinger, they were converted." - Patrick Edlinger, age 52, died on December 10, after years of battling depression following a near-death fall in the nineties that prevented him from climbing at the same level. "Life at his fingertips" - a 26 minute documentary is a fascinating account of Edlinger's simple lifestyle in his prime, and features him hanging upside down like a bat by his feet, or by one hand, without ropes, in the middle of strenuous free climb... to rest! "Opera Vertical" is another documentary, where you can witness Edlinger's dedication to aesthetic climbing, as well as his inspiration from dance or gymnastics. [part 2] [part 3]

I Remember Cold Steel Bars & an Inch of Hard Rubber Below As A Kid

Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:05:46 -0800

MONSTRUM believes that playground design should be a reflection of the world surrounding us. We see the world as a place full of colour. We meet boys that like pink and girls that likes climbing trees. Why only play on a monky frame and a sandbox, when you can play in a moon crater or a submarine or a giant spider or an enormous snail or a Trojans horse or a rocket or an ant or a princess castle. The fantasy is infinite.

Nothing much happens, until it does.

unSane — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 12:12:40 -0800

This is a very very boring indoor climbing video, until 1'24" anyway.

Reinhold Messner

Egg Shen — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:07:31 -0800

"Murdering the Impossible" - a 2006 National Geographic profile of Reinhold Messner, "the greatest climber in history". The Crystal Horizon is Messner's account of becoming the first man to summit Everest solo and without supplemental oxygen: Only quite seldom can I overcome my separation from the world, can I feel myself at one with the cosmos - when I am climbing. And then only if through extreme stress, and concentration on the greatest difficulties, I reach a state in which my ego dissolves itself.

Why climbing should be in the Olympics

shothotbot — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:52:06 -0800

Why climbing should be in the Olympics.

Reaching bottom at the top of the world

Brandon Blatcher — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:00:24 -0800

"As a climber goes up even higher in altitude, into the so-called death zone, the dangerously thin air above 26,000 feet, there is so little oxygen available that the body makes a desperate decision: it cuts off the digestive system. The body can no longer afford to direct oxygen to the stomach to help digest food because that would divert what precious little oxygen is available away from the brain. The body will retch back up anything the climber tries to eat, even if it’s as small as an M&M." -Excerpt from To the Last Breath: A Journey of Going to Extremes

Petzl RocTrip China 2011

shoesfullofdust — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:27:41 -0800

We speak the same language, which is climbing.

Mount Everest Traffic Jam

bquarters — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:27:21 -0800

A 73 year old returned, making it seem easy, yet increased traffic left four people dead this weekend. Traffic jams at Mount Everest. Via Gawker. Caution can be costly, but of course not as costly as death. (GRAPHIC PICTURES). Previously.

“You will know how to deal with everything from a tension pneumothorax to torsion of the testes.”

the man of twists and turns — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:38:18 -0800

First, Do A Little Less Harm: "As Mark Jenkins knows, wilderness first aid can hurt. (Just ask his patients.) So he finally did what everyone should do: he took a class from real experts." Previously on Metafilter: Where There Is No Doctor

"I think I just really wanted that last hold really bad"

the man of twists and turns — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 20:25:15 -0800

Bouldering is a climbing sport that requires no rope, only grip strength, chalk, a crash mat, and nerve. In February, the American Bouldering Series (ABS) 2012 National Championship was held in Colorado Springs, CO, USA. Highlights from the 2012 ABS Women's National Championship. Highlights from the 2012 ABS Men's National Championship. Highlights from the 2012 ABS Youth National Championship. More Glossary of rock climbing terms, in case you get lost in the jargon. Bouldering originated in Europe, as a training method and sport undertaken by mountaineers. Groups of holds are referred to as 'problems', for obvious reasons. Of course, you don't have to be in the wilderness or a gym to climb...

Rescue on the Big Stone

tim_in_oz — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:21:01 -0800

This week, an Austrian climber in Yosemite Valley took a fall on the granite monolith El Capitan. As he fell, his thumb caught in some climbing gear and was severed. Amazingly, the severed digit landed on the ledge beside the injured climber's partner, who retrieved it. Amazing helicopter rescue ensued. Behind the rescue is YOSAR - the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team. They are a volunteer group of climbers, paddlers and others who manage technical rescues in the national park. You may have never heard of them, but some folks are very glad they are around. ps: the thumb was surgically re-attached.

Cold Genius

villanelles at dawn — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:04:03 -0800

John Cunningham Climbing Ben Nevis, 1976 (slyt, 8:09)

"Seeing is more in your brain than in your eyes"

Manjusri — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:24:47 -0800

Erik Weihenmayer is a gay -- excuse me, I mean blind -- climber, mountaineer and author who counts the Seven Summits and the Nose of El Capitan among his accomplishments. Erik's recent efforts have been assisted by the Brainport, an experimental device that allows him to sense visual information via his tongue.

The elevator was too easy

twoleftfeet — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:40:42 -0800

Alain Robert has scaled Burj Khalifa in Dubai for a world record. If you are into people climbing skyscrapers, there's Robert in Abu Dhabi or Sao Paulo and other awesome stuff. (Very previously.)

"Yeah. That was a good moment."

protorp — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 12:19:37 -0800

The North Face of the Eiger has claimed the lives of at least 64 climbers attempting it since 1935. The first succesful attempt in 1938 took a team of four 3 and a half days. The first succesful solo climb in 1963 took 18 hours. In 2008, Swiss Climber Ueli Steck broke his own record by 1hr7, soloing the face in 2hr47.33. Watch him.

Barkour, and other stupid pet tricks

The Winsome Parker Lewis — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:30:35 -0800

You've seen cat parkour, but have you seen dog parkour? How about monkey parkour? Squirrel parkour? Climbing and jumping pet videos, now with 100% cheesier production values! Because Thursdays can't be Fridays, but it's always a good day for watching adorable animals do crazy stunts. Bonus video of five ferrets, a dog, and a cat playing with each other.

These Wheels are Made for Walkin'

dhammond — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:51:00 -0800

Towering over New Hampshire at a height of 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. It has been ascended by countless hikers from all walks of life, including (for the first time ever) a paralyzed dog. Lucy's journey was aided by the use of Walkin Wheels donated by the folks at Handicapped Pets.

Tree Climbing Snake Robot

homunculus — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:00:58 -0800

Modular Snake Robot Climbs a Tree. [Via]

Boogie 'til you puke/poop

spork — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:03:50 -0800

Boogie 'til you puke: Mountain Climber Jason Kruk got his knee stuck in a 5.11 offwidth called "Boogie 'til You Puke," and required a rescue. Luckily, it was caught on video. The videographer's blog has a lot of wonderful videos. Jason Kruk's blog. Offwidth: an offwidth is a crack which is basically an annoying width, but Annoywidth doesn't sound as good. An offwidth is too wide for a hand jam or a fist and too narrow to chimney, so usually requires a combination of wedging, squeezing, chicken winging and all other means necessary.