Intombed in snow...trapped, immured, haven’t been out for 3 days, done some good training, incredible resting, fed chickens a few times...
Read entire Cerro Terro thread on Supertopo; it is polite, erudite, knowledgeable, it’s there, all angles, different sides, different takes, and polite, thank you Supertopo, my piece on it, American Alpinism is part of it all. I bemoaned the fact that there were few facts, and now you have them, but you will have to sift, and in the sifting, unfortunately your own likes and prejudices will take over. For instance, I am a fan of fast and free Alpinism, so I am really prejudiced but other people are prejudiced towards the preservation of crap and shabby alpinism as in via ferratas. I would recommend you reading this collection of very valuables opinions but it is way too long and there is much chaff including the obligatory, gratuitous women’s breasts, as an aside can you imagine women, while discussing ethics throwing in some photos of huge wanggers, it could happen but I doubt it!
There are also racial and tribal undertones to all this discussion, and at bottom of the whole humungous fuss is that we don’t have rules and recommendation. It is perhaps a problem of agreeing on what Alpinism is as I said. If you think that what Maestri did was wrong and of course you must, you must also think that elite American aid climbers placing ten bolts on a belay in the Karakorum is also wrong. Our house needs tidying up. If I might some up how I see this: Imagine turning up at Wembley or the Superbowl for the final, and every body is not only playing by different rules they are playing different games. There would un-doubtable be Chaos, shouting, and I want my money back calls.Climbing is in a terrible state!
