Mountains have climbers, and climbers, need money! Chamonix has long been the center of this normal business and today money is tighter to get hold of than ever before. How far can one or how fast can one go? How much responsibility should you take on your own safety? Recently a young boy called Tito in accidentally dying has become the center for a discussion about responsibility, and rightly so.
This weekend Kilian Jornet was rescued off the Frendo Spur for want of correct equipment, how responsible is he?
Many people cut corners in the mountains and knowing how to do it correctly is one of the great unsung skills, but foolish omissions in your kit list are perhaps a different thing. Some of the rescue people have been very critical of Killian Jornet who is an Ultra distance runner and is a climber of some standard. Kilians Vo2 max is possibly one of the highest ever recorded in hill runners, a fact that a few people also think extreme. A Vo2 max that is higher than Lance Armstrong and many professional super chemically enhanced people is truly something to boast of. When fast times become stunts perhaps we are just clowns.
