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General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Oldest ozzie woman Jan Smith at 68 summits Everest 28-May-2012 At 9:17:29 AM cruze

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Whilst I personally have no desire to summit Everest (by fair means or foul) I think that there is still adventure on Everest. The adventure lies in pushing your own personal boundaries. Even if your support crew melted snow, fixed lines, helped you wipe your bum, etc. you still have to deal with reduced oxygen levels (even if augmented by bottled oxygen) and intense cold. To most deskjockeys this will be testing their limit in much the same way that Clinton tested himself on his Stradbroke Island tyrolean - putting yourself in an unfamiliar situation and dealing with it as it comes. And I have respect for the majority of people that summit for this reason. After all, I think that life is all about testing your limits in whatever shape or form - whether it be dogging your way up your grade 30 (20, 15) sports project, running it out, competing in a race, tendering for a project, etc.

Where I think that the boundary is crossed, is where people feel the need to self-publicise their achievements. Perhaps the division in the climbing world about the multitude of people that summit Everest every year is more centred around the lack of humility shown by those that summit and how they report their inner growth as some outward achievement. Just my Kiwi 2c worth (current exchange rate yet to be factored in).