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Alpinism, in a sentence.

Dave Swink · · Boulder, Co · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 285
John Maguire wrote:"The most inefficient way to get back to the car" Not sure who its by... I think I heard it from Plesko.
Ha! sounds right.
chris deulen · · Denver-ish, CO · Joined Jul 2004 · Points: 1,710

"Climbing, at its very essense, is an act of worship." -Julie Deulen

doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264
mountainsense wrote:I've always been partial to this one: The great Frank Sacherer replies to a young Eric Beck, just after the latter asked the leader to place more protection, "Shut up, you chicken-shit!"
I've always liked that one too! I can't stand nervous belayers or belayers who spray beta.
B.S. Luther · · Yorba Linda, CA · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 65

"It is a small part of life that we really live."
-Seneca

Eric D · · Gnarnia · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 235
Bud Martin wrote:"If you're having fun, you're not trying hard enough." Mark Twight
Ha! I am putting that one on my helmet.
Luke Stefurak · · Seattle, WA · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 2,573

"They know that these walls are more than mountains: They're giant mirrors that unsparingly reflect what lies inside each climber."

By Mark Jenkins

Not necessarily directed towards alpinism, but a cool idea.

SW Marlatt · · Arvada, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 50
Nick Przybysz wrote:“Getting to the top is optional, but getting down is mandatory. A lot of people get focused on the summit and forget that.” ~Ed Viesturs Simple yet true. There have been many times when getting up was fine, but getting down was the crux.


Well said - all the debate about whether Mallory and Irvine first summitted Everest is basically a moot point, since to have successfully climbed it one must get down ok.

Bethink thee of the adage, "Call none blest
Till peaceful death have crowned a life of weal."
- Aeschylus (Agamemnon, 450 BC)
Crag Dweller · · New York, NY · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 125

"Existence on a mountain is simple. Seldom in life does it come any simpler: survival..."

- Tom Hornbein, Everest: The West Ridge

SKI Ski · · Portlandia, OR · Joined May 2010 · Points: 15

I just love the cartoon in Alpinist 34:

Depicts a guy and his partner shivering at a bivy falling asleep and dreaming about being in a warm bed with a lady friend. Meanwhile, the guy in that warm bed is dreaming about being at a shivering bivy with his partner and the dream keeps going on and on and on...

Whomever did that cartoon knows man, they just know what it's all about.

Jeff Fox · · Delaware, OH · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 1,320

I was drawn to another quote from that Logan article in Alpinist #34,

"Alpinism is not a sport; it's a worn-out body moving upward. The speed of the ascent and the grade of the climb don't tell a story. The core of the experience lies elsewhere."

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

"Oh, SHIT!!"

Anonymous

not me

Richard Radcliffe · · Erie, CO · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 225

Was.

Richard Radcliffe · · Erie, CO · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 225

"Just stand up shithead."

(Courtesy of MD.)

Jason Schmidt · · Ghent, MN · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 197

"Can't is the cancer of happen"
-Charlie Sheen

"Duh....Climbing!"

Eric Rosen · · Hanover, NH · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 5

My main man ernest hemingway speaks the truth:

"Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games."

Aerili · · Los Alamos, NM · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 1,875

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."
Ranulph Fiennes

"Yoga is a system scientifically proven to boost your climbing ability significantly. Why do you think you always see that guru figure sitting on the top of the mountain? You think he/she got there by enlightenment?"
(don't know the author)

"Why? Why, why, why do I do this???" (my favorite)
Chuck Pratt

Thanks for a great thread. Has kept me smiling.

Clifford Mallory · · Casper WY · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 25

This was said to me by a climber just as I was begining to lead and getting a little ballsey "Before you can climb somthing you have got to know you can. There can be no doubt in your mind that you can absolutly climb this peice of rock. But remember just because you know you can dosnt mean you can."

Bob Dergay · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 101

"There is never any reason to slow down" -Layton Kor

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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