Yvon Chouinard – founder of Patagonia - wrote this article in 1963 about the future of rock climbing in Yosemite and the use of modern techniques to put up new routes in other areas. Here’s a quote I found interesting. Remember this is 1963!
“Perhaps I have given the reader the impression that I feel that Yosemite is the only place to climb and that its philosophies and ethics are the last word. Personally, I would rather climb in the high mountains. I have always abhorred the tremendous heat, the dirt-filled cracks, the ant-covered foul-smelling trees and bushes which cover the cliffs, the filth and noise of Camp 4 (the climbers’ campground) and worst of all, the multitudes of tourists which abound during the weekends and summer months. Out of the nearly 300 routes in the Valley, there are less than 50 which I should care to do or repeat. The climbing as a whole is not very esthetic or enjoyable; it is merely difficult. During the last couple of years there has been in the air an aura of unfriendliness and competition between climbers, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth.”
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