Adventure Magazine 226

Another unique feature of climbing is that
you don’t have to be the best of the best
to unlock the climbing goodness. Success
is best measured against what lies within.
And although success on the hardest
climbs are undoubtedly memorable, it’s
overcoming a challenge - especially ones
that seemed doubtful at the time - that
really enhances the experience. One of my
most vivid moments of climbing joy was
on a route called Mari (17) at Arapiles in
Australia, a grade that is easy for me now,
but which lay at the edge of what seemed
possible at the time. I battled through
the dreaded pump at the crux, and then
topped out from frigid shade into divine
sunshine, triggering a potent rush that left
me beaming for hours.
Another was my first experience of
climbing a new line on a virgin face. The
third pitch of Ka-Kaa (21), in Morocco’s
Anti-Atlas range, was full of thin,
questionable gear and tenuous, technical
moves. On the fifth pitch, a piece of rock
exploded when I tested a piece of gear,
but I managed to catch it in my hand and
toss it harmlessly to the ground before
gathering my composure, and then
climbing through an intimidating roof.
And every time I’ve ventured into the
world of ice-climbing, the unique bold,
cold, no-fall adrenaline and breathtaking
landscapes almost always deliver a feeling
of being reborn, redeemed, revived.
Novelty. Unpredictability. Abundant
complexity. Challenges at the edge of
your ability. Success that can unravel a
new perspective on what you’re capable
of, and see continual improvement. Toss
in landscapes that push the boundaries
of sublime beauty, and sharing the
experience with someone in your special
tribe. Stir into a smooth, powerful potion.
I’m now in my 40s, but I have as much
climbing-wanderlust as when I was in my
20s. Because in the end, to quote Jack
Kerouac, “You won’t remember the time
you spent working in the office or mowing
your lawn.”
Or, as civil rights leader Howard Thurman
said: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask
what makes you come alive, and go do
it. Because what the world needs most is
more people who have come alive.”
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