On the then unclimbed N. Face of Mt Hunter, Alaska 1981Punter (plural punters)
1.One who bets (punts) against the bank (banque).
If you don't know what you are capable of, one way to find out is to bounce your head off a few projects and see what sticks. Risky business if you are looking for what is possible whilealpine climbing. You could end up dead even if you do get up anew line or two and do everything right. You are rolling the dice every time you go out...but you do thatgoing tothe corner store as well. More than today at the storethan back in '81 it might seem.
You try to limit the odds by experience.
None of these if you are looking for something new. You'll have to write your own when you are done.
Bradley topo courtesy of Mark Allenhttp://www.alpinelines.blogspot.com/Strong has no excuse...
Yes, I did see that on a T shirt yesterday.
In 1981, I had already climbed in the Alaska Range 3 times and done a couple of minor first ascents. But I thought we wereprepared technically by climbing harder technical ground in other parts of the world. My partner this timehad already done the S. Face of Denali, a route onForaker and he had solo'ed the N face of the Matterhorn. More importantly he was hungry for more.
Together we had done climbs in the valley in a quick day that seemed pretty good. We were convinced we really rocked! Truth is we were punters :)
When we helped Mugs and Paul over the 'shrund that morning we were pretty much kitted the same with two glaring exceptions. One was visible and one wasn't. The most powerful tool we were missing was a duplicate of Mug's experience and mind set. Like having an over grown Ueli Steck as you partner. Ya, we lacked that :) Not to say either Brad and I were gumbies, we weren't. The other thing I left behind was a set of ice tools capable on hard Alaskan ice.
I bet there are few rolling their eyes on that one. I still do.
I though I knew my shit. But I didn't.
Brad reminded me after 30 years..not so gently that I had a "small issue at home", a pending divorce.
Never good for the mind. But here is the real truth or at least part of the truth. I got scared.
More than onerather speedymodern dayalpinist has been brought to reality of the climbing on the North Butt. The realization, if you aren't up to climbing fast, you are going to spend some miserable nights out. That hasn't changed. The fact that some accept the top of the Butt, with still a full 1000m of climbing as the goal, has.
Photo courtesy of Will Simhttp://willsim.blogspot.com/Jon going old school here on Hunter with no tent. And suffering through the coldest hours of the twilight night.
The tools? Ya, I know. Which is one reason I write this blog. In 1980 I sewed much of my own gear and tools were changing almost by the month.I figured any tool would work. How hard can alpineice be?
Imagine taking a set of randonee race axes on steep, colfd, hardice. Possible but not reassuring.I had just climbed one of the longest water falls in the world. No water falls on Hunter. (roll of eyes here) Lwt tools that I could easily plunge make sense...or so I thought. How bad could the ice climbing be on the Butt?
The answer? Bad enough.And no plunging required.
Mark Twight and Scott Backes do the climb,Deprivation, in
asingle round trip push, 13 years later after extendedschooling on Chamonix granite and the correct mind set.
Below is the crux where Brad and I bailed in the first rock band (and I got scared) and now known at the "death pitch" 30 years later. I could see that whipper coming. I had no intention of earning my alpine wings thereand wanted no part of it.A few50m rappels soon followed.
Photo Courtesy of Colin Haley and Nils Nielsenhttp://www.colinhaley.blogspot.com/
http://www.alpineaddiction.no/
Strike One..unsettled mindStike Two...the wrong bit of kitStrike Three..the reality of abad night out
The Banque wins! A hard lesson butwe lived to play another day.The divorce was final a few months later.
Strong has no excuse!And very likely something Mugs would have gotten a good laugh from!Take only what you need and ignorethe rest.
The scene of the crime in May 1981
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