Mountain Clients

Once Upon A Climb

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

Once Upon A Climb…

Walter Bonatti called it: ‘A Shining Light on the Scales of Human Values.’ (1962). Three years later, the finest climber who ever lived suddenly stopped extreme climbing and guiding – why? It is only now, forty years, on that we find out why. I believe that Bonatti saw forty years ago, the demise of the sport of climbing; mountaineeering, an ongoing demise recently (2008) written about by Michael Kodas in his latest book: ‘High Crimes – Everest in an Age of Greed.’

The coils of rope that I am carrying on an ascent to the summit of Mont Blanc were symbolic of the kind of ropes that traditional climbers used to carry, it is a hawser laid rope. In the beginning, safety ropes were made this way, originally, made of a vegitable fibre they were eventually made of the much stronger nylon fibre but retained the three standed hawser-laid appearence. During the seven ascents that followed during the summer of 1986 on Mont Blanc, during the Bi-Centenery celebrations of the first ascent, the ropes coped well with fourteen weeks of constant climbing use.

I have seen many changes since 1951 when I started hillwalking and climbing and they have not been for the good of climbing; mountaineering, far  from it. Apparently, nothing can save the sports as there is now, no agreement on ethics. The word artificial climbing has changed. It used to mean  direct aid whilst climbing, today, it means most aspects of climbing. Climbing has become an artificial sport per se and because young climbers over recent years have been introduced into an artificial arene their concept of risk is clouded. Their idea of clean, traditional climbing is apparently, none existant. Young climbers being introduced to outdoors climbing.??

Climber A, has just climbed an 8a. Really! After practising the climbing moves on a tope-rope; after roping down and pre-placing extenders on the bolts then, and only then, supposedly making a first ascent of that particular climbing line. A first ascent any number of climbers could have had if they had been prepared to – cheat. Apparently, this is called a headpoint – or is it a red-point whatever it is called, it is cheating; no concept of risk – just plain cheating.

Real risk they would not recognise if it jumped up and bit them on the bottom. And yet risk is all around us / them in a mountain environment. In 1999, during the worst winter in Europe for many years even none climbers; tourist were killed in their droves. 38 were killed in Austria in one avalanche; 12 in Chamonix; Montroc, in a single accident one night. Climbers, guides and clients making up the rest of that winters tragic statistic.

To be continued…

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Dennis Morrod

Sunday, June 1st, 2008

Started climbing, soloing climbs in the Peak District in 1951 walking from Newton Heath to Greenfield to climb for the day, then walking the ten miles back in the evening – every Sunday. In the years after leaving the Royal Marines (1959-66) I went on to climb many difficult classic climbs including numerous first ascents. For instance, it is not known if Black Panther (now being over-bolted, bolts that will be chopped when the retro-bolting is complete ) at Cheesewring Quarry, Cornwall, has had a second ascent.

My alpine climbing started in Chamonix (French Alps) in 1958, and by 1993 I had climbed many of the classic, alpine routes. Although two attempts on the North Face of the Eiger were thwarted by bad weather, I have made 132 ascents of Mont Blanc. I visited Mount Kenya, East Africa, as early as 1960 and have since made seven ascents of that mountain and thirty two ascents of Mount Kilimanjaro. I have visited; climbed on Aconcagua twice and also Mt McKinley

Having climbed in many parts of the world, I am appalled by the use of expansion bolts in unquarried rock and agree with Reinhold Messner that climbers who carry bolts are carrying their courage in their rucksack. I also believe that potential new climbs should be left for a better, future (ground-up) climber rather than practising for an ascent of these potential climbs with the use of a top-rope. I have never unstood why certain climbers need 1,000 new routes to their name with no consideration for future climbers.

In 1985 Dennis Gray, the then general secretary of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), offered to give full publicity to any problems (as a professional climber/guide) that I might have in the future. There have been no problems. My safety record as a guide/instructor has been, and I hope will continue to be, exemplary. The BMC, never made the same offer to the British Mountain Guides (BMG) with that organisations lack of a perfect safety record.

My alpine, rock climbing courses were very successful (regardless of the machinations of the BMC/BMG). My clients (1966 – ) and I, have brought-in 32 climbers who had over extended themselves in the Alps only one of whom, subsequently died. So successful were the alpine courses that Dr Ott of the American Collage, Laysin, invited me use the collage’s facilities for my summer courses in Switzerland. Every African course (Mount Kenya, Point Lenana and Mt Kilimanjaro) was successful making 32 ascents of Lenana and Kili.

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