Mark Twight Excerpt & Interview
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Mark Twight Question & Answer Extreme Alpinism
Since the early 1980s Mark Twight has proven himself to be one of America's
top alpinists. While probably best known for his controversial and
confrontational writings in climbing journals, his routes are among the most
difficult ever attempted. Many of his climbs have never been repeated or
repeated only in much easier conditions. Even his failures, such as the Rupal
Face on Nanga Parbat and the North Face of Everest, rank among the great
epics in mountaineering history.
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"If someone wants to pull an M-7 (hard mixed climbing, demanding the use of dry tooling) with bolts every five feet, great. I
hope they have the experience they are looking for. But if they try to pass
roadside gymnastics off as equivalent to hard alpinism, I'll call bullshit....." |
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Twight approaches climbing as a means of self-expression and transformation.
With obsessive focus and will, he examined every facet of climbing and
recreated himself to prepare for such climbs as "Deprivation" on the North
Buttress of Mt. Hunter in the Alaska Range (a 43-hour sprint) and 1988's
Reality Bath, which Twight rated as the hardest waterfall climb in Canada.
Some locals immediately downrated it despite the fact that it was never
repeated.
With the publication of his new book Extreme Alpinism (Mountaineers, Seattle 1999) Twight presents a cohesive and comprehensive account of his career,
philosophy, and techniques.
In a recent interview, Twight expanded on some of the ideas he presented in his book:
Why did you decide to write Extreme Alpinism?
I realized the shelves were full of books on mountaineering but none
reflected the way people actually climbed on the world's hardest routes.
The slow and steady approach is fine on a low altitude volcano or a moderate
alpine climb, but it will guarantee failure or worse on a harsh Alaskan wall.
Furthermore, I saw little or no appreciation for the kind of mental and
physical preparation many alpinists employ before attempting a big peak. So I
decided to give an account of my approach. I think most of the best climbers
will recognize the validity of most of what I say, even though we may
disagree on
particulars.
You seem to harp on mental preparation throughout the book.
That is the heart of hard climbing. All the physical training in the world
won't help at all if you can't deal with psychological challenges such as
fear and various forms of suffering, or if you carry too much tension into
situations where relaxation is essential.
And it's possible to train for those things?
Absolutely. You can bumble your way toward creating the kind of character
you need or you can force yourself to confront your weaknesses and do it in a
way that won't kill you as you learn. I took many of my ideas from the
martial arts but there are other ways to approach it. The important thing is
to recognize that personal transformation is essential and to find a way to
accomplish it.
You advocate two physical training cycles each year. Why only two?
Climbing a big hard peak is a debilitating experience. You must be at your
physical peak. But the body can only recover from a genuinely difficult
climb and then build back up to optimum performance about twice a year. In
the book I prescribe a training cycle that builds a foundation of power and
then ramps up endurance, both aerobic and muscular. Just before leaving for
the climb, you must taper a bit, giving the body a chance to replenish all
its reserves before the big push. It's a
tricky business and I'm still learning how my body responds to the stress of
both climbing and training.
You have some unusual ideas on clothing and equipment. For example, you
have no use for waterproof/breathable fabrics or the whole idea of layering
your clothes.
In cold conditions when you are working hard, standard shell fabrics
don't breathe well enough so lots of moisture builds up inside them. On the
other hand,
the insulation materials breathe too well so the accumulated moisture
evaporates rapidly once you stop moving, causing radical cooling. As
for layering, trying to wear just the right amount to stay comfortable
during each specific level of activity takes too much time, and on a severe
alpine climb, speed is key. When climbing, I prefer to wear a very light set
up: synthetic long underwear covered by a light, very breathable shell. In
some conditions I'll wear a semi-permeable vapor barrier close to my skin to slow down evaporative loss. When I stop I
pull out a synthetic fill belay jacket (and pants, too, in very cold
conditions) and put it on over the shell. I used this system on Hunter to
good effect. It's lighter and way faster than
layering. You could object that rain would defeat the system, but if it's
raining, the rocks are falling and it's time to get the hell off the hill.
You have a reputation of an intolerant and elitist climber. Do you think
that's fair?
Sure. however, I'm intolerant of posers, not of those who differ in their
preferences. If someone wants to pull an M-7 (hard mixed climbing, demanding the use of dry tooling) with bolts every five feet, great. I
hope they have the experience they are looking for. But if they try to pass
roadside gymnastics off as equivalent to hard alpinism, I'll call bullshit.
It's the difference between ballet and war.
One takes merely physical skill to accomplish and can be done relatively
quickly. The other requires a careful synthesis of physical and
psychological capacity, and many, diverse skills in the toolbox. It can last
for hours or days. Maintaining the efficiency of both mind and body for
such duration increases the overall difficulty. It's like comparing the
drive-up window at McDonald's to hunting down and killing an animal,
butchering it, and cooking it up into a multi-course meal. One is quite
obviously not synonymous with the other.
I climb for my own reasons, for the way the experience changes me. If
someone has a problem with me or my style, I couldn't care less. Each
individual can pursue any path he wants. Let's just be honest about what we
do.
Peter Potterfield, MountainZone.com Staff
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