UKC

STOP THE PRESS/INTERNET Intelligence Squared are offering all climbers and students half price tickets to next week's "Because it’s there" Mountain Festival at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the evening of 15 June 2010.

Full price tickets are £25 each. Get your ticket for just £12.50 via the link from the website

http://iq2mountainfestival.eventbrite.com/


Intelligence Squared are hosting a debate at the Royal Geographical Society on 6-9pm on June 15th 2010. The topic is, Everest has killed the true spirit of adventure.

Discussing this topic are Doug Scott CBE. George Band OBE, Kenton Cool, Stephen Venables, Rebecca Stephens, Peter Baily, Louise Turner and Ed Douglas.

You are invited, tickets are £25 each.

Full details in this report.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=2719

In reply to UKC Gear: 25 quid !!!!! think i may give it a miss,and does it matter anyway ,and will talking about it make any difference.?

In reply to victorclimber: £25 to see Rebecca Stephens.......I'll think about it. No, I thought about it for all of 1 second!

In reply to victorclimber:

No, it's £12.50!


Probably for the best, you seem to find it hard to understand basic English! ;oP

In reply to UKC Gear:

also use the use the discount code 'climbing' at http://www.iq2mountainfestival.com/tickets

In reply to UKC Gear: I'll also be there, giving a short talk about the challenges of mountain photography and showing the ShAFF video "Why do we climb?".

In reply to Sean Kelly:

Don't see what is wrong with Rebecca Stephens.
But it's only £12.50.
You can read, I assume?

In reply to The Purple Pimpernel:

It's not just Stephens.

It sounds if it is going to be a vigorous debate about commercialism on Everest...

Some big hitters and intellects.

Doug Scott CBE. George Band OBE, Kenton Cool, Stephen Venables, Rebecca Stephens, Peter Baily, Louise Turner and Ed Douglas.

There will be no punches pulled I'm sure, especially from Scott and Douglas.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Stehens and the rest are alright but Venables is a popmpous tw*t

In reply to Ada:

Never having met the chap, I don't know if he is a pompous tw*t, but I do know he's got a hugely impressive record of hard climbs. From what I've read, it seems he thinks deeply and carefully about the mountains and the way we explore them. I'm sure he'll make a very useful well-informed contribution to the debate.

However, the wider issue with the debate is that it won't change a thing. Clients will still want to be taken up Everest, adventurous mountaineers will continue to decry the commercialisation of Everest and by extension other peaks, and nobody will change their mind. The notion that guided ascents of Everest have killed the spirit of adventure is clearly complete tosh.

In reply to tony:

Spot on.

In reply to tony:


Should there be a debate? What is the point of a debate of this nature? How is change initiated?

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:


You could equally ask what is the point of half the threads on UKC. People like to air their views, even if nothing will come of it.

In reply to GrahamD:

Out of discussion and debate often comes action and change, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it does.

Doesn't matter whether it happens on here, at the RGS or some Pub in the Peak.

Discussion stimulates ideas, ideas can get transformed into action.

In reply to Ada:

And you are an anonymous idiot. Venables is far from a pompous tw*t.

In reply to UKC Gear:

"The notion that guided ascents of Everest have killed the spirit of adventure is clearly complete tosh."

Couldn't agree more - I took a bunch of wee boys on the ferry to Dunoon the other week on the way to a residential. I've done the trip loads of times, it was their first time. They saw a submarine - they were excited. For me it was a commute - for them it was an adventure.

I don't think the adventurous spark in the human psyche can be 'killed', although it can certainly be dampened in individuals and social groups. To be honest, Bonita Harris climbing Everest has far less of an impact on my perception of climbing as an adventurous activity than all the prima donnas who bitch and whine at each other, nitpicking about summit claims and so on on.

In reply to UKC Gear:
Going to pop along to this, looks to have plenty of interesting people. I think the subject is relevant from other areas as well. I watched as surfing became crowded and spoilt through over-commercialisation, and rock climbing seems to be the same in many areas where there are no indoor walls for the quick fix brigade to be cool.

In reply to royal:

So, was anyone there? Did you enjoy it?

In reply to UKC Gear:
Doh, my bank card was out of date when I tried to book tickets. Forgot to re-order and went climbing last night instead. I was looking forward to it but had a good climb anyhow!

I was there.

Kenton turned up just as Venables was giving it the "I'm told he's on his way", bag on his shoulder, sweaty and out of breath. His excuse?

" Sorry I was up a 4000m peak this morning"

LOL

Not so much a debate as a short prepared statment by each then questions from the floor. And one very forward Polish lady who took to the stage without a by-your-leave. She'd just come back from summiting Everest though so suppose her view is valid.

Q: "Do you ever think about dying"
KC " I consider what I do to be work, and dying at work would just be bad form"

Scott was sharp as a pin, as was Band.

Only complaint was I paid full price for the ticket and the bar was 2m wide trying to serve 400 people at the interval. I was gaspin!!

Oh, forgot my wife's feedback:

Wife: "I didn't like that woman (Stephens)"

Me: "Why"

Wife: " She kept flicking her hair"

Woman in front of us on way out: "Yeah I didn't like her doing that either"

I feel the £25 for that 2nd ticket was wasted.

In reply to Aziraphael:

I've posted a report of the evening on my blog:

http://thosewhodared.blogspot.com/2010/06/because-its-there.html

In reply to whodared: Thought Kenton had climbed Everest 8 times. Thanks for write up.

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:

Yeah, you're right. Thanks for pointing that out - I thought it was eight but it said seven on his biog.

Cheers.