In reply to remus:
> (In reply to GL) To me it seems bumbling ineptitude produces the best stories.
Absolutely. We all start with bumbling ineptitude. If we're well taught and/or lucky (I was lucky!) we survive. Back in the 1960s, there was very little margin for error. Most of the time, if you fu*ked up, you died.
Many epics are avoidable. But climb for long enough and you will have your appointment with fear. How you deal with it is the measure of you as a climber - and as a person.
That's just one part of why climbing is so utterly fascinating.
Anyway, what's the alternative?
'She can't be chained to a life
where nothing's won and nothing's lost
at such a cost...'
Mick