In my 57 years of climbing, I've had a couple serious close calls, been involved in one life-saving rescue, but otherwise stayed outside the red zone. But I've paused my count of friends and acquaintances lost, as the rising rate has been overwhelming. Age of course adds many, from attrition, illness, random acts of life; too many suicides as well. But the most affecting have been recent falls, where young, very strong and talented climbers have made mistakes where no accident should have occurred. That more of these have been women is disturbing, perhaps just coincidence, yet I struggle to find some underlying element to explain, as so possibly repair or remedy the cause, but no light comes to me.
I do see a significant generational shift in attitudes around the purpose in climbing as a life pursuit, and a de-emphasis on safety as a core value, over performance, a culture more talented yet less self-aware, in areas critical to self-preservation.
As a hardened cynic, a lot of what I call the Face Your Fears marketing grew out of a practical British Outward Bound concept designed to inure green military recruits, who were dying disproportionately under conditions where older, less fit survived. The idea of toughening not just physically, but psychologically, to cope with the fear of the unknown, during extreme conditions, proved successful. The Outward Bound philosophy was expanded, to a scouting-style program that grew in the U. S. and elsewhere, in the 1960's, with similar programs like NOLS adding to the movement.
The next wave included such programs into public school curriculum, and concepts evolved. Today's distilled programs run a gamut, but I trouble with the ones that place fear, itself, at the focus, where placing people into frightening situations, under strong safety constraints, is intended to desensitize them to those fears, as if the fear is unhealthy. In controlled settings, this "See, you survived, overcame your fear" is not instilling awareness of one's real risks, but teaching that blocking out the fear is all that is important - and I worry that too often, this attitude is what leads to potentially fatal misjudgements. Worst case scenarios involve several people with varying skill levels, and the group pressure leads the least skilled to push beyond their comfort zone, but no longer under a safe controlled setting. Scrambling in the Flatirons, or exposed peaks, the consequences of a slip is no longer a learning experience on a highline belay, but another tragedy.
Many of the old school methods have fallen out of favor, yet I think the value, of learning practical skills around safety, first, instilled a respect for consequences that put fear into perspective. You don't have to be afraid of everything, but you learn what is, and is not, imperative to keeping you and your party out of danger.
And to that point, learning when to sense that fear is giving you a warning you need to heed, and to walk away from it without regret or shame, is a lesson that can save a life.
I agree, there are many reasons people risk and lose in outdoor environments. Too many to accurately analyze. But a few that I see affecting risk-taking in today's culture are: 1. Far more people without meaningful experience in the outdoors 2. Social media focus on performance over ability and 3. The idea that one can "hack" or short-cut the year's of apprenticeship, practice, and learning that's required to master difficult skills.
This I know first hand - truer words ne'er have been spoken...
Excerpt: "As outdoor journalist Steve Howe once told me, “Beware your friends. The most dangerous sentences you’ll ever hear in ‘adrenaline bro culture’ are “Don’t worry, it’s easy dude!” and “You’ll be fine.”"
Thank you Catherine, one of the most interesting things about fear to me is that pop culture makes it out to be the enemy, but it is one of our most important allies in walking the path of life.
In my 57 years of climbing, I've had a couple serious close calls, been involved in one life-saving rescue, but otherwise stayed outside the red zone. But I've paused my count of friends and acquaintances lost, as the rising rate has been overwhelming. Age of course adds many, from attrition, illness, random acts of life; too many suicides as well. But the most affecting have been recent falls, where young, very strong and talented climbers have made mistakes where no accident should have occurred. That more of these have been women is disturbing, perhaps just coincidence, yet I struggle to find some underlying element to explain, as so possibly repair or remedy the cause, but no light comes to me.
I do see a significant generational shift in attitudes around the purpose in climbing as a life pursuit, and a de-emphasis on safety as a core value, over performance, a culture more talented yet less self-aware, in areas critical to self-preservation.
As a hardened cynic, a lot of what I call the Face Your Fears marketing grew out of a practical British Outward Bound concept designed to inure green military recruits, who were dying disproportionately under conditions where older, less fit survived. The idea of toughening not just physically, but psychologically, to cope with the fear of the unknown, during extreme conditions, proved successful. The Outward Bound philosophy was expanded, to a scouting-style program that grew in the U. S. and elsewhere, in the 1960's, with similar programs like NOLS adding to the movement.
The next wave included such programs into public school curriculum, and concepts evolved. Today's distilled programs run a gamut, but I trouble with the ones that place fear, itself, at the focus, where placing people into frightening situations, under strong safety constraints, is intended to desensitize them to those fears, as if the fear is unhealthy. In controlled settings, this "See, you survived, overcame your fear" is not instilling awareness of one's real risks, but teaching that blocking out the fear is all that is important - and I worry that too often, this attitude is what leads to potentially fatal misjudgements. Worst case scenarios involve several people with varying skill levels, and the group pressure leads the least skilled to push beyond their comfort zone, but no longer under a safe controlled setting. Scrambling in the Flatirons, or exposed peaks, the consequences of a slip is no longer a learning experience on a highline belay, but another tragedy.
Many of the old school methods have fallen out of favor, yet I think the value, of learning practical skills around safety, first, instilled a respect for consequences that put fear into perspective. You don't have to be afraid of everything, but you learn what is, and is not, imperative to keeping you and your party out of danger.
And to that point, learning when to sense that fear is giving you a warning you need to heed, and to walk away from it without regret or shame, is a lesson that can save a life.
I agree, there are many reasons people risk and lose in outdoor environments. Too many to accurately analyze. But a few that I see affecting risk-taking in today's culture are: 1. Far more people without meaningful experience in the outdoors 2. Social media focus on performance over ability and 3. The idea that one can "hack" or short-cut the year's of apprenticeship, practice, and learning that's required to master difficult skills.
Really enjoyed this Chris, I have always been interested in fear, and its impact on one's life and particularly my life. Thanks, Catherine
This I know first hand - truer words ne'er have been spoken...
Excerpt: "As outdoor journalist Steve Howe once told me, “Beware your friends. The most dangerous sentences you’ll ever hear in ‘adrenaline bro culture’ are “Don’t worry, it’s easy dude!” and “You’ll be fine.”"
Thank you Catherine, one of the most interesting things about fear to me is that pop culture makes it out to be the enemy, but it is one of our most important allies in walking the path of life.
Love this Chris, thanks!