Future of Climbing, The (2025)

[bunniefuu]

The shots we are going to show you

constitute a series of truly remarkable feats

cinematographic. The filmmaker

follows, in their dizzying ascent, the

specialists in big rock climbing.

We are here in the realm of the most tragic fragility.

Nightmare. Absolutely terrifying nightmare.

My name is Cdric Lachat.

And I am what's commonly referred to as a pro

climber.

What does it mean to be a pro climber

? Well, it means traveling around the world from competition to competition,

climbing the highest on a wall in a gym.

It means being the best, better than anyone else, all the time.

Okay.

That was a long time ago.

It's still Danette.

Today, I no longer compete and focus on climbing outdoors.

What does it mean to be an outdoor climber ?

Well, it means traveling around the world from crag to crag.

It means attempting the hardest routes on the planet.

It means pouting when you're not good enough and it's too hot outside.

And whining when your fingers hurt.

I like living the dirtbag lifestyle, spending time alone

outdoors, experiencing adventure, just like my

forebearers who forever made an impression on a generation of climbers.

Yes,

that was 40 years ago.

I spend most of my time in my van, driving from cliff to cliff.

I like the freedom, the calm, and hearing the birds sing.

Climbing creates a genuine bond with nature and the elements that...

Well... That was a

long time ago.

Okay,

Back to work.

In the past few years, climbing has changed at an unprecedented

rate, and we find ourselves at a historic turning point.

With the rapid growth in climbing gyms,

the number of people pulling down on plastic has exploded.

And now, as an official Olympic sport, climbing's

long-time counterculture is currently experiencing

a 21st century transformation.

With the rise in popularity of indoor climbing, the sport has gone

mainstream, while at the same time, managing popular

areas involves increased regulations, and in some cases,

closures.

What legacy will we leave for future generations of climbers ?

Will more restrictions be placed on outdoor climbing areas ?

What will the future of climbing be

?

Hold on a second.

To understand where we're going,

we need to know more about where we've been.

Let's take a quick look back at the history of climbing.

Tree-climbing equipment by the French Alpine Club, which are the starting point of

large expeditions, do not hesitate to risk their lives for

conquer the mountain.

From the end of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th,

mountaineering and peak climbing were the main motivations for climbers.

At the time, only the summit mattered.

Cragging and bouldering served as the training grounds for building the strength

and technique needed for grander adventures in the high mountains.

Many vocations were born in climbing schools, and many of our great

Mountaineers have perfected their technique there to the point of constantly retreating

the limits of their capabilities.

Rock climbing started to develop as its own discipline in England,

Italy, and Germany. Climbers accomplished genuinely impressive

feats with very little gear, where falling was simply not an

optionIn

the fifties, climbers set up camp in Yosemite, where the

valley's now legendary granite big walls saw their very first

descents, all requiring the use of aid technique.

The image of climbing a while back was Camp 4.

It was Yosemite, it was dirt bags, it was drugs, it was

anarchy. It was like the system.

In the eighties, sport climbing became a separate discipline

with its own distinct identity.

It wasn't reaching the top that mattered, but the succession of hard moves

to get there.

The sport earned its wings carried by a multitude of emblematic

figures.

The number of female climbers began to rise quickly.

Once part of the counterculture on the margins of society,

climbing became all the rage and suddenly experienced an

influx of money and sponsors.

The first artificial structures were built to meet the needs of competitions,

giving birth to a new sport where all the rules had to be

invented.

In the nineties, training methods progressed at a blistering pace,

and artificial climbing walls began to appear everywhere.

Since then, it has all moved so fast.

From the turn of the 21st century through today, the number of

indoor climbing gyms has skyrocketed.

Gyms offer kids the opportunity to start climbing at a young age

and have contributed to pushing the upper limits of free

climbing.

Climbing is now a worldwide sport.

Just as sport climbing broke away from mountaineering, gym climbing

has done the same,

creating its own rules and heroes.

But while sport climbing has never been more popular,

what is the current state of traditional places like cliffs and

crags all over the world?

I've

been climbing on cliffs for years now,

and over time, I've seen that there are always more people,

and

that our actions are becoming more and more important.

If we can't change things today, I think our

outdoor sport is really

threatened. To make the

documentary, I went to see lots of

different people: climbers, local authorities,

federations. I went to example locations

and emblematic cliffs. It's complicated to make a film like this without being too

moralistic. So, with my little touch of

humor, I'd like to show our actions and behaviors that can harm our

practice.

New block.

Here you arrive, you don't see

the

hole. So...

Two

fingers. When you want to

aim right, you make the two traits, because otherwise you

aim there, you aim there, you're never on it. There, it's the little finger.

There, it's the big finger. There, it's the middle.

You

see, it's still not precise enough.

There, it's not bad.

Ah! I missed it again! Oh, that's

good.

Fontainebleau is really a forest out of the

ordinary, unique in its

kind, with all its blocks and this granite of a quality

you will find

nowhere else.

This forest is a area south of Paris

that was covered by

the sea 60 million years ago, and when the sea left, it left

sand behind. This sand crystallized into rock.

Over 27,000 hectares, it is covered with rocks,

and indeed, when you observe them, you

can see amazing shapes, elephants,

eagles, faces.

The main problem in Fontainebleau today is

overpopulation.

In some car parks, we counted more than 2,000 vans,

knowing that the car parks have

about a

hundred

spaces.

Oh, it's a campsite.

No, that's not possible. I just bought a van for 60,000 bucks, I'm not going to

Paying another 10 bucks for a campsite.

Okay, I'll go and sit anywhere, it's free.

Margalef is a site that dates back to the origin of

Paleolithic and which evolved over the course of the

time. Today, one of its main strengths

is climbing.

And now we are in the situation that everyone

knows. More or

less, about

Between 60,000 and 90,000 people come to the village each year during these

recent years, including approximately

80% are

climbers.

The forests, and especially that of Meschia, are characterized by these magnificent

chestnut forests where

sandstone rocks are deposited on these soils

musky in very beautiful vegetation.

This creates a harmony between the beauty of nature

and the beauty of these rocks sculpted by millennia of

bad weather.

Initially, what we did, me in particular, was to do

There's a lot of publicity for this place.

Meschia was one of the first places to have suffered a closure

drastic.

I'd like to describe Val Bavona as a very wild

place.

There's something about it here that's really special.

And not only is it a very wild place, it's also a very

raw and kind of intense place.

Valle Bavona is a special place,

magic.

For me, it's definitely a place where it's possible to escape for a little while.

of everyday reality. It me

I really enjoy nailing; it's part of my way of life.

rock climbing.

The major problem that pretty much all development is experiencing is...

Climbing in Ticino in general is that one does not

did not expect in the past that escalation could

attract as many people as possible to our

territory.

The spirit of climbing

is about being free.

It's about being a bit of a rebel,

about going against the grain of society.

If you play basketball or tennis or soccer or

anything, you have lines on the field and

rules. And the beauty of climbing is that it's free.

And you can go and create your own path.

Of course, this is the big dilemma, to make first ascents,

creating a new path. Maybe it's okay if it's one or two people doing

it, but if it's a million people doing it, then it's not sustainable, right?

So how to keep that spirit

while also having some structure, having some regulations.

So one of the things that we're dealing right now with in climbing

is this paradox of how to manage the growth of the sport.

Society mirrors itself through climbing,

and the evolution of climbing is a mirror into the evolution of

humans.

Especially outdoor climbers like myself, we see a

massification in recent years.

I think that at one

At some point, we will have a problem if we

let's not try

to solve this

quickly.

For years, attendance was reasonable at

surface view. For about fifteen, twenty

Over the years, it has accelerated, and today there are sectors that are very affected.

due to erosion, to the point that we are forced to close the

sectors.

The more beautiful a place is, the more easily it will be besieged by

the masses and the more quickly it will be

destroyed.

There are very sensitive areas that will not be able to

Never welcome too many people.

It's a major objective problem in general, if you want

finding a balance between nature and the wishes of the owners

And

the climbers.

Clac, clac, clac.

Try not to put yourself just anywhere, on your right heel.

Come on, lie.

There, perfect.

Just a little higher. Come on,

There, you go up, you go up, you go up, you go to the flat again.

I can't. No, but this sport is too stupid.

It's crazy, I'm not afraid to have a blast when I have a rope.

And then, I fall apart.

Extreme. I'm going to put on some music now.

A little music, guys? We're gonna crank up the volume.

Okay, that's it. Okay, that's good. Now, this time, I'm going to keep going.

Not

Seriously, there

You gave me a flashback. I can hear the pulse in my ear.

Everything about you, right here.

If a very small percentage of people who come here have attitudes that do not

They're not civic-minded; in the end, what they're doing is staining everything

the image of the entire collective that is coming.

One thing is for sure, I'm not here to moralize.

I've done everything I shouldn't have done.

And there are still many things I do wrong.

I need to go to the bathroom, please.

I'm going to sh*t myself.

Oh, they're everywhere!

I've done everything I shouldn't have done. Guys, I've found the solution.

What you need to do is grab the "poop air" sign.

That way, when you have your private shitty look, you put up your sign.

And this is your part.

Let me use your tub, it's a rest.

I have no resistance.

I've done everything I shouldn't have done.

I think I forgot a line. I'd like to draw another little one.

For fun.

We've gotten into the habit of using plenty of chalk.

And in the Fontainebleau forest, that is not acceptable.

I did it.

Oh, that's still hot!

Then the fences, he

I have occasionally pulled on the maggots.

After that, the cows got away from me, I had to chase after them.

Are the cows alright?

A bit unfriendly.

Everything you shouldn't do,

I did it.

What I really love is barbecues.

Chips, atomic bombs, sausages.

There are people who are used to being able to make a fire in their country without holding

taking into account that we are in a Mediterranean location, what to do

A fire that may seem harmless can ultimately lead to a major disaster.

fire.

In Spain, firefighters continue to fight

against fires

of the forest.

I did it before, yes. That's true.

Before, I did everything I shouldn't have done.

Meschia, after the initial discovery and phase of enthusiasm,

So many people were arriving, more and more each year

year, until one day the owner decided to put an end to it

to free access to this place, because Meschia is located on a

private property with chestnut groves that give life to the

owner.

10 people per day,

That's alright. If you put 100 people a day here walking,

It's all over.

The climbers did nothing more than flock to it.

and go to the toilet everywhere. Sometimes they stole chestnuts,

Sometimes they made a mess. And that thing put an end to it.

free climbing in Meschia.

THE

relationships with the owners, sharing outdoor spaces with others

users, stricter regulations for the areas

protected natural areas in order to protect the flora and fauna

local issues, the return of land to indigenous populations, problems of

parking, political issues, and bad attitudes.

Little by little, the number of climbing areas

impacted by regulations or

of the

closures have increased considerably in the

world.

My skill level varied greatly during those years.

I did my first 6a at age 8. Whereas at

At 9 years old, for example, I did my first 8b.

Now I'm 14 years old and I've already done 9a.

It's certain that route 10a will be possible one day if there isn't a ban beforehand.

of climbing a cliff that is being set up.

The future is open, it will be

created by us and the ideas that will

solutions that will emerge are yet to be invented.

In fact, climbing is at the cutting edge

of this upheaval in the relationship with nature

which concerns all of humanity.

THE

things

have evolved considerably over the years

The last 30, 40 years and the escalation

has transformed into a culture of

consommation.It's not just that we have things to talk

about in climbing. We have things to talk about society.

We have things to talk about humans. Therefore, no one is innocent.

We are all residents. We are all responsible in a certain way.

Everyone looks at their own navel and everyone looks at their own goal.

That selfishness in society. And I think we're losing ourselves in it, because

They all have a justification.

But the worst part is that if you do that, it might get banned.

The climber is the one who loses.

All sports practices are at a point of stress, outdoors.

Mountain biking, trail running, hiking,

mountaineering.

There is a behavioral tendency to go where everyone else goes.

When one summit is overcrowded, there are five surrounding summits that remain unused.

But the one that's fashionable is the one everyone's in.

So, regarding the issue of people who are well-known, who practice, I think that

They begin to call themselves ambassadors.

Today there is a

frenetic use of social networks which increasingly accelerates the

frequenting the most beautiful places around.

And then the increasingly frenetic and continuous production of climbing guides, which

They make it easier for anyone to access any place.

It's a bit of a vicious circle: the more advertising you do,

the stronger you are, the more visible you are and today everyone sees you, so

everything becomes much more famous and all the people

they are ready to go and experience that kind of life too

experience in these places.

Since climbing has become so modern, I think all athletes

start to wonder: "What can I post?

Is it okay to show that I'm in the Calanques?

Won't everyone come to climb outside afterwards?

"So, our behavior must be more than responsible, we must be

copy.

Encouraging the practice of outdoor sports on social media, for example,

Yes, but the whole question is in what practice, how do we

practical ?

Are we focusing on the 25 meters of the

route and on the sequence, etc., and on the problems of

skin of gentleman's little finger or of

Madam? Or are we focusing on which one is

the history of this place

What species live there? What local people live there?

How do people live there? How do you get there?

How can we approach this in a respectful manner?

Machine.

I will never be able to do what you do.

In fact, the problem isn't talking about it, it's how we talk about it.

And what are the stories that are put on social media?

This is not overcrowding in 100% of sectors.

It is in 10% of sectors where, yes, there is overcrowding.

And there are lots of small cliffs completely

Set aside. It's also a matter of fashion.

And the networks, they're there.

They are fully contributing to this overcrowding.

I think that in the end it's not a problem of numbers.

Ultimately, it's a behavioral problem, since a very large number can come.

of people who have exemplary behavior and not even finding out, what's more, contributing

many positive things for the town, both for the local economy and for the

people who live in it.

Since the 2000s, there has been this kind of idea of outdoor sport

where "the earth is our playground".

Outdoor playground. But no, we're not the ones who are going to

in the mountains or on cliffs or on trails to set our Strava records or

To string together our performances. No.

Typically, what is Bioux molasse?

These are sediments from living things that lived 20 million years ago.

And every time we travel a meter, we go back in the geological history of the Earth and

In fact, we're climbing on living things, but just very old ones.

It might seem very poetic or very far-fetched, I don't know,

but in fact, it's

all these little changes in attitude that make you...

behave differently.

Okay guys, I've recorded some sound.

Let's have some fun, because when I climb, I need

the potatoes.

And sorry, I'm still really deaf.

That's nothing new. So, I still turn the sound up high, I put on a

something that rocks.

Last year, the pair of eagle owls settled in an area.

And to create and implement a bubble of tranquility to allow

It seemed that this couple would be able to settle down and successfully reproduce.

to be relevant.

Therefore, there is a major issue on cliffs due to the presence of these species.

protected rock art.

So it was a joint decision that was indeed successful.

to a closure and I find that it is exactly

the model that needs to be continued to be worked on at other sites

possibly those who would be affected by excessively intense activity

all these outdoor activities.

The challenge is to succeed in protecting this space while maintaining these

uses-there.

And also to bring about acceptance

among outdoor sports enthusiasts, and not just those involved in climbing,

but even the average hiker.

The end of the 20th century led to an approach to nature that was

very free and that today, we must

to re-examine without placing absolute freedom at the center of the debates

man in that nature.

Adjusting this freedom so that the impact is

less in relation to nature, because we have this awareness and this capacity to

be aware of that.

If we want to find solutions, we must not think like a

individual, but

like a community. We probably need to think with the

local climbers, with the population, with the

naturalists, along with those who manage the territory.

We need to create teams where there are different perspectives.

It's not just those who want to climb.

We really need to seek a dialogue.

so that we can find concrete solutions.

In the field, federations, land managers,

non-profits and NGOs, state and national parks have now

come up with well-adapted solutions to better managing climbing areas.

This can include paid parking,

designated campsites and parking lots,

cooperation with landowners,

waste management, signage,

building awareness,

and closures during fire season or during nesting seasons for

birds of prey and other endangered species.

Certain overly popular areas, such as Yosemite National Park

in California and Waco Tanks State Park in Texas,

set up quota systems to limit the number of visitors per day,

and in some cases, require hiring an official guide to

go climbing in the park.

This method of regulating the number of climbers could one day

be applied to certain popular climbing areas in Europe.

But as outdoor climbing areas go through these natural growing pangs,

indoor climbing and bouldering gyms continue to increase in popularity

at a breakneck pace. Every week, a new climbing structure is

built somewhere in the world.

The future of climbing.

The real climbing will begin.

This is the future of climbing.

Now young people have become too stylish.

They remain the best, as if you had distilled them.

We're no longer from the Catherine Destivelle generation.

We want to climb to some heavy sound with maximum decibels.

And if one day the cliffs overflow, we can always count on the kilter.

board. One thousand eight at full speed on a three square meter space.

That's more than full capacity on a thousand hectares of forest.

No more pros overpaying to keep their sponsors.

To make a living from climbing, there's no choice, you'll have to be strong.

The real climbing will begin.

There's something extraordinary about wall climbing,

It's because we are the ones who create the movements.

There, there is a certain gestural quality, a creativity,

a world that trailblazers exploit

and that when we go to the theaters, we have an experience of it

direct.

There is a creative side to it that is limitless.

It's a musical score, it's a painting.

With one stand and three sockets, you can create millions of movements.

They

Those guys are crazy. Did you see how heavily fortified it is?

Back then, people used to go to the mountains. What would they say now, Ribuffa?

Look, you've piled them all on top of the other one there, making slippery plastic.

A climbing gym is a bit like a fitness center.

Ultimately, it's a relatively expensive subscription.

So, we are necessarily in a segment of the population that has the means to

pay for a gym membership.

I like climbing because it's a good combination of mental and

physical exercise, and there's definitely that social aspect

too. So it's a good combination of all the things that I love,

and it keeps you healthy, keeps you strong.

I fought through way too much on this lonely road.

I lost blood, not their tears, but I won't lose my soul.

What's interesting about indoor climbing is its ephemeral nature.

because it allows one to work towards a certain form of detachment.

This is the new generation.

When you've been trying a boulder problem in the gym or a route in the... for 15 days

room

and you can't do it and then you arrive, they've changed the lanes.

Something is happening.

And that's interesting too.

What we want to propose,

It's an escalation that stimulates both intelligence,

both the gestures

and at the same time, aesthetics.

We want our buildings to be beautiful to look at.

We want our bouldering problems to be interesting to climb.

And we want our blocks to be intellectually complex to

decipher.

Climbing is trying to find its place among all the other sports.

So, we had to imagine new movements, something that would be

Highly visual, something that makes you want to go, something spectacular.

Ultimately, I think this might be the place for climbing.

modern.

It's been interesting for me to discover is when I come to a climbing gym,

I'm not thinking about some big achievement.

I'm not trying to climb La Dura Dura,

or I'm not trying to climb Biographie,

or Espantas,

or something that is important. It's more just enjoying the

movement of climbing.

In this way,

I found that I have some very pure climbing

experiences, even sometimes the most pure when I'm in the climbing

gym because I'm just in the moment enjoying

this connection with my body moving.

And it's not connected to my ego so much.

So I think it's really interesting because for so many years, I only

promoted outdoor climbing as the pure way.

And in fact, it's even possible to have a more pure

experience somehow indoors.

And so I think it's an interesting paradox, I guess.

The incredible success of indoor climbing gyms has led to an

exponential increase in their numbers.

Today, there are an estimated 30 million gym climbers around the

world.

This boom means more holds,

more smartphone apps, more wall structures,

and even integrating artificial intelligence into the route-setting process.

Indoor climbing gyms have now become the largest segment of the climbing

industry.

Long gone are the days of the simple basement training wall.

Modern private gyms offer a wide range of services far beyond

just climbing.

This is typically the ability to create places

where we will practice a sport. And by practicing this sport, we create

of social connection. And we will continue to spread this social connection throughout the rest of

the room with, in quotation marks, the related services.

You can enjoy a meal or a drink after your session,

take a yoga or a weightlifting class, relax in the sauna, or

even use co-working spaces.

Gyms feature dedicated play areas for kids, film screenings,

and other evening events, offering a whole new take on the

traditional climbing gym experience.

Two, one, go!

Skinny.

Yes, but I'm not going up there to attack my base.

Yes, I do the chicane too. Come on.

Three,

Two. Okay.

Okay, that's it. Look.

Very good.

I think majority of the people that come to our gyms or that go to

most gyms, it's like

they're not going to become rock climbers.

And I can see it for myself, too. The amount of effort

and time that I need to go rock climbing to try my project in Oliana,

I have to spend all day to drive two hours

to make two tries.And then to drive two

hours back, I get home super late.

Compared to the convenience of coming to a climbing gym, I can come

here and in two hours I can climb so much.

It really fits into my lifestyle with my family and everything so much

easier.

We must reflect on the fact that life is at the

border between worlds.

There is the natural world, and there is the artificial world.

We always live between the two. It's a construct

mental and cultural. We are nature

And we are artificial.

But what's interesting is seeing the conversations between the two.

What are the links between the climbing we are going to

artificial and natural climbing

?

But you cannot put people all in the same box all the

time. When it comes to saying climbing is climbing, climbers are

climbers, indoor climbers are outdoor climbers, it doesn't

exactly all align.

As I said, it's not linear. It's multidimensional.

These are things that are very three-dimensional.

It's climbing, but they are very different things.

There's swimming in a pool,

and there's swimming in the ocean.

Then there's swimming in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

There's swimming in a lake, there's swimming in a river,

there's swimming in a pool inside.

There are many forms of swimming.

There are many forms of climbing.

Indoor will definitely be a big part

of the future of climbing because nature will not be ready for it

to accommodate ever-increasing masses of climbers.

So surely big investors will build big temples for

climbing and entertaining people.

Of course, there will be a change happening in the next decades

because virtually everything has been climbed already.

There's not so much left to explore.

So in my point of view, climbing will be as

an activity more centered about indoor

climbing in the future.

There will be still a lot of outdoor activity, but

less pioneering-wise,

but more like go out there, go to the

climbs and just have a nice day.

I already love being outside, in nature.

I like the freedom one can have.

There are so many paths to explore that are historical or involve gestures

specific, magnificent, with a frame, etc.

Before thinking about the huge performance or the path of the

future, already climbing everything around us a little bit,

That could be a great goal.

If climbing is my profession,

That means I spend a lot of time climbing and training.

And so all my energy,

Professionally, too, she goes in one direction and at the end, there is my

navel.

And so, for me, that was fundamentally problematic because I think that by

Our work requires us to contribute something to the world.

There comes a point where we need to redefine performance.

That means what has value

What can the community value?

to help us grow as climbers

?

Today, I'm going to do a 9a

or an 8c, if every time I have to try the route, I have to do 80

Personally, I'm not interested in driving kilometers.

That's not what makes sense today.

The value is there, it's in the meaning, in the coherence and above all

in the experience and in the embodiment of what I say.

For me, from the moment I live what I say,

No one can take that away from me, because I lived it.

When I experience cycling from Saint-Lger to Bioux, it...

takes 5 hours instead of 1 hour 30 minutes by car.

but in fact,

I see a number of wonderful things that I have

I want to defend it and I want to be a part of it.

It's so real, since I'm experiencing it myself.

No matter how much people tell me, "Yes, but it's your bus," I know it works.

I know that this is what fulfills me more.

And I think it's not just because I'm an alien.

But if doing what we love destroys what allows us to do it,

It's going nowhere.

What you're doing is great, Eline, but I can't manage the bike.

I can't do it, it's just too hard.

Honestly, Eline, for me, either I go to the gym, or I quit.

Rock climbing. It burns my legs, my bags, everything.

But what you're doing is really good.

But I think I'm too old.

Exactly, that's it.

Come on, Cdric. Yes, you're coming down. Great.

Exactly. This movement is still tough.

You really need to stay calm.

What I dare say is that I am not perfect and

I will never be perfect.

But I'm trying. And for me,

In the future, we must all try to do

It's good for it to work, quite simply.

We just need to become aware of our actions, and that alone is enough.

will be a big step. I'm just saying to listen to everything

That,

to realize that our actions have great importance.

If everyone thinks about it, try it a little, things will change.

This is going to change drastically.

Right, I cross to the left, I turn right again.

Vinegar water, diluted.

Luckily I have a real brush.

She's a mass, there.

Disgusting.

That's great. What's really great about Spain is

that they make poop areas. I love Spain for the

Private poop areas. But it's your private toilet.

It's driving me crazy. I've done this scene 50 times, I can't do it, my battery's dead.

I tried it every which way. So, the only solution,

I'm taking the sign with me.

With algorithms, the codes will be organized.

There will be no more smoke and mirrors to make you believe you've made progress.

Finally, in the gyms, we'll be able to have cool blocks and we'll never again have

Steps that don't work. No more sharp, arched steps, no more freezing afternoons.

the rush, the wobbly holds, the old belays on bolts, the holds

polished surfaces and routes where you can't see the summit, challenging moves, the

stones that can knock you out, the weird eliminations, the paths that make

The crossing, the annoying locals and the bitter cold that gives you frostbite, the stairs

endless approaches, air travel, conditions, ratings, the

conventions will soon be a thing of the past if we hold firm.

The real climbing would begin.