The MountainWorld™ Blog

Sean Swarner (CancerClimber) throws first pitch in Cleveland

Sean Swarner - 7 Summits climber and, more importantly, 2-time cancer survivor - can add one more thing now to his already impressive resume: he threw the opening pitch at last night's Indians - Yankees game at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

And, he did it in his down suit from Everest! Not bad, Sean!

If you don't already know about Sean and his story, be sure to check out his website, CancerClimber Association, to learn more about this inspirational guy and the great work he is doing for cancer patients and survivors around the world.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

An eloquent argument about the upcoming Olympics in Beijing

As nearly everyone who even occasionally watches the news, listens to the radio, or glances at a newspaper knows, there is quite a bit of controversy swirling around China's upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. From protests in Tibet and along the long torch run to climber Brant Holland being kicked off of Everest last week by Nepalese authorities for carrying a "Free Tibet" banner up Everest.

Sadly, however, much of the mainstream news in the USA has failed to speak out strongly on the issue, preferring rather to dodge a tough issue and see what comes out of it all. I'm not advocating that China should be wholeheartedly condemned; China, amidst its stumbles and mistakes, does do a lot of things right, as schools, roads, electricity, and general development in the hinterlands of Tibet attest. However, as with any nation (and especially a big, complex, diverse one like China...or the USA), there are plenty of bad things happening in China, from the oppression of ethnic groups like the Tibetans and the Uighurs to burgeoning environmental issues that threaten catastrophe.

Just as these issues are brought out and addressed candidly and openly when present in the US and other nations, they should likewise be called out and addressed as they happen in China, for the strongest sign of patriotism is not slavish dedication to an ideal, but rather logical criticism directed toward positive change.

Unfortunately, though, China resists nearly all criticism from within and without, no matter how altruistic its framing, and much of the world press, perhaps fearful of the economic might that is modern China, follows suit.

So, to get to my point, it was with pleasure that I came across a wonderful article today in The Post Online from Cameroon. Written by journalist Sam Nuvala Fonkem, the article (China's Verbal Acrobatics On Sports And Politics) makes an eloquent argument against the policies of - and world acquiescence to - modern China.

I won't quote the whole article here, because you should read it yourself. But, I did want to pull a strong segment from the end:

China should do well to borrow a leaf from the African Union which, under the distinguished leadership of Alpha Konare, adapted the humanitarian philosophy of non-indifference, which goes far beyond the mercantile notion of non-interference.

Non-indifference signifies the primacy of humanity over mercantilist pursuits and upholds the truism that man lives by man; that you are your brother's keeper. Long live Ubuntu, the principle that good men shall not remain silent in the face of man's inhumanity to man.

Fonkem's writing reminds me of the thoughts of another great leader, thinker, and champion of human rights. He was someone we all know, and one who is revered as a person who did not shrink from controversy, who did the right thing - and advocated the right thing - simply because it was the right thing. The man? Martin Luther King, Jr. And his quote:

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?

Expediency asks the question - is it politic?

Vanity asks the question - is it popular?

But conscience asks the question - is it right?

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Eggs for Everest: One Woman's Dream

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

How true that statement is, and it is a message I share with audiences around the world when I speak: Our dreams - those seemingly unreachable goals in all of our lives - are the catalyst, the fuel which drives us forward, over self-imposed obstacles and on to a better understanding of what we, as individuals, are truly capable of achieving in our lives.

Tusi Das, a 25 year old young woman from the poverty-stricken slums of Kolkata (Calcutta), India, is a shining example of following one's dreams even when the path to the top seems unbelievably steep and difficult.

A budding climber whose interest in the sport was sparked by climbing artificial walls in her home city, Tusi has done quite a bit of climbing in recent years through courses offered by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM). The courses, from basic rock-climbing in Uttaranchal Pradesh to a 22-day search and rescue course at Uttarkashi, gave her a baseline of skills...and proved her ability to continue climbing.

Last August, Tusi climbed 21,000 foot Menthosa Peak in Himachal Pradesh as a member of an 8 person team from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation; only Tusi and two others managed to reach the summit.

But now the biggest climb begins: Tusi wants to go to Mount Everest. To do so, though, she needs to raise INR 7 lakh (roughly $17,600) - a big sum in any country, but a monumental one for a poor street merchant in Kolkata.

But Tusi is undaunted. She believes in her dreams and is determined to follow them. "If necessary I will take a bank loan to accomplish my mission," she said.

(see article in The Times of India)

So, with a financial mountain to climb and a courageous, never-say-never spirit, Tusi wakes up at the crack of dawn each morning and carries her crates of eggs down the twisted alleyways of Kolkata to the bazaar near her home in Dumdum Park. There Tusi sits, hour after hour, selling eggs to shoppers and adding each penny to her dream bank.

Since eggs sell for about $0.03 each in India, Tusi has a bunch to sell...586,666 of them, in fact, to reach her target.

But, she's determined and optimistic and willing to make some sacrifices and endure tough times to reach her goal.

So, from one Everest climber to a future Everest climber, I say: Good luck, Tusi...Climb high, climb strong, don't give up, and see you soon...on the mountain!

For Tusi, and for all of us who dream - and turn our dreams into action - a few inspirational words:

The only death you die is the one you die daily by not living. Dream big and dare to fail.
    - Norman Vaughn 

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
    - Goethe

Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four Cs. They are curiosity, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.
    - Walt Disney

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Bentley Beetham Photo Collection Online, including rare 1924 Everest images!

The 1924 Everest expedition - which I have written extensively about here - was made most famous by the mystery shrouded disappearance of George Mallory & Andrew Irvine on June 8th, 1924.

There were, of course, other expedition members, most of whom have fallen into relative obscurity; they made it back alive and continued their lives, which is not nearly as sexy as disappearing high on the mountain!

But, they were an incredible group, from Doctor T. Howard Somervell to geologist Noel Odell, eccentric John Baptist Lucius Noel to larger-than-life Brigadier General Charles Granville Bruce.

Bentley Beetham, another member of the 1924 expedition, was a gifted photographer and schoolmaster at Barnard Castle School. Sir Francis Younghusband described Beetham in The Epic of Mount Everest:

He had not exactly the concentrated fire of Mallory, but he was perpetually boiling and bursting and bubbling over with keenness and enthusiasm – the kind of man that nothing less than a ton of bricks could keep down: nineteen hundredweight would have been of no use.

And quite a climber he was. Beetham and Somervell made a 6 week foray into the Alps in 1923, during which time they climbed an astonishing 35 peaks!

However, as with all members of those early expeditions, Beetham was far from mono-dimensional. Climber, teacher, ornithologist, photographer, and cultural enthusiast, Beetham devoured the experiences on the approach to and climbing on Everest in 1924, and brought back the images to share.

It is exciting that now, through the efforts of the Bentley Beetham Trust in partnership with Durham University and The Heritage Lottery Fund, nearly the entire collection of Beetham's photographs and documents are accessible online through the Bentley Beetham Collection website.

The collection is extensive and impressive, offering rarely seen glimpses into the world of pre-World War II Tibet, of early Everest climbing, and also Beetham's images of natural history, culture, Northeast England, and climbing and mountaineering in the Tatra Mountains of Czechoslovakia, the Atlas of Morocco, and elsewhere.

Take an adventure back in time and visit the Bentley Beetham Collection online. It is quite a journey into the life and explorations of a remarkable man!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

A climb of Everest...by Mill Creek Elementary 6th Graders!

OK, so it's not an actual climb of Everest, but a group of 6th graders from Mill Creek Elementary put together these videos of their imaginary climbs of Everest's Northeast Ridge Route. And, they did a pretty good job of it!

Good work to all of them, and thanks for the North Side climb, especially since this season no one but the Chinese with the Olympic Torch will be climbing from Tibet this year!

Keep climbing!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.