Partners

The author and his partner Bob Ahearn enjoying a cold but sunny day cruis'n the Upper East Face Slabs on Mount Willard, Crawford Notch, New Hampshire.

There is no question that climbing has been one of the most powerful passions in my life over the past 20+ years, and I was thinking the other day about all the road trips, expeditions, foreign countries and close calls that have made up my climbing career. But despite all the adventures, training, planning and the physical act of climbing, the one thing that I always remember are the people that I have shared these experiences with and the close bond that is made with a partner.

A partnership in climbing goes well beyond what would be considered a typical friendship. You need to be able to depend on this person with your life. They must be focused, share the same goals, climb at a similar level, be comfortable with the systems and how to escape them, understand how to feel your every move through the touch of the rope, and have thick enough skin not to take suggestions or criticisms shouted at them (on a cramped bivy while snow is pouring down one's back), personally. A tall order to fill by most standards, but these are the qualities that are needed when undertaking such a sport as the one we have chosen.

The realationship between partners would be easy enough if everything went as planned, but for those of us who climb, events rarely unfold without a hitch in this sport and often we are left with just our instincts and experience to guide us through some "undesireable" situations. It is these times that not only test our metal as climbers, but test our relationships as dependable partners as well. There is a saying that "adversity breeds character", but in the world of climbing, adversity has been the death knoll for even the closest of partnerships.

In my experience, climbing experience is just a small ingredient in the make-up of a bond that will stand the test of time. No doubt chemistry, that unknown element, plays a greater role when the proverbial "crap hits the fan". It goes back to a deeper understanding of the person, his or her limitations and of course his or her strengths and the confidence that the person on the other end of the rope is as willing to do what it takes to get things done.

Mark Twight, does a great job getting into greater detail of the attributes of a successful, productive and healthy partnership in his book: "Extreme Alpinism", pp 150-153. He also talks a little bit about his climbing encounter with a new partner, Michel Fouquet on a new route on Khan Tengri. Despite similar resumes, endurance and techical skills, the two rubbed each others nerves right out of the gate and proved to be a disasterous experience for the two of them. Despite their similarities on paper, the partnership was doomed from the start, the chemistry and lack of common vision created a chasm that even the best of climbers could not overcome. Moral of the story: A good partner is not to be taken for granted!

After years of climbing it is truly magic when one finds that one, two or even three partners that one shares that connection with. When I look back on all those experiences, it is the people who I shared them with that truly made the adventure what is was. I see those faces smiling back at me, I see the looks of anxiety, I hear the voices, the laughter and the exhaustion. I feel the knee in my back as I roll over in my sleeping bag, and taste the coffee on those bitter cold days when a hot cup of coffee is a greater gift than a 15% raise.I remember those embraces at the summit, and the understanding look afterward that we are only half way through our experience.

All these memories I will cherish and all those who I have shared them with will forever be with me. Climbs end, and when the gear is packed away, and the peaks dissapear under the clouds as the plane sores to the next destination, its the friendships that remain...

Here is the movie that accompanies the photos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fG2nY06T2g