Imagination and New Ideas in Adventure

Messner says in his book 'All 14 Eight-Thousanders':

'Climbing arises out of ideas and big mountains'. For Messner, climbing the 14 eight-thousanders alpine style, without oxygen, had always been 'to work through an idea' - one needing both skill and imagination and a rethinking of the 'accepted pattern of expeditioning'.

New ideas. Imagination. These are fundamentals in adventure. How the project is done, not just that it is done, or how fast you do it. How innovative it is. What style you do it in. How pioneering you are. What kind of mind you have. It's about how you can open possibilities and push human limits, not just in terms of mechanical performance and obvious measurable goals but in terms of the imagination and pioneering spirit.

The Japanese mountaineer Ozaki says: 'The fourteen eight-thousanders, the 'record' itself, which Messner has gained, is important. But what he has done that is more important is that he has awakened dreams and hopes and the spirit of adventure in people throughout the world.'

In paragliding where are we seeing this kind of spirit of adventure now? In lots of places I think. Here is an example: John Silvester's idea of 'para-alpinism' (Cross Country - May/June 2004):
"I have become interested in using a paraglider to fly up to these highest summits. But in order to reach the top of these Himalyan giants, we need to exploit lift above the deep convective layer and access the primeval world of swirling spindrift...high altitude ridge lift'. John was struck by this idea looking at the spindrift streaming off a photo of the summit of Rakaposhi - a photo he 'almost binned' thinking it was insignificant.

The expedition that was the upshot of Silvester's inspired idea can be read in Dave Snowdon's report here: http://www.fly-k2.com/files/skywings.pdf

Mountaineers have used paragliding as a means ofdescent from several of the major Himalayan peaks,after spending an expedition period andmountaineering effort ascending them. Howeverfew have free-flown upwards to above 7,000m. Thisrelatively new game of ascending mountains purelyby air will never replace the essences ofmountaineering; merely complement it with a newform of ascent. The high-altitude flying game has itsown nuances, far removed from the flying we hadpreviously experienced. The challenge goes on.We will no doubt begin to debate the merits andethics of using oxygen on high-altitude flights. Wewill no doubt develop gliders and equipmentbespoke to our needs, and go on exploring thesegreat ranges of the earth. The experience is unique,and every flight is a privilege.