Motivational Elements for Mountaineering. Climbing History, Preparations and Dangers

Academic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Health - Sport - Sport Psychology, , language: English, abstract: In this research work, I wanted the readers to have an idea of how cruel death is on a mountain. I wanted my readers to know the efforts the climbers take, the struggles they face while climbing, and how death could easily and unpredictably put a stop to everything. The topic for this research project was chosen due to my interest for climbing and mountaineering. Ever since I began reading Edmund Hillary's "High Adventure", John Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" and Wade Davis' "Into the Silence", I have always fantasised about going on expeditions in the Himalayas. As a kid, I started to see climbers as heroes who did the impossible. However, through time, through age and the knowledge I gained, I started to realize that the climbers, before any preparation they did, were able to accept death. At altitudes above 26,000 ft our bodies start to die. The lack of oxygen thickens our blood and fluid starts filling in our lungs and brain, causing them to swell. That always made me wonder, why climbers risk their lives for climbing. Records of people dying should have stopped people from climbing but the number of expeditions on mountains increase every year. Inevitably, so does the number of deaths. What makes a climber easily accept the risk of death? Why is climbing the most dangerous, expensive and the most "wanted to do" activity in the world?