With mountaineering it’s often difficult to justify one’s actions, for instance the straightforward task of climbing all the way to the summit, there’s nothing up there, no cache of gold and jewels awaiting, just some rock, ice, or snow. As Mallory answered with regards to climbing Everest, why do it, quite simply “because it’s there.” Well, there’s something to be said for first ascents, in fact he was willing to die for it along with his climbing partner, and did, and countless other people have died on countless other mountains, everyone knows, it’s dangerous, fundamentally irrational and prone to fatal obsession.

However, we are, despite the relative slowdown, on the verge of sending humans to Mars. Everyone knows this too, but perhaps they don’t know just how mountainous and icy the terrain is, cliffs and canyons so massive in scope that they put anything on Earth to shame. In other words, mountaineering becomes a vital skill to possess, as the planet is gradually explored, valuable resources sought and discovered, pure invaluable knowledge gained, terrain that can’t, absolutely can’t, be traversed by a vehicle of any kind.

So there it is, a reason to put climbing back on humanity’s radar, the full gamut of rock, ice, snow, and pure dusty ground which, as I understand it, is everywhere on the red planet. It’s unlikely I’ll ever get to Mars, but just for the record, the extreme off-chance, I’d be willing to, as a fairly good writer with similarly good and versatile climbing skills. Otherwise I simply enjoy it, and sure don’t enjoy a lot of things so that’s saying a lot, and hope it doesn’t get seen as pointless, unforgivably dangerous, or flat-out insane worthy of mass ostracism (kinda used to it by now, but hope it doesn’t continue forever).

These days I’ve been taking nighttime trips in exceptionally cold January weather, plainly to do some ice climbing, crampons, ice axes, all that, and look forward to more upcoming. For simplicity, and because I’m poor, it’s usually accomplished with a bike, which, let me tell you, if you haven’t ever tried it, is wickedly cold and often very painful. But once I reach the spot, perhaps a frozen waterfall or plain wall of ice and start climbing, I feel better, and it’s well worth the pain and difficulties getting to and from. So it’ll continue, heck what other physical activity would even be fun at all for me in winter, given all I’ve done in the past. I hope you can see the overarching rationale and respect it, and perhaps give it a go yourself, recognizing the inherent danger, yes of course you’re responsible for your own safety, but I personally like the risk aspect, for better or worse, so all in all it looks like something I’ll be doing for a very long time. And if people still think it’s pointless, insane, or stupidly dangerous, well, so be it.