Mountaineering

Mountaineering

Mountaineering is defined as one of the sporting activities that are practiced to reach the tops of the mountains by climbing the rocks or ice that make them up. Safe; Where he must challenge the climbing conditions of difficult terrain and weather conditions, although the term mountain climbing is more appropriate for a person to climb and climb to high places; However, it can also involve climbing low mountains, which do not require great challenges and risks similar to climbing high mountains,Mountain climbing is a sport that is usually practiced collectively. Where team members join hands with each other to achieve a recordable achievement for the entire group.

Mountaineering can sometimes be considered a competitive sport, although it is often a hobby and a recreational activity, and the distinction between both types of practice is difficult. This is due to the absence of an administrative body that regulates the competitions of this sport; Consequently, the lack of a uniform that the climbers are obligated to wear, and the absence of referees to regulate the rules for these competitions, and competition in mountaineering is usually by challenging a group of climbers to each other about who can reach a certain summit first, or about who can use a specific technique to climb One of the peaks.

It should be noted that the practice of climbing mountains is practiced mainly through the use of the hands and feet of the climber, in addition to the use of some specialized tools that have appeared recently to climb mountains, [1], and the sport of climbing is not limited to climbing high peaks only; Other styles include walking on steep and dangerous cliffs as well as walking along high hills that contain many rocky outcrops.

The history of mountaineering

The early history of mountain climbing dates back to many reasons, including that it was practiced by climbing mountain peaks for the purpose of obtaining scientific observations of weather or geology, or to obtain an overview of some altitude areas, or even to perform some religious rituals. The eighteenth AD many scientists made field trips to the European Alps to collect scientific observations, and after the Mont Blanc mountain range of the Alps witnessed a major avalanche, the attention of these scientists turned to the high areas in the French Chamonix region.

The modern history of mountain climbing dates back to the middle of the eighteenth century, specifically in the year 1760 AD. This was when the young Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure (French: Horace de Saussure) visited the French city of Chamonix and was fascinated by the summit of Mont Blanc; Which is considered the highest mountain peak in the continent of Europe, with a height of 4,807 meters above sea level, [4] and Horace decided to present a financial prize for the first person to be able to climb that mountain summit, and that challenge presented by Horace remained for more than twenty-five years; Until in 1786 AD [2], the French physician Michel-Gabriel Packard (in English: Michel-Gabriel Paccard) and his assistant Jacques Balmat (in English: Jacques Balmat) won the award after they were able to reach the mountain summit that Horace climbed himself the following year.

The French Marie Paradis (in English: Marie Paradis) was the first woman to climb that summit in 1808 AD, [4] and the development of that sport was strengthened in 1865 AD; When a group of British climbers made it to the top of the Swiss Matterhorn; With a height of 4,478 meters, and after that the practice of mountain climbing began to turn into many high mountain peaks across different regions of the world, [2] and in the early twentieth century many climbers of different nationalities focused their attention on climbing the peaks of the Himalayas, which are the largest mass There are mountains in the world and the highest in the world, and in the aftermath of the First World War, the British focused on climbing the summit of Everest; [2] to succeed in that in 1953 AD; Edmund Hillary and his Tibetan guide Tenzing Norgay climbed the highest mountain on Earth.

Mountaineering began to undergo many changes at the beginning of the 1960s. The form of practice moved from the traditional type of climbing peaks to other types that pose a greater challenge for climbers, by starting to search for increasingly difficult roads to reach mountain peaks, and the use of artificial aids represented by modern tools for mountain climbing was introduced.

The dangers of mountaineering

Mountain climbing is a risky sporting activity that should not be underestimated in any way, regardless of how easy the path the climbers take to reach the peaks; Where climbers may be exposed to the risk of bad weather conditions such as thunderstorms, lightning strikes, as well as avalanches that may occur on mountains while climbing, [3] and there are other dangers that may be exposed to practitioners of this sport, especially those trying to climb very high peaks such as the summit of Everest; They may be at risk of falling off high slopes.

Climbers can suffer from some effects and health hazards as well. Climbing to high altitudes reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the climber's brain, and this can cause what is known as mountain sickness. The symptoms of which increase as the height of the climber increases, and in advanced stages, climbers may suffer from difficulty walking, headache, fatigue, delusions, and other dangerous symptoms; That may be exposed to people who climb to very high altitudes.

Mountaineering techniques

On their way to the mountain peaks, climbers use a range of kinetic techniques designed to assist them while climbing. Where they must enhance their skill and style of movement and improve it through learning the principles of movement and balance, and the basic techniques for climbing are based on the way the climber uses his feet correctly, and the search for suitable positions for his feet in addition to making sure to keep the foot steady and the heel low, and the climber must use his body In a way that keeps it as balanced as possible.

Written by Zeina Qabouk

Mawdoo3