The Good Old Days

I sit here wondering how it is that 100 years ago guys on the biggest and heaviest gear achieved some of the things they accomplished? I have always been a light is right afficianado though sometimes my wallet cant keep up with the trends. These days lighter means more expensive.

Mark Twight created this mindset of mine mainly. When I was much more into climbing I owned his book Light and Fast (which is a fantastic book for anyone making forays into the mountains) and it transformed the way I looked at climbing. Not only the gear that I used but also my outlook on what kind of climbing I wanted to do. And although my accomplishments wont ever amount to his, I still practice it today.

I have been backcountry skiing for three years now. And I felt I was somewhat ahead of the curve when I bought my first set of Dynafit bindings. The majority of people in my area still look at dynafit as a cooky sort of thing with no real application around here. Even though it has been around for twenty years or so and is continually improving. These days I am always trying to find out how I can go lighter, boots, skis and the rest of the gear. And then I read something about a guy who did a 150 mile traverse on 7 foot wooden skis and leather boots in the 1930’s!

So I suppose it’s the man and not the gear that makes it happen. That’s the only conclusion I can come up with. Not to say I am going to go retro and skin a beaver and put it on the bottom of my skis and ski leathers again. Technology is a cool thing. But it is great to know that a long time ago there were people out there pushing themselves no matter what gear they had. And it is these hard men and women that continually impress and inspire me to do more with what I have.