A Look into Adventure Athletes, Risk, and the Motivation to Keep Exploring

On Sept. 13. 22-year-old Maya Humeau, slipped and fell to her death climbing the Black Wall of Mt. Evans in Clear Creek County, Colorado.

On Sept. 26. Hilaree Nelson, a world-renowned mountaineer, died in an avalanche, skiing down Mt. Manaslu in Nepal. Her husband and expedition partner, Jim Morrison, was unable to locate her body until three days later.

These deaths, although different situations, were sudden. Weather is a formidable creature that lurks in the atmospheric distance. Loose rock and the crumbling mountains due to the Earth’s ever-rising temperatures could give way without a moment’s notice. The outdoors can be an insidious place and these women were caught in its crosshairs.

This reclamation of life by the mountains begs the question, “Why do people choose to put themselves in potentially fatal situations? Is it worth it?”

26-year-old Lynn Anderson, a fanatical climber, admired Humeau for her strength and determined mindset when it came to climbing. “I’d never met another female trad climber that even led 5.10. Here’s this 20-year-old, climbing harder trad than me.”

Beyond climbing, Anderson cherished Humeau’s friendship, excited to discuss their shared love for the environment and regenerative agriculture.

“When you lose someone, it reinforces that you just don’t know. So go live your life!” Anderson exclaims.

Which is exactly what Anderson does. She climbs with precision and ease, having sent over 380 routes, many of them 5.12 and higher. Oftentimes, she’ll rehearse the route on toprope in order to master the “cruxey” moves before committing to the more dangerous aspect; leading it. To her, it’s a puzzle that needs to be solved. There is great sense of accomplishment in figuring out the moves and sending a hard route.

Within certain styles, routes, and types of climbing there is risk, but with the development and progression of new protective gear such as nuts, small cams, and offset microstoppers, climbing on the whole, has become a lot safer. As a result, climbing and other gear-intensive sports have become more accessible to the everyday outdoor enthusiast.  The issue lies in the inexperienced climber. Oftentimes, they believe that gear alone will save them. “If the piece is poorly placed, it’s just as bad as an old school nut that would rip anyway” says Anderson. With any sport, it takes time to gain the proper skillset to do activities within safe margins.

Jordon Griffler, now 34, is a cargo pilot, who pursues alpinism in his free time. Alpine climbing requires a convergence of ice climbing, rock climbing, and backpacking. He’s summited Mt. Fitz Roy and spent many winter months attempting to summit Cerro Torre, a 10,000 ft. mountain of rock and ice in Patagonia.

There’s a dichotomy between life and death. Having witnessed and lost friends to the alpine, he is aware of the risks, but has felt pulled to it since he was a young boy. “There is a mysticism around it. We’re the brave knights going off into the danger to slay the dragon and come back with the riches. The riches are not the top. It’s being in those environments and looking into the void. It’s seeing the other side of it.”

Relying solely on the team around you, Griffler feels he has developed a community through the sport. In a literal sense, they hold each other’s lives in their hands belaying each other up the mountain.

So, what pushes people to go out into the unknown? For many, it’s the adventure, for others it’s the accomplishment, and for a select few it’s the notoriety. As Griffler says, “It gives you a hell of a lot of perspective on life and it gives you, hopefully, a little bit more respect for life.”