OnFitness Magazine - May/June 2017 - 51

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Darrell Hitt

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In obstacle course
events, for example, it's
often a rope as you
scale a wall. Or it could
be handholds on a
vertical surface. Don't
just use metal bars for
pulling up your body.

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The ability to pull your
body weight upward
shouldn't be limited to
grasping a bar. In a real
life situation (an escape
from danger, for
instance, or in a
competitive obstacle
course), chances are
nearly 100 percent that
the object you'll be
grabbing won't be a
smooth metal bar.

N O

Lower risk perception
The ability to perform well under pressure is necessary
in all sports, but the immediate results are the biggest
for high-risk pursuits. Along with a gravitational pull
toward mountaineering seems to come a lower
perception of the risks involved.
A lower perception of risks seems to be necessary to
perform in a relaxed manner. Indeed, men are not alone
in this, as some women participate in risky activities
such as extreme skiing and base jumping. However,
they seem to have a better appreciation for the risks.
Studies, such as the one in Perceptual and Motor
Skills Journal, June 2005, show that men actually have
a lower perception of risk regarding climbing and
other highly dangerous sports (e.g., surfing,
parachuting) when compared to women.
Another ground-breaking study is underway by
Bolivian/New Zealand mountaineer Dr. Erik
Monasterio that seeks the answers to these questions:
Are the world's top mountaineers different from the
non-mountaineering population? Do they have specific
personality characteristics to help them cope with
severe stress? Is there any similarity between criminal
risk-takers and adventure risk-takers? Do they share
common psychology or biology?

Motivation
What motivates people to take such risks? Deaths from
snowmobile racing (Caleb Moore, January 2013),
freeskiing (Sarah Burke, January 2012), conventional
skiing, paragliding, no-equipment ("free solo") rock
climbing (Akihira Tawara, September 2011) and other
such activities should not be compared to deaths from
vehicular accidents, which number about 40,000 per
year in the U.S., according to a report in the journal
Injury Prevention.
Nobody drives to work or to the mall to buy
clothes for their kids because they're an "adrenaline
junkie." And let's not forget that extreme sports result
in many permanent injuries.
Extreme or free solo climbers certainly have an "It
can't happen to me" attitude. Sometimes they bite off
more than they can chew, as is evident with the many
Mt. Everest climbers who have perished as a result of
spending too much time in the "Death Zone."
And there is one more element - the thrill of
doing something that may indeed kill you. Some
climbers admit that the thrill of the risk is a driving
force, and they thrive on this risk.
There is no middle ground in mountaineering and
similar sports. Either you make it or you don't.
The results of another study (Journal of Human
Performance in Extreme Environments, 2005) found that
"The key to success for mountaineering, besides the
unalterable strategic, and physical competence, seems to
lie above all in the art of self-monitoring, the ability to
preserve resources, the team spirit and the acceptance of
individual borders."
Mountaineering and similar sports seem to require
the most complete package of skills, including inner
and intangible elements. Z

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MOUNTAINEERING is one of the
toughest sports out there. Not only
are there steep physical hurdles,
there's also the risk associated with
performance. This is not a forgiving
venture, such as slipping on the
asphalt during a tennis match or
missing the hurdle on the track. One
misstep can cost you your life.

These include spheres
that hang suspended
that you can place your
hands on and then pull
yourself up. The sphere
adds a whole new twist
to the pull-up. Other
unconventionally
shaped devices are
also sold that you can
pull yourself up on.
Check them out.

V O L

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For a new kind of
challenge with pull-ups
and chin-ups, visit a
rock climbing supply
store. Rock climbers
and indoor climbing
enthusiasts like to use
an assortment of pullup and chinning tools.

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Pull-ups and
chin-ups
without
a bar

W W W. O N F I T N E S S M A G . C O M

The mind of the
mountain climber
http://WWW.ONFITNESSMAG.COM
OnFitness Magazine - May/June 2017

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