Is mountain climbing a heroic or selfish act Research Paper

Is mountain climbing a heroic or selfish act - Research Paper Example One of the mountaineers, a sick man, after the avalanche passed away, told his friends, â€Å"I was going to unclip and get it over with,† as they were holding together with just a single ice-screw. Mark Twight, one of the mountaineers of the Rupal Face, like the British mountaineer, Joe Simpson, also shares the same feeling that the sport is for personal and â€Å"super-selfish† glory. Success of mountaineers is celebrated in royal way; they are rewarded and awarded in a magnanimous way (Coffey, 2003, p. 68-69). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a hero is a person who â€Å"exhibits extra-ordinary bravery, firmness, fortitude, and greatness of soul in any action.† Mountaineering presents such heroic opportunities innumerably. Alex Lowe set an example of sheer bravery, fortitude and greatness of soul in rescuing the Spanish climbers; he carried one collapsed climber on his back on the thirty-five degree slopes of ice and snow for hundred vertical feet to deliver the climber to the Park Service although the climber had collapsed. Such herculean tasks can be accomplished by a true hero only (Coffey, 2003, p. 70). Alex Lowe’s extra-ordinary stamina, drive, and capability as a climber were outstanding. Another name attached to the mountaineering heroism is that of Alison Hargreaves, the only women to climb Mount Everest by her own without oxygen in 1995 (Coffey, 2003). Alison was the second woman to reach Mount Everest without oxygen and on her own; the first legendry woman was Reinhold Messner. Criticism of such heroic personalities is widely attempted by media, as the tragedy pounces upon their lives. The same thing happened to Alison. Successful adventures were glorified beyond limit but as soon as defeat surfaced in the form of loosing the life while performing the adventurous task of mountaineering, the woman was criticized by press for leaving behind two small kids. Questions were put