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Is it worth making money on high altitude ascents? It depends. It is personal for
everyone. Some people do make money and others - don't. The mountaineers from Togliatti
have made their choice. Andrei Volkov is explaining their common position: |
"The guides' work on eight-thousanders is a head-line subject for mountaineering
nowadays. The West is discussing the subject. This work has not been regulated by the law.
It is a question of morality. There were some tragedies in commercial expeditions. The
most famous one was on Everest. It became resonant, and the money for the investigation
was found. There was a talented writer, Krakauer, who had already earned a lot of money.
The tragedy of 1996 is not over yet in the US. The documentary film on the event has been
already produced and the movie is almost finished. It's a big business nowadays. By the
way, I think that the tragedy that happened will lead towards formalizing relationships
and obligations of guides. But there is no way you can formalize all the details…
The role and the behavior of the guides in the tragedies is being discussed. What are
their faults? What's the limit of their responsibility for people they lead to a summit?
Nowadays, more and more mountaineers take responsibility and take this job. There are
money and obligations. In response to accusations, the mountaineers say that they are not
guides but consultants, since the work of a guide requires a lot of responsibility. The
strong institution of guides was developed in France. The work there is rather tough. It's
not an easy matter to get the guides' certificate in the Alps. One has to answer strict
requirements. You have to be able to get a beginner or a cow to the route of the 6th
category and maintain the complete safety.
When Ivan Trofimovich and I went to Chamonix, we looked through the guide training program.
There were various things on the list: ice techniques, rock techniques, physical training,
and mountain skiing. When they named all the courses one has to take and all the exams one
has to pass to get a certificate, I was just shocked. I don't mention that these people
have to know at least two foreign languages. They spend several years to get a
certificate. They are first-class professionals.
What is so dramatic about the situation? This world tendency will increase. More and more
people are ready to spend their money to test themselves. It attracts them a lot. The
reason is the possibility to say to others whenever possible, "Oh-la-la, I've been
there!" No one will answer, "Shut up". It is just one more way to gain
prestige and status. You can make money on that. Many of our first-class professionals
sold themselves there - Bukreev, Bashkirov, Zhenya Vinogradsky. Everyone who wanted, went
to work for Indonesians, and Bukreev works for the company of Scott Fisher.
It's not our way. We are not going to do that. The Nanga Parbat expedition showed that. We
didn't intend to be Slava's guides, and we told him about that. Now we understand that he
expected this kind of help from us. It happened like that." |
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