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"Have we vanquished an enemy? None but ourselves. Have we
gained success? That word means nothing here. Have we won a
kingdom? No...and yes. We have achieved an ultimate satisfaction...
fulfilled a destiny.... To struggle and to understand—never this last
without the other; such is the law..." (Mallory).
The mountain has a message to give us in its rocky and metallic
language. Those of us who understand this language have the
mission of spreading the message so that others can also share it.
The mountain is not easy. It is hard to reach, barbaric and its grandeur
can inhibit. Those who have had the privilege of entering its domain
often feel they should share the experience and therefore broaden
others’ horizons as well as their own.
The need of sharing the excitement of reaching the summit is natural
in man and through time it has become a tradition in the
mountaineering world. It is thrill to reach a summit and search under
the stones until finding a small container that holds the stories and
testimonies of other climbers.
The summit mountaineers, as well as remembering the other members
of their team that helped them reach the summit, should also save
some energy for leaving their own message for those who will come
after them. It is an act of gratitude for the opportunity to climb the
mountain and an act of friendship towards the next successful team.
Climbers would not be able to ascend without the economic support
of those who place faith and trust in their abilities. This is of vital
importance as only the consolidation of the support team with the
mountain team can lead to a successful enterprise.
As Chile is a country with so many mountains and such a rapidly
growing mountaineering culture, it is a real pleasure to be part of
a project that looks to encourage mountaineering and continue the
beautiful tradition of the summit testimony.
To see that institutions like Banco de Chile are interested in supporting
the passion for mountaineering makes us very happy. To be able to
transform the 6,000 Summit Box Project into a vehicle for spreading
mountaineering is something that we have often dreamed about.
Today we present this dream made reality. Just as reaching a summit
requires the effort and work of a large number of people we have
also needed the support of an extensive team that has supported
this project through every stage. It started with the mountaineers
who took part in the Summit Box Project and whose work has been
imprinted in each of this book’s testimonies and continued with those
who turned those experiences into a book that acts as a reference
for climbers. I would especially like to thank Andrea Gabriel, Eugenio
Guzmán, Eduardo Urtubia, Héctor Millar, Camilo Rada, Teresa Pérez,
Iain Mitchell, Darren Moss, Misael Alvial, y Enrique Larenas.
They have produced a real legacy for the mountaineers of the future. |
Rodrigo Jordan
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