Theories Discussion > General Discussion

Hubris and risk taking?

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GlennM:
With respect, they did not make the grade, they perished. Igor was warned by the forester and still proceeded.I believe there was also an undercurrent of affections in conflict. When they saw Symphony in Gold and have talks about the meaning of love, men and women react differently. Things are more immediate for men. There was pain from a broken romance.

In order to keep emotions in check and avoid friction in the group( and yes, there was friction), it must have been necessary to keep focused on a particularly hard tour. Remember too that the guys were supposed to give up tobacco for their tour. That alone affects attitude. Could it be that there was too much confidence in their abilities in spite of Nature? Could it be that the desire for a cigarette made someone short tempered enough to make a bold decision to continue when they should not?They thought they could win.  think that if they succeeded,  they would be have the respect, the bragging rights and the wisdom. Those who smoked would continue to do so and the romances would play out in some way.They did not succeed. Did they earn respect for their attempt? It,appears so. Did they earn sympathy for their defeat? Of course. Did many others suffer blame and punishment in the aftermath? Yes. At the root of it all, could it be hubris, or the feeling that no matter the challenge, they could always prevail? All behavior is motivated.

This thread must not diminish them as people, but they were people. People are not perfect. Questing is acceptable human behavior. Being confident has benefits...unless it doesn't. Nature is indifferent to it all.

Ziljoe:
Fair point.

GlennM:
The burden of leadership includes being methodical. They wanted a grade 3 certification. They didn't file a route plan. They didn't have train fare, they didn't have room accommodations. Money was tight. They ran afoul of the law twice. They did not heed heed the forester's warning. They had a team member who couldn't go the distance. They made plans to structure their day and failed to follow the plan. They argue over repairing the tent. There is attitude over a tangerine slice. They are beaten back a day by weather. They did go to movies and sing songs. They took candid photos. This loosely formed expedition of friends appears to be more about letting off steam and being in tune with unstructured and wild Nature rather than a focused campaign to achieve a specific goal. It is remarkable how soon things fell apart once they left civilization, Was it only two days?

At their ages, save Zolo, youthful invincibility seems to be their contingency plan. Admittedly, it is a lot to expect to have a backup plan for the gear, the route, the,weather and injury. Evidently, once they left the tent (either on 1079 or in the woods,,depending on your point of view),,they were improvising. Improvising translates into not having and  immediately grabbing footwear and a "bugout bag" of essentials. It is not so much about running from a thing as it is running to something else. Once there will they be prepared?

Partorg:
There is no need to look for a black cat in a dark room, and in Malevich’s painting “Black Square” silhouettes of three blacks stealing coal on a November night...
Reaching the hill called Otorten, even in winter, is not a feat capable of raising self-esteem, let alone glorification. The difficulty of the hike lies in its length through unpopulated terrain. But there is nothing extraordinary about it either.
It is an ordinary sports trek of the 3rd category. Otorten was necessary for logistic beauty and completeness of the route - traverse of the «Belt Stone» Ridge from Otorten to Oiko-Chakur.
Their deaths had nothing to do with the route as such - if they had stopped 30-40 meters closer or farther from the place where they stopped and most likely would have stayed alive.

GlennM:
Partog, thanks for the clarification about the route. It would appear that getting there and back as inexpensively as practical would be desirable. The group certainly travelled as cheaply as they could as well as saving energy until they started their push on skis. I'd like to explore your claim that a 30 meter difference in camp site could have made the difference. Do you believe, as I do that they set their tent in a hollow which allowed snow to accumulate and then break free?

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