Readers Weigh In
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What do you think?
Send us your comments on Adventure articles and issues affecting the adventure community.
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Do you have a pressing comment on an Adventure article or an issue affecting the adventure travel or outdoor communities? Maybe you've just broken in a great piece of gear or returned from a fantastic trip (and have the photos to prove it). Send your words of wisdom, advice, recommendations, and retorts to Online Editor Mary Anne Potts at mpotts@ngs.org.
Updated Friday, September 8, 2006
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Climbing: Everest Crazy
The people on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest who passed by ill climber David Sharp, who inevitably froze to death, are basically murderers [The Mad Season, September]. I don't care how much it costs to climb a mountain; a life should be worth more. As a paramedic, if I didn't stop for someone who needed my help, my certification would be pulled and I would be charged with criminal neglect. Mountaineers should keep in mind that what goes around, comes around. You can't outclimb karma.
Misty Hughes
Newland, North Carolina
My first reaction to reading The Mad Season was shock and disgust toward those who could leave a suffering man to die on Everest in favor of pushing
for the summit. Unfortunately, we live in a society that seems to constantly value the finish over the journey. But the truth is, none of us really knows how we would react in that situation unless we were faced with it. Only one thing is sure in my mind: that split-second choice, made one way or the other, would undoubtedly haunt me for a very long time.
Jaimie Calhoun
Torrance, California
I found your coverage of Mount Everest heartbreaking and thought-provoking. But I want to question Contributing Editor David Roberts's need to add television journalist and former Polish Playboy Playmate Martyna Wojciechowska's summit bid to his list of examples of ridiculousness on Everest this
year [The Mad Season]. I kept waiting for the punch line. Did she climb in a bunny suit? Did she shed her parka for a photo shoot at the top? Not according to the article. A former profession is not a good rationale for placing her on this list of shame. Thank you, Martyna, for having the courage to go for your
dreams in such harsh conditions. You are no less worthy of this lofty accomplishment.
Mary A. English
Prairie Village, Kansas
EDITOR'S NOTE: Indeed, t his year's Everest climbing season was particularly fascinating and fatal. Read our full coverage, including a moving memoir by alpinist Ed Viesturs of the 1996 Into Thin Air climb and a video with guide Dan Mazur, whose group gave up their summit attempt to save climber Lincoln Hall. More on Everest >>Surfing: Give Me A Break
Your California's Lost Coast [September] surfing article tells of a great spot with near-mythical surf breaks, but its location is kept a secret by the author. If you want to keep an area to yourselves, then don't write about it in the first place. This is simply not fair to your readers.
Dennis Ryan
Amherst, Massachusetts
EDITOR'S NOTE: It was a tough decision, but we opted to play coy and keep this break's precise location a mystery. However, the article drops some strong
hints—and even includes an illustrated map—to narrow down the search grid. Consider it a challenge, one that will make the discovery more rewarding for our
readers while keeping our promise to honor the surfer's code. See photos >>Best Places to Live: Hanging Out, Adventure Style
Having spent the past three summers in Flagstaff, Arizona, I applaud its inclusion in "Your Kind of Town" [Where to Live & Play, September] by Contributing Editor Dan Koeppel. The scene description was right on! But the sole mention of Maloney's Tavern as "Your Hangout" was limiting. Flagstaff has many more great spots to kick back in after a day of hiking, including Mogollon Brewing Company, offering Apache Trout Stout, the superfriendly Beaver Street Brewery, with its fantastic Bramble Berry Brew, and the Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge, which has a great music scene in a historic setting.
Jill Brinkman
St. Joseph, Minnesota
I was interested to find places like Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas well suited for adventure in Where to Live & Play, but surprised by your list's omission of the biggest little adventure city in the world—Reno, Nevada. Nestled at the convergence of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin, Reno offers a fantastic network of singletrack trails, a superbly engineered urban kayaking park along the Truckee River, and sweet local crags for climbing. Someone should have checked out northern Nevada before sending this article to print!
Erik Schwinger
Reno, Nevada
Adventure's September 2006 issue features 31 amazing adventure towns; chaos at the top of Mount Everest; an inside look at surfing California's Lost Coast; 11 fall weekend getaways near you; the best high-tech footwear, world class adventure travel; hiking the Alps, and more!
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