Читать книгу Edge of the Map. The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff онлайн

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THE SPORT OF CLIMBING, SOME say, is misunderstood. What the average person might see as a sport for the selfish or those simply needing an adrenaline rush, climbers observe as a way of life. Athletes capable of sorting through technical challenges rise in the sport. Those at the top of their game are typically articulate and astute about the risks involved in scaling rock, ice, and high peaks. Their wish to survive and enjoy the thrills captured by being in nature generally outweighs their desire to walk close to death. They don’t have a death wish, but a wish to live in a way that few others understand. Elite athletes and those involved in extreme sports have a focus and drive that underlies their approach to each move.

“It’s a type of alive—not like a party, but like being at one with the world. It’s being in tune,” notes Eric Brymer, a professor of exercise and sport science at Manchester Metropolitan University in England. “These athletes may have more to tell us about what it means to be human than the rest of us.”