That Untravelled World – Book Review

For my book review I chose to read That Untravelled World by Eric Shipton. Although it is an autobiography written by Shipton, the book starts out with a lengthy seven page foreword written by Katie Ives, providing the reader with a descriptive background of Shipton and his past. The foreword is a great beginning that…

Final Paper, Examining trend in Mountaineering Psychology

  Adriel Stokes HSTR_467 5/6/2016 Final Paper   Illuminating Trends in Psychological Narratives in Mountaineering and Climbing Literature   There are two explanations that can account for the reason that there is such a vast amount of mountaineering literature. The first is that they make for good reads; they are exciting, often filled with themes…

Final Paper: The Black Hills of South Dakota

The Black Hills of South Dakota: The Religious, Spiritual, Cultural and Traditional Embodiment of Mountains within Sioux/Lakota Tribes Throughout the world, across all mountain ranges, and differing ethnicities, mountains have provided symbolism, religion, traditional cultural practice, and a way of life for all that call mountains home. While some mountains are vast, others are smaller,…

Mountain theology of Mesoamerica

Mountains have a unique ability to put the human race in a state of awe. Throughout the world, and across time, civilizations have exalted mountains far beyond simple geological structures. Mountains are physical boundaries and therefore protectors. More abstractly, mountains symbolize stability, determination, and a place where one can find solace. Mountains are also contradictory, for example,…

The Impact of the Commercialization of Everest on Sherpa Society

        The Impact of the Commercialization of Everest on Sherpa Society By Nick Patterson          Introduction In April 2014, the worst accident in the history of climbing Mount Everest occurred with 16 Sherpa guides losing their lives in an avalanche (Largent, 1). Sherpas inhabit the region of Nepal near…

Terrorism and War in the Himalayas

Terrorism is a word that originated around 130 years ago to reference anarchist that committed such deeds as murdering Archduke Ferdinand. In more recent history, it commonly refers to Islamic radical groups that are waging war in the name of Jihad. Terrorism is commonly known for the intent of spreading mass amounts of fear. This…

Environmentalism in Mountaineering: Climate Change and Littered Mountains

Mountaineering in the Greater Ranges, such as the Himalayas, became an increasingly popular sport through the twentieth century and continues to be enjoyable for many climbers today. Climbing high altitude mountains such as Mount Everest, the tallest in the world, has caught the attention of many, and created its own industry. However, as this industry…