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Show 134 of civilization's domination of Nature? Does society idolize the men who climb mountains because they lead the way for the rape of Nature? Is sharing a climb in the mountains like sharing a girl among the fellows, in that it strengthens the notion of group masculinity and power, as Susan Brownmiller argues? When women become great climbers, as they are becoming, are they really struggling against masculine power, not engaging themselves with the mountains? Are they only learning the games of an oppressive patriarchal society? These are not questions which can be dismissed. The relationship between climbing mountains, conquering Nature, and ravishing women are not only obvious, they are to a great extent real. When one considers the blunt, banal, ugly stupidity of the police blotter rapist, one wonders about some alpine climbers. Muir himself joked about short climbers. Why are so many great male alpinists so short? Are they trying to compensate? We are told by some that climbing is a game, a test of self against arbitrary or perhaps carefully calculated rules, is it only a test of prowess? And if mountaineering has no intrinsic spirituality, it may become no different than any other competitive game, be it chess, or some other military activity- We like to believe that things are, as they say, "more mellow" these days. Climbers have begun to reevaluate their techniques and motives, and have begun to return to the more austere, and less destructive mode of travel Muir advocated. They try to climb "clean" and "free," by avoiding the pitons |