The Lemon Fool

A rather good programme on BBC4, now on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b1xs2d about man's relationship with mountains.

Some great photography, people free-climbing up sheer rock faces, people falling off sheer rock faces and dangling on ropes, skiers, slack-wire walkers etc

Nice but inobtrusive background music, and very limited narration (though the american narrator pronounces "mountain" as "moun'nnn")

--kiloran

Got it saved on the recorder, really looking forward to seeing this one.

Tell me, do they get a lot of terrorists (tourists) in these moun'nnns?

BJ

I enjoyed the magnificent scenery / cinematography and the music (especially the sublime second movement of the Emperor Concerto) but the programme reinforced my view that mountaineers are clinically insane! It also contained a few shots that induced an uncomfortable feeling of vertigo - my head for heights is virtually non-existent.

But I have to say that I found the scenes of the hundreds of people following each other up Everest rather depressing, and the comment that a lot of those at the `extreme' end of activities were half in love with themselves and half in love with oblivion seemed very apposite.

Being towed up the yak track on Everest whilst sucking on bottled oxygen is anything but 'extreme', except for extremely depressing to watch. Take away the tow rope, take away the oxygen, and take away the Khumbu fixed ropes and all the other fixed ropes and the mountain would become very empty very quickly.
regards,
dspp

Yikes, I wasn't expecting that. Two hundred different ways I don't want to die. Several of those accidents must surely have been fatal. But oddly, it's the five-second image of the guy looking at his smashed hands that stays with me. Not what you'd want when you're halfway up a 500 foot crack and free-climbing without a rope.

Well, the presenter certainly dealt with the Everest contingent quickly! Coach party tourism for the easily satisfied. Although ISTR that one in ten of those die in the attempt? And TBH, he didn't dwell that much on the beauty of the mountains - he was more about celebrating the suicidal lunacy of the extreme sports contingent. CK, I'm with you.

I am now going to lock away the memory of that insane cyclist making his way along the razor edge of that ridge in deep snow, with a couple of thousand feet of drops to his left and his right. Anyone for a quiet stroll in the countryside?

BJ

"A worship that requires the modification of the mountains"..... scene of clearing loads of trees from the slopes to create ski runs. Rather sad.

And that guy in a wingsuit flying at 500mph straight at a rockface and then through a small hole in that rockface (at 40m30s). Totally, utterly insane.

I like the mountains for the peace and calm and solitude and scenery. Some of the antics of the "athletes" seemed rather disrespectful.

--kiloran

Phew! For a moment there I thought you were about to tell us Leslie West had died. On another note, knuckle heads the lot of 'em.