Untracked
In a debate with a fellow guide about the current state of mountaineering, Cosmin Andron struggles to answer the question, What is climbing for? From the Carpathian Mountains of Romania to the Western Garhwal of India, the Romanian alpinist recalls false starts, unplanned walls—and the intense, indescribable feeling that lures him on. < Click on the photos below for the article >
12 October 2016 - Thanks
In the summer on 2010 I somehow ended up talking (about a trip I had that spring up the Cassin ridge of Denali) with Michael Kennedy, then Editor-in-Chief at Alpinist Magazine. He dropped in a hint if I might be interested in writing a short piece about that experience and I said yes on the spot. Transition from trip report to literature, however, is much harder than setting up a Z pulley system in soggy snow... Consequently in an enthusiastic manner I, admirably and successfully, managed to procrastinate for about six months…. Nevertheless, by the time Keese did a follow up, I was ready to apply backside to the chair and put words onto paper. It was now nearing Christmas and climbing with a fork with black pudding in one hand was hard but writing with the other wasn’t… Still took another couple of months to separate crumbs from words. Enter the scene Katie Ives and two months and two drafts later we had a publishable write-up for Alpinist 35 - not so much thanks to me I suspect. Five years later, Katie (now the Alpinist Magazine Yokozuna herself) dropped in the question about another piece - this is the shortest PTSD recovery from working with me I have seen. Thrilled yet anxious about my work ethic I said yes and, between guiding and personal trips, again two months and 5 drafts later we have something that will see ink. More than a plug for the upcoming issue 56 of Alpinist Magazine or a bout of over-sharing I am writing this here to say thank you: thank you for the invites, thank you for the unimaginable patience in waiting for drafts to get back to you, thank you for taking pages written in the booth of my car in the Auronzo parking lot or in the Chamonix’ MacDonalds and making them better, much better. While neither of these two pieces will launch me a literary career it was interesting to see that both pieces are about motivation and doubt… Credits I owe also to Detective Paula and Eagle Eye Michael as well as to RG&B Images for making me look better. Least but not least the journeys and the stories I write about could not have been possible without Cristina & Geordie. "Never Again!" :p Now that’s all out there, said and done, I’ll run and hide 🙂 #theclimbinglife #tiedtobefree #getoutstayout
Cosmin Andron(http://www.cosmin-andron.com)