Why Is Mountaineering A Popular Sport?

By Author: Lei Wang
Total Articles: 10
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The biggest attraction to mountaineering is the adventure and the feeling of having conquered nature. Mountaineering has grown to be a very popular sport with many people taking this up. There are many climbers who act as guide for those willing to take up this sport as a hobby. Mountaineering as a sport has found favor among woman climbers as well. They have managed to bat the strongest of strong men in the field. What is required apart from a fit mind and body is determination and rigorous training. Many women climbers have even taken this as a profession.

Lei Wang is one of the very few woman climbers who have climbed the seven summits. She is also one of the few mountaineers who have skied the north and south poles. What attracted this post graduate in business administration from Wharton University to Mountaineering is the adventure involved in the sport. The first summit that she climbed was Cotopaxi, as a part of her school leadership program. This led her on a mission to achieve a number of such expeditions. Lei Wang with her courage and determination is indeed a beacon of hope for many female climbers like her, ...
... wanting to achieve summits.

Scaling the seven summits is a goal for many mountaineering enthusiasts and would want stop at nothing to achieve this. The Seven Summits as listed by Bass is followed by many. However there are a few who follow the Messner's list. Generally the Seven Summits includes the seven highest peaks in the seven continents. They include Mount Cotopaxi, Mount Everest (Asia), Mount Denali (North America), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Carstensz Pyramid, Elbrus (Europe) Aconcagua (South America).

Mount Kilimanjaro is the most scalable of all the seven summits. It can be climbed without the need for professional equipments and clothing. For those who mange to reach the actual summit or Uhuru point as it is called are awarded certificates for successfully having climbed the mountain. This ice capped mountain is believed to be the highest free standing mountain in the world.

Mountaineering is sheer joy for those seeking adventure and fun. The adrenaline rush has to be experienced to be believed. There's something magical about hanging on the air, a few thousand meters above sea level and the knowledge of the fact that half the world is below you. You are equally humbled by the grandeur of nature. But it's best to take these expeditions after proper training. The risks involved in high altitude mountaineering are real and can come from a combination of forces that would include nature and the climber's own fault. Avalanches, rock falls are all real dangers and a climber should be well aware of solutions to tackle these problems.

Again fitness is the key word and if not properly adhered to can lead to injuries and accidents that could be life threatening.

Lei Wang is the first Chinese woman and Asian-American woman to achieve the 'Seven Summits'. An unique mountaineering challenge consisting of climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.