Climbing ethics presently limits itself to matters of sportsmanship and technique. But being a better mountaineer demands somewhat more than this.
Thousands of mountaineers from all over the world come every year to the Himalaya to experience the fascination of the Himalayan climb. They write essays and books describing the joy of the ascent, the experiences under extra-natural conditions and their sense of personal enrichment. They prepare slide shows and present films to mesmerised audiences in the West.
The Himalaya has given richly of its gifts and continues to do so. But what do we, mountaineers, give in return?
The ethics of mountaineering as presently understood envisage sport involving minimal use of technical aids. The concern is only with aspects of sportsmanship vis-a-vis the physical mountain. It is high time that climbers liberated themselves from these narrow confines.