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by: Prof. Enrico Ramos Azicate

Kampanya para sa Kamalayan sa Kasaysayan (KAMALAYSAYAN)

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photography by: Lester Valle and Wing Larase

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The idea of mountaineering goes beyond merely the sport. If one attempts to define it in a Philippine concept, then socio-cultural, class and historical factors have to be considered. Otherwise, the idea and the application of mountaineering is just one of the many ‘imported’ Western concepts of modern living that has become  ”chic” among urban Filipinos.

If indeed this is so, the problem becomes one of regulating a sport that has serious effect on both the physical and the social environment. Regulation becomes paramount considering the rapid increase in the number of mountaineers / mountaineering clubs, and the inclusion of mountaineering activities in local and national tourism programs.

The very idea of regulation is both a contradiction and anathema to the sport of mountaineering. In its Western inception, mountaineering has the allure of the late 19th century Romanticism, particularly that of man rediscovering himself by returning to his pristine state – literally that of a noble savage. Hence, one had to get away from civilization, either figuratively or literally. And it is in challenging natural elements that a man purifies himself. The basic essence of mountaineering is that of periodically climbing inaccessible mountains and communing with nature. [...]

http://weekendwarriorphilippines.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/mountaineering-and-environmentalism-a-historical-perspective/