What goes up must come down – preferably in a safe and controlled a manner as possible. Benightment occurs in mountaineering when a touch of summit-fever or over-exuberance carries the climber up stretches of climb he or she will later be unable to descend. Going up, gravity is with us, holding us to the slope and aiding our adherence to holds and steps.
On the descent, the reverse is true – facing down, gravity wants to take us off the slope and the angle is less favorable to grip or adhesion. Down-climbing is far more difficult than up-climbing and it is believed that up to 80% of accidents in the mountains occur on the way down. To avoid this mistake, a simple awareness of our progress, the terrain, and constant assessments of the big picture while ascending should help us avoid going up something we’ll later struggle to descend.
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