This comment from Makalu Gau in Frontline: Storm Over Everest about the 1996 tragedy really stuck with me after viewing it. It is not required viewing as part of ORGL689, yet it really explores the mental dimensions and deliberations of hardiness.
Stuck out in the open overnight below the South Summit, it would have been easy for Makalu Gau to succumb to the perceived inevitability of death from the most inhospitable conditions known to man. Yet keeping his mind engaged and his body moving "dancing disco", he did not freeze to death and made it off the mountain. He suffered significant injuries to his hands and feet, yet he was not part of the unfortunately large death toll that year that claimed experience guides and their clients.
His recollections and the shared experiences of the other climbers profiled in the show really opened up the importance mental choice and commitment to live. It is really worth your time to watch it and learn from the experiences of those who lived through it.
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