Write a note on mountaineering. Physical education
Answers
Mountaineering (also referred to as ‘mountain climbing’ or ―mainly in Europe― ‘Alpinism’) is the sport of climbing a mountain.
Regardless of the length of the trip ―which can range from a few hours to multi-day expeditions―, mountaineering is more physically demanding than hiking. Mountains often provide a mixed terrain (with presence of rock, ice and snow), so climbers need to be able to navigate through a wide variety of conditions. Depending on the case, mountaineering may involve using technical equipment and combining a series of related skills like scrambling, climbing, glacier travel, ice climbing or mixed climbing.
Besides reaching a summit or completing a ridge traverse, the true success (and the main objective) of a mountaineering trip lies on overcoming safely every hazard along the route.
Most challenges in the mountain derive from the terrain’s characteristics: crevasses, avalanches, rockfall, glaciers, etc. High altitude (specially when attempting a peak over 4,000 meters) and adverse weather conditions are two other essential factors that may add difficulty to a mountaineering trip.
Other factors are directly related to mountaineers themselves, including their physical condition and acclimatization, technical skills, equipment, orientation, resourcefulness and decision-making skills.
Mountaineering is mostly practiced in groups: team-work and support are very important parts of the activity.