Which Climber are You?

In general, there are three priorities when climbing a mountain in the Philippines: survival, comfort and fun.

Pro-Survival climbers always think of being able to get back down safely. He doesn't really care whether the climb is fun or comfortable. He doesn't mind whether he eats the instant pancit canton instead of a sumptuous dinner because he thinks about the weight difference between the two. He sometimes sacrifices his craving for pancit canton and brings salted eggs instead because he is worried that he might run out of water. He doesn't care even if he can't contribute any booze to a socials because carrying bottles (of liquor) might exhaust him.

Pro-comfort climbers are a lot similar to survival climbers. Only, they won't trade their comfort for anything. They don't care whether five people are crammed in one tent so long as he sleeps comfortably (alone) in his tent. He doesn't mind the price of TNF products because he just can't stand the hassle when zipping or loosening the straps of low-technology local backpacks. He is not bothered by the cost and/or the shame in hiring a porter as long as the trek is safe and easy. It's OK for him not to summit and miss the sunrise as long as he can indulge in his sleep.

Pro-fun climbers probably won't climb alone. Where's the fun in being alone? A pro-fun climber doesn't mind whether the straps of his backpack snaps as long as there are at least ten bottles of GranMa (or Tanduay for climbers in the South) in it. He'll wait at the summit until the sun goes down just to take the best sunset shots even though he knows he doesn't have a headlamp on his way down. He doesn't mind the hassle of climbing He doesn't care whether his neighbors get a good night's sleep as long as he gets a good night's laugh (or howl)!

When I climb (especially when I'm alone), it's always the survival-comfort-fun hierarchy. Sometimes I leave out fun. Climbing alone is actually sometimes more fun for me than climbing with a bunch of slowpokes! But I love to have pro-fun climbers around. I don't refuse a good laugh. When I organize climbs, however, the participants are usually disappointed because I don't give them enough time to take pictures. But sometimes, I give way to fun. I want to accommodate as many people as possible to the extent that I even shoulder someone's expenses. I think most of us have a little bit of all the three factors when we set out on a journey.

Which kind of climber are you?