Rob Hall (post two)

Rob Hall's unique combination of strength, skill, dedication, affection, determination, "caustic Kiwi wit", and attention to detail makes him the ultimate man to trust your life to, be it on a mountain, as a friend, or as a partner. Hall has many angles, not all of which are ever revealed at any one moment. He can be a hard-ass man willing to do anything and everything to triumphantly reach the deadly and treacherous Summit, or he can be the gentle, caring family man put in charge of looking after a new clan - his clients. As Krakauer put it, "Hall's easygoing facade masked an intense desire to succeed - which he defined in the fairly simple terms of getting as many clients as possible to the summit. To ensure success, he payed meticulous attention to detail: the health of the Sherpas, the efficiency of the solar-powered electrical system, the sharpness of his clients' crampons. Hall loved being a guide, and it pained him that some celebrated climbers -including but not limited to Sir Edmund Hillary - didn't appreciate how difficult guiding was, or give the profession the respect he felt it deserved" (153). Rob Hall is a guy who traveled by himself around the world to dare the climbs of the most dangerous of the dangerous mountains, while at the same time being a complete team man and putting the lives of the people around him in front of his own. He was not only a guide to his team, but he was a guide to everyone on the mountain. Everyone looked up to him, trusted him, and admired him in every aspect. It was reported that "whenever there was a problem - a labor dispute with the Sherpas, a medical emergency, a critical decision about climbing strategy - people trudged over to our mess tent to seek Hall's advice. And he generously dispensed his accumulated wisdom to the very rivals who were competing with him for clients, most notably Scott Fischer" (65). Although, of course, Hall wanted his business to succeed and get clients above all other expeditions, his years of experience, close-to-death calls, and common manners had him knowing that when it came down to it, it did not matter who one was paying and who one was being led by. A person was a person; a life, a life. That was what mattered the most. Through tragedy, determination, and elation, Rob Hall became one of the most accomplished mountaineers ever. Even for the rare few of us who don't want to have their life to be a constant cliff hanger (quite literally), we can learn so much from Hall. If you live your life in a minuscule mindset of his, you are almost guaranteed success.



"He stood six foot three or four and was skinny as a pole. There was something cherubic about his face, yet he looked older than his thirty-five years - perhaps it was the sharply etched creases at the corners of his eyes, or the air of authority he projected" (33).