A Small Slip in the Depiction of Climbing

In “Death From the Sky” (June 5), John Balzar produced a fine article on mountain climbing. But near the end, he made a statement that raised my ire: “Risk has always been the essence of climbing.”

I’ve been climbing for more than 40 years. I’m a member of the American Alpine Club, a Sierra Club trip leader and was president of the Bruin Mountaineers when I was at UCLA in the mid- to late ‘50s. Risk has never been the essence of climbing for me or anyone I have known.

Risk is an element of climbing. And of driving, of eating at a restaurant or getting out of bed in the morning. Risk is an element of life. It is emphatically not the essence of climbing.

The beauty of the mountains; the strength of storms; the essence of fresh water; learning to rely on your strengths and to understand and accommodate your weaknesses; savoring the connections gained with other people. These are the essence of climbing.

PAUL R. COOLEY

Culver City