Findingthe
Fromwingsuit jumps to cleankitchens, a roundtable ofCoastMountains
adventurers discuss focus,movement and escaping into themoment.
By Feet Banks
It’s all about thatmoment.
The instantwhere everythingdrops away from your
mind and realityboils down to thenext turn, thenext jump,
that nextmetre ofmountain in front of you. Life in the
mountains has awayof puttingus “in the zone.”
And the riskier, the better: there is a sense of clarity that comes
withknowing that anymistake, even the smallest one, could
have extremelydire consequences.Noone is thinking about
their overdue cell phone bill themoment before launching a 40-
foot cliff.The activity allows us to transcendourselves.
And yet, for years, the peoplewhodedicated their lives to
escaping into thatmoment of almost-nothingnesswere labelled
as thrill seekers, adrenaline junkies or straight-up lunatics.
Science, however, is increasinglypointing towards the opposite.
Those time-warp, singularity-of-focusmoments—being “in the
zone”—mayhold the secret to life’s happiness.
WINTER /SPRING2016
MOUNTAINLIFE
61
Simond’Artois. ASHLEYBARKER.
