Mountaineers and climbers, particularly the free-solo form, are humanity’s most fascinating maniacs: single-minded, daring souls who throw themselves into profoundly non-obligatory life-endangering feats. It is arduous not to be compelled, and appalled, by someone like Alex Honnold. Even with ropes, a single unsuitable transfer can imply demise in mountaineering, a mad exercise that places you at the full mercy of nature. You can’t assist however marvel what sort of individual willingly chooses this: what sort of individual seems to be at a towering cliff face, or a wall of wind-whipped ice, and thinks, I guess I can stand up there.
Aava, Cairn’s protagonist, is that type of individual: a champion climber, a lady who has conquered summit after summit, however for some purpose can’t stroll away. Earlier than her stands Mount Kami, an ice-tipped, Himalayan-style peak that has by no means before been climbed. Kami was as soon as dwelling to a tribe of individuals, whose remnants you discover as you pull your self up every part of the mountain, however now you are very a lot alone. Controlling Aava’s limbs, you progress her fingers and ft in direction of imperfections in the rock, jamming her fingers into cracks and her toes on to tiny ledges. You rapidly study to learn the mountain, as Aava would.
Regardless of the absence of real-life peril, Cairn makes your coronary heart race and your mouth go dry. When Aava’s limbs begin shaking and she or he begins respiration extra urgently, you recognize she’s not safe on the cliff face; you’d higher reposition her ft quick, or take a chance and check out to screw a piton and clip in before she loses her grip. And you’ve got restricted life-saving pitons, so that you’d higher preserve them. At one level I used to be caught midway up a naked rock face after climbing all evening, with no pitons left and no respite in sight in any course, and I had to carry out a terrifically traumatic 10-minute climb in direction of a cave with out placing a foot unsuitable. I obtained determined proper at the finish and Aava almost slipped as she pulled herself up on to the ultimate ledge. I had to put the controller down and do some deep respiration before I might proceed.
On this respect, Cairn is a beautiful survival sport. It feels perilous, because it ought to. As well as to managing Aava’s hand and footholds, you have got to handle her backpack, scavenging, foraging, attempting to discover water wherever you possibly can (tip: hold each bottle you discover). It’s essential to laboriously bandage her ruined fingers to protect her grip, whenever you get a second to relaxation. And with that sense of hazard and struggling comes a way of accomplishment, whenever you prevail. The reduction that I felt at any time when I discovered a secure level the place Aava might arrange her tent was intoxicating.
As hours cross and circumstances worsen on the mountain, Aava’s obsession with conquering Kami begins to really feel not simply impossibly courageous however self-destructive. Cleverly, the sport invitations you to query why she’s doing this – and why you’re doing it. Particularly in direction of the finish, this is not a simple sport (although you possibly can at all times flip on some assists to make it much less pitiless if you would like). There have been sections the place I fell off the mountain time and again, failing to discover a good route, parched and ravenous. Dangling from the rope for the fifteenth time, I grew to become immensely annoyed with myself, and Aava voices her personal frustration each time you fumble a maintain. I ought to in all probability have walked away and brought a break for some time, however Aava’s cussed willpower was rubbing off on me.
Cairn, as a lot as a sport about climbing and nature, seems to be a sport about what it takes to be the type of individual Aava is – and the value. I used to be floored by the ending, which had me crying on my couch at one in the morning. There have been many moments of magnificence and terror throughout my ascent that left me quietly awestruck. That awe, in the finish, was proportional to the hardship.
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