Denis Cosgrove and Veronica della Dora, in High Places (2008), conceptualise the perception of mountains as “complex meta-geographies of purity.” This framework suggests that Enlightenment-era scientific inquiry was frequently driven by the premise that high altitudes constituted purely objective spaces, untouched by worldly and social influences.
However, a fundamental tension exists between this conceptual abstraction and its material configuration. While the mountaintop was traditionally utilised as a visual analogue for Cartesian detachment, the material conditions of these environments have resisted such abstraction, characterised by the constant risk of injury, death, and physical degradation. Consequently, rigorous scientific practice, when situated in proximity to mountainous regions, encounters multiple interruptions and fragmentations of the idealised scientific protocol.
This is evident in the historical necessity for scientists to engage with local communities for logistical support, as well as the mountain’s violent disruptions, such as avalanches, illnesses, and challenging climatic and atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the mountain does not function as a void of purity, but rather as a site where frictions emerge.