20 Questions
Describe your climbing background:
My parents were climbing and we live in the center of Switzerland, right in the Alps so there is not much else to do here! My brother and I started climbing at the same time so I always had a climbing partner, perfect way to start.

Describe a memorable climbing experience:
Coming back down to town (El Chalten/Patagonia) after doing the first free ascent of the Slovak Route on Fitz Roy—climbed over 2000m of loose rock, icy cracks and snowy slabs then rapped in the dark down unknown terrain, crossed glaciers without crampons and stumbled into town after a 45 hours round trip. Then looking back up while taking a sip from the beer and closing the eyes with a big smile on the face! That’s what I call a good climbing day!

What are you up to when you’re not climbing?
Changing pampers on my little daughter!

Any training advice or suggestions?
Don’t train too much, go climbing and have fun.

Who or what inspires you?
Walter Bonatti and long granite climbs

How do you see climbing evolving in the next five years?
Longer harder routes—more risk and competition

Care to comment on: pre-clipping more than one draw on sport routes or pre-placed gear on trad routes, chipping/comfortizing holds, glue vs. no glue?
It makes a big difference, to have pre-placed gear and draws, especially when you’re onsight climbing! So it’s up to you, if you want to cheat or do it the real way! I’m against chipping and gluing—we shouldn’t destroy rocks.

Do you have any vices and what are they?
Ask my girlfriend.

Any near death experiences?
After climbing my first route in Patagonia, (The Whillan’s Route on Poincenot) and reaching the glacier happy that nothing happened and the danger was finally over, I was following the footsteps of my friend down the glacier, when the ground underneath me collapsed! I found myself hanging in a hole with my feet are dangling in the air. I tried to kick my crampons into the wall in front or behind me, but I couldn’t! After that point, I was pretty worried and scared! I’m lucky that I have good bouldering skills, which enabled me to mantle out of the hole with my 15 kg rucksack on. I crawled away from the hole and was almost sick! Inside the hole was a giant, crevasse, 20m wide and a 100m long!!!

Are you a fan of climbing history? Explain?
Yes I’m a big fan. It’s interesting to read about those crazy guys, who climbed really hard and long routes, with almost no gear or really bad stuff! And today with all that high-tech gear, I think we are all pussies! We definitely can climb harder, faster and longer today, but climbing with the rope around the waist, climbing ice routes without crampons, using wooden wedges for protection, climbing 8000m peaks with homemade down jackets…those guys are the heroes, I think.

What are your future plans or goals in climbing?
Do some big wall climbs in Switzerland (Poncione del Alnaca im Tessin.) and go back to Patagonia and England.