20
Questions
 Describe your climbing background:
When I was very young my father
gave me a rope and I started abseiling everywhere—from
the balcony, from the roof of our house, from
the roof of the school and then from my first
small cliff. At this small cliff, I saw people
climbing for the first time and some guys (climbers)
there let me try it. After that day I have climbed
every free minute since and today, those guys
are still some of my best friends and climbing
partners.
Was there a big breakthrough or defining moment
for you?
After a few years of climbing mostly with my
brother, Samuel, we started to get pretty strong
and began climbing in a lot of competitions.
During that time ratings and rankings where important
for me, but after about a year we started exploring
other types of climbing. I started focusing more
on nature and the adventurous aspects of climbing
instead of the competitiveness of competitions
and grade chasing. Basically, I turned from a
sport-climber into an alpinist.
What are you up to when you’re not climbing?
Skiing
Any training advice or suggestions?
Climb like a bastard!!!
Who or what inspires you?
People like Xaver Bongard.
He had a short life, but an extreme one. He did
always what he wanted, he didn’t care what
other people thought of him and he had the boldness
to set new standards.
How do you see climbing evolving in the next
five years?
Fourteen-year old boys and
girls with a weight of 45 kilograms will win
the Climbing World Cups. In Spain, they will
find a 9c/9c+ route. Fixed lines on El Capitan
and oxygen stations on Everest will make access
easy for no so good climbers…ha
ha…just joking! I think people will finish
what Jean-Christof Lafaille started, fast alpine-style
ascents on 8000-meter peaks either solo or with
one partner. Fixed lines will disappear from
the climber’s
equipment and climbing will not become an Olympic
event.
What do you think about the 5.15 or M13+ / WI8
grade?
There are only two real grades
in climbing—POSSIBLE
or NOT POSSIBLE.
How does fear affect your climbing?
An anxious climber is now more
able to make the right decisions. If you are
afraid already something went wrong. Don’t
be afraid but have respect all the time. Respect
keeps you alive!
Do you have any vices and what are they?
Everyone has vices. My biggest
one is climbing! Climbing has also some shady
sides. Most of the time I’m not at home, so it’s almost
impossible to have a normal relationship with
somebody. Sometimes it’s not easy for your
family and friends, when you are climbing they
are always a little bit worried. To be a strong
alpinist you need to own a strong character and
be almost an egoist. This makes it hard to follow
your fellow man in his normal life. I could have
a job with financial success, but I decided to
go the climbing way of live. I don’t regret
it.
Any near death experiences?
When I traveled alone from
the Himalayas to Delhi after an expedition, I
had to change the bus in a small, crazy and crowded
Indian village. All my climbing gear was on the
roof of the bus and at least 50 people where
around the bus. The men on the bus wouldn’t
get my gear down. I decided to get it myself
from the roof of the bus. I found my haul bag
and was about to carry them down when suddenly
a man who was already on the roof started crying:
Stop! Stop! I looked at him and it was then that
I saw the all the electric cables behind me.
I would have been electrocuted if I had continued
to lift my haul bag up. That was the most dangerous
situation on an expedition even more so then
when I spent 20 days on a mountain climbing the
worst rock (schist) that I had ever seen.
Are you a fan of climbing history? Explain?
I like climbing history about
the Alps especially from 100 years ago. Nowadays,
the new trend of alpinism is a very fast and
light—alpine-style.
But those climbers in the early 1900s climbed
alpine-style all the time. So this is really
nothing new. We have just come back to our roots.
What are your future plans or goals in climbing?
To stay alive.
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