At 19, David Lama is the youngest ever climber to be crowned the European Champion twice. Later this month he will be flying to Patagonia to freeclimb Cerro Torre, one of the most mysterious, treacherous and dangerous mountains in the world.
The peak is as deadly as it is beautiful and notorious for its rapidly rising storms and sudden temperature drops. Before undertaking this monumental project, David visited veteran explorer Reinhold Messner, 65, the first man to conquer Mt. Everest without oxygen, for a few words of advice.
RB: Why did you decide to one of the most difficult routes in the world, David?
David Lama: Cerro Torre is incredibly beautiful, maybe the most beautiful peak in the world. The attration to climb it free is irresistible because no one has ever tried it: it’s something new and you don’t know what to expect.
Reinhold Messner: Cerro Torres is a vertical wilderness. The weather conditions in Patagonia are very weird: sometimes it’s sunny; sometimes it’s stormy and snowing; sometimes both in quick succession. And it has an historically and technically interesting dimension because no one has ever climbed it free. No one knows if it is possible? We hope David will come back and tell us. That’s what makes it exciting: no one knows how it will end. Maybe you won’t succeed the first time, David, maybe you’ll have to go there three times until it works out.
RB: What are you expecting it to be like in Patagonia?
DL: I’m interested to see how I handle three months of unpredictable weather without privacy. My best mate Daniel Steuerer is coming with me but I’m certain we’ll get on each other’s nerves. But it will be an experience. In many ways, an expedition is defined by the relationship between its members.
RM: Exactly.
RB: Reinhold, how do you see David’s position within the climbing world?
RM: I’ve known his name for years, even if he’s only 19. I’m not really familiar with sports climbing because I’ve been in the game for a long time and sports climbing is very young. I think it’s clever to have brought competitions indoors into climbing halls because it means all the participants must compete in the same conditions. But I also think that the best indoor climbers should get out into the open and leave their marks on natural surroundings.
DL: What was it like in your day?
RM: We didn’t really train like climbers do today. I was one of the first to boulder along ridges and house walls, but that’s nothing compared to what you do today. Even my son, who is not a professional climber, trains on indoor walls more often than I ever did.
RB: What do you expect from David’s generation?
RM: They’re reinventing climbing. The generation before them already trained a lot, but more outdoors, like the Huber brothers or Stefan Glowacz, who also won a lot of competitions but also climbed outdoors as an adventurer. Do you consider yourself a rock climber, David?
DL: Absolutely, but it’s a phenomenon that even in countries without mountains, many strong climbers are bred in indoor climbing halls.
RM: How old were you when you started climbing?
DL: Six. I started rock climbing and indoor training simultaneously.
RM: I’m sure, it’s a great advantage to your development if you get experience on mountains as well as the more technically oriented indoor training.
DL: Yes, indoors you can really push your physical limits ...
RM: ... which is almost impossible in the mountains. A sports climber has to be slim and light because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to pull up his own weight – like this, you can still reach the highest technical level in the mountains. I’m excited to see your generation taking over the peak performers of today, although that might still take some time.
DL: It’s important to go experienced teams on high mountains. You make quicker progress that way.
RB: David, what does Reinhold Messner mean to your generation of climbers?
DL: When I started climbing, our focus wasn’t on the sport, but the mountain itself. Reinhold is partly responsible for this perspective and we’d always speak his name with respect. In recent years that focus may have shifted somewhat, but you have to take achievements in the context of the day. I think if you look at it that way, his accomplishments are extremely impressive, if not miraculous.
RB: Reinhold Messner is an advocate of pure mountain climbing. What's your point of view?
DL: It’s not about which mountain you climb, but how you do it. Mount Everest is accessible to almost anyone nowadays. But without oxygen? That’s a different story. Everyone has to find their own challenges.
Keep up with David Lama on his official site and to find out more about Reinhold Messner visit his website.
Comments
Add a comment