Speed alpinist Ueli Steck 'addicted' to mountains
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Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck blows climbing chalk on his hands during an interview with The Korea Times at an indoor climbing center in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Nam Hyun-woo
While moviegoers here who watched the recent alpine movie, “The Himalayas,” enjoyed the scenes showing how dangerous and demanding it is to ascend mountains, some climbers set themselves even riskier challenges to overcome.
Ueli Steck, whose nickname is “The Swiss Machine,” is among those who attempt increasingly difficult challenges. Among various endeavors undertaken, one attempted by only a few climbers is a timed ascent of a mountain. The 39-year-old has accumulated an impressive list of record achievements.
One of his most recent and admirable feats was when he scaled 82 peaks in the Alps, the elevation of which averages 4,000 meters above sea level. Only a few alpinists are able to do this, and Steck achieved it in just 62 days last August.
Ueli Steck holds onto a grip on an artificial wall at an indoor climbing center in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
“Climbing up a mountain and looking for another challenge is like a drug that you can’t quit. Maybe that’s the truth and I’m very addicted to that drug,” Steck said in an interview with The Korea Times on Tuesday during a promotional event of the high-tech outdoor clothing manufacturer, Mountain Hardware, which he endorses and participates in as a co-developer.
After ascending the north face of the Eiger at the age of 18, he achieved the first ascent via “The Young Spider” route of the Eiger North Face in 2001. In June 2004, he climbed the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau within 25 hours, which is called the North Face Trilogy and established his reputation as one of the world’s premier climbers.
In 2005, he climbed the north wall of Cholaste (6,440 meters) alone in 37 hours and a year later he made a solo ascent through the Young Spider route in winter. After completing “project Himalaya,” in which he climbed the six highest mountains (all above 8,000 meters) on Earth in six months in 2011, he made another bold attempt to complete “the 82 summits project” last year.
Ueli Steck reaches the summit of a mountain last August during his 82 summits project, in which he ascended all 82 Alpine peaks in 62 days. / Courtesy of Mountain Hardware
According to Steck, the idea itself is not a new one and he is not the first alpinist to do so. Initially in 2004, the first team which attempted the project, set as its goal to link up 82 summits in 82 days. But during the project, one of the team members, Patrick Berhault, fell to his death while climbing Dom ridge in Switzerland. Three years later, a Slovenian team, led by Miha Valic, climbed them all in one push in 102 days, but they used vehicles between mountains.
Despite the overwhelming scale of the project, the mountaineer appeared to be deeply relaxed, describing his campaign as “something really enjoyable and nice.”
After an ascent of Switzerland’s Piz Bernina (4,049 meters) on June 11, last year, Steck traveled some 2,263 kilometers across Switzerland, Italy and France by means of cycling, paragliding, climbing and scrambling. When he reached the top of Barre des Ecrins (4,102 meters) in France on Aug. 11, he wrapped up his campaign in 62 days. The highest summit he ascended during the journey was Mont Blanc (4,810 meters).
Ueli Steck climbs an artificial wall at an indoor climbing center in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Although it already seems fast and grueling, Steck’s 62-day campaign is not a record. In 2008, Italians Diego Giovanni and Franz Nicolini topped the 82 summits two days quicker than Steck did.
But Steck said it was not about setting a record and that he undertook the challenge for the fun of it and the love of mountains ― an inspiration that Steck underlines when he answers the much-touted question: why are you risking your life ascending risky mountains?
“I think it’s simple,” Steck said. “I live in Switzerland and sometimes life is too safe where nothing can happen. I think we human beings need adventure and challenge. And (climbing is) what I have found for myself. Otherwise, life is boring for me. If there is no uncertainty, what’s the point of living?”
He admitted that it may be “stupid” to risk his life on the mountains, but he added that he needs to feel his body in order to feel that he is alive even though that process often entails pain and suffering. “But in the end, it’s something that makes you feel that you have accomplished something.”
As the promotional event was held all morning long at an indoor climbing center in Gangnam, Seoul, Steck did not take any break from climbing those artificial walls. It was one of the most critical parts of Steck’s life ― never stop training to keep himself fit.
“I am accustomed to living with training,” he said. “This involves about 20 kilometers of running up hills and this, for me, is not climbing. It’s just running. This comes from years of experience and my body is used to it.” Steck reportedly spends 1,200 hours a year in grueling training. “For the summits 82 project, I just added some cycling to that training.”
Invitation to mountain
Though Steck was not aware of the mountains or mountaineering culture in Korea ― except for Um Hong-gil, the first Korean to ascend the 16 highest mountain peaks on the planet as depicted in the movie ― he knew how much Koreans love going to the mountains and advised them to find their own challenges, which don’t necessarily involve risk to their lives.
“You can play on the small mountains in Korea,” he said. “What you need is just be creative and figure out what you can do. It is important that you try to find a quest you can attempt even on a small mountain such as running several kilometers on a mild hill.”
At the same time he stressed that it is extremely important to be careful about choosing gear and packing your backpack.
“I don’t even bring a backpack on a small mountain, because a heavy backpack will only weigh you down. So pack only what you really need,” he said. “Instead, you should be extra careful when choosing your outerwear, footwear and other gear, because you will rely on them on the mountains.”
Just three months after the 82 summits project, he set another record during a solo timed ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. On Nov. 16, Steck clocked 2:22 in topping the summit of the classic Heckmair Route (1,800 meters), after taking advantage of good weather and climbing conditions.
Steck is planning another push to the North Face of Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain in the world, rising to 8,027 meters, in the coming spring.