Live your climbing dream
„I became one with the mountain and felt comfortable in this unreal, steep, exposed and fragile landscape. It was a wonderful feeling!“
A different first climb. With this magazine, a long-cherished wish came true for me.
Tackling a first ascent is definitely easier for me than writing texts and choosing pictures for this magazine. Actually, as a mountaineer, I am used to making decisions - even in life-threatening situations - but in the context of this magazine, which I hope many people will hold in their hands, it was not always easy. Fortunately, on this difficult "mountain tour" I was in a super rope team with the team from Druckerei Schüpfheim AG and my manager Nik Ammann. This magazine fulfills a longed-for wish for me...
Climbing means a lot to me and when I'm not climbing, my mind is mostly focused on climbing and planning new challenges. All the more I would like to take the opportunity here to say thank you to all the many people who support my life and my passion with understanding. A special thanks goes to my parents, my sisters, my girlfriend Yuri and the many great rope partners. Without them, many things would not have been possible and I certainly would not have come this far.
It gives me great pleasure to give you a little insight into some successful adventures and into my "way of climbing" with this magazine. I report on adventures on my home mountain, the Eiger, on the Matterhorn, in South Tyrol, in the USA, in Greenland, in Patagonia and in the Himalayas, which required a lot of endurance, patience and experience. For other tours and first ascents, such as in Alaska, Morocco, Peru or Norway, I didn't even have room in this magazine.
It's important for me to also tell you that I'm not a superman who flies from success to success. About half of all big projects need several attempts and sometimes they can only be realized with more experience, harder training and better weather. This magazine would certainly have become three times as thick if I had also told you about all the aborted tours. Turning back, getting back to the valley in good health and trying again later - perhaps better prepared - are the most important basic rules in alpinism. And finally, you always need a portion of courage, luck and trust in God. Even more important than reaching a summit will always be for me to share life with precious people and to enjoy it.
