All about Roger

The mountains have shaped his life since he learned to walk. Climbing is a passion, a way of life, a strong emotional confrontation with the mountain, life, and in the end, even with himself.

Roger Schäli, born on August 8^th, 1978, in the small town of Sörenberg is a Swiss alpinist. The mountains have shaped his life since he learned to walk. What started as a hobby in his younger years has been his profession for many years now. Roger Schäli is a professional alpinist. But climbing is much more than a job for the all-round alpinist. It’s also more than solely an athletic challenge. Climbing is a passion, a way of life, a strong emotional confrontation with the mountain, life, and in the end even with himself.

The Eiger mountain is his home turf. His living room: the north face. He has climbed it over 50 times. In different routes. The Eiger made him strong. For the grand and difficult walls and summits of this earth.

Roger Schäli has been doing sports since he can remember. His father let him explore his love for nature. He went skiing in winter and climbing in the mountains in the summer in his Swiss home of Sörenberg. It was like an booster detonation when he was gifted his first climbing harness  when he was 14 years old. Today Schäli is considered to be one of the best all-rounders globally in the alpine scene.

However, he’s not satisfied with the mere summit of a mountain. It’s about how it’s done for Schäli. To him that means to climb free, without technical aids, in then best case. And to leave as few traces as possible. Schäli bases his high standard regarding style and ethics in alpinism with his huge respect towards the achievements of past pioneers on the mountains and their traditional routes.

Training comes easy to him since climbing is still his hobby, his passion. He feels it’s a huge privilege to be able to make a living climbing. He speaks humbly when he says: „I’m aware that I’m allowed to live a privileged life. I can make a living with my passion. I’m very thankful for that.“ However professional alpinism does have a high price as it demands work and discipline.

When he was 17 years old – impetuous and with little experience – Schäli took a bad fall sport climbing. Broken bones in both legs and a broken vertebrae extensions brought him down to his knees and even into a wheelchair for some time. But he didn’t think about giving up for even a second. His accident couldn’t stop his passion, but it did make him more careful.

Alpinism and climbing turned him into a globetrotter. Schäli goes on expeditions once or twice a year. It’s the most remote corners of the globe that especially spark his interest: Mountains that no one has touched before him. Routes that are absolute new terrain. Unknown territory, alpine style, is what exites him.

These special friendships are the most valuable thing which a life as a mountaineer can bring you. Roger Schäli is determined to continue his role as an all-rounder and experience the various facets of mountaineering. Bringing the idea of free climbing to the big mountains and the big walls of this world is his goal. Being fair to his colleagues and sustainability are important to him. But most of all: never lose the fun and joy of climbing !