Starting 1975 was the era of Reinhold Messner. The Italian, natural heir Bonatti, would be the best representative of the international mountaineering scene between 1970 and 1986. Upon returning from the expedition lasts Nanga Parbat very few would have imagined that this would become very young Italian mountaineer, during the following 16 years, in being the first to climb in alpine style one ochomil, the first to conquer the fourteen eight-thousanders, to ascend the Everest without oxygen bottles and then, also, solo, or the first solo climb a ochomil achieve or realize the dream of Shackleton across Antarctica, among many other highly relevant issues. Probably, as argued Chris Bonington, Messner haya sido el alpinista de más éxito de estos cien años de alpinismo mundial.
Hacia mediados de 1980, cuando termina Messner su carrera con Kukuczka por ser el primero, los alpinistas de los Himalayas ya estaban hablando de los últimos problemas. El siguiente paso serían rutas aun más difíciles, aunque en montañas un poco más bajas. Como la que en 1987 abrió Mick Fowler in Spantik (7.027 mts), situado en el Karakorum pakistaní. Una ruta, el Pilar Dorado, que se ha terminado por convertir en un símbolo de la pureza y la limpieza de medios, in one word, de los nuevos tiempos que, actually, son los que ahora estamos viviendo.
Probably, como sostiene Chris Bonington, Messner haya sido el alpinista de más éxito de estos cien años de alpinismo mundial
Pero también hay que señalar, en otra dirección, "democratization" and overcrowding of some of these old mountains turned into symbols. It is likely that in the ochomiles also is fulfilling the evolution predicted by Mummery; going from a peak inaccessible to a quiet day for a lady. No doubt fever "ochomilística" has influenced the evidence that there is only 14 exceeding mountains 8.000 meters. Something that apparently came from a coincidence when it promoted a new system that made the unit of measurement meter. If they had measured the mountains on foot, as do whites, perhaps they were 30 the 40 and then they would be too many to form a solid project. If instead they had only been three long this type of competition had ended.
The truth is that this objective fact has led to everything that came after: fourteen race, lists, marks, times faster ... and traps, fraud, the deceptions and counterfeits, in the same way that occurred before the McKinley or Cerro Torre ...
But they are also the golden years of Vojciech Kurtyka, Erhard Loretan, and Jean Troillet, fantastic and versatile climbers, or forged hard in school mountaineers countries, before, East: the Marco Prezelj a Tomaz Humar, through Tomo Cease (embroiled in a controversy ascension, or not, of the south face of Lhotse), Silvo Karo the Andrej Stremfelfj, several ochomiles (when they cost far more than now) and the southern edge Kanchenjunga, virgin or east wall of Melungtse. Y Krzysztof Wilelicki, representative of the great Polish winter tradition. And, course, Jerzy Kukuczka, Messner himself who told: "You're the second, you're the greatest ".
"You're the second, you're the greatest ", Messner said Jerzy Kukuczka after winning the race of ochomiles
And, at the same time, of very great rock climbers, as Patrick Edlinger, Patrick BERHAULT, Ron Kauk, John Bachar, Kurt Albert, Glowacz and Wolfgang Stephan Güllich. Some of them capable of the greatest solo climbs on land, Only a few years before, considered impossible. And many who remained in the struggle to achieve impossible goals, Casarotto, Rouse, Boucrev, Lafaille, Begin…
In all senses were years of great revolutionary advances. To give just two examples, in years 90 the brothers Alex and Thomas Huber openings achieved extraordinarily difficult and engaged in the walls of the Latok and Ogre (Karakorum).
The ascent of the north side of K2 Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is, probably, the climb harder and committed mountaineer who has made a
It is a revolution that also affects women mountaineers. There is great progress since that, in 1906, Fanny Bullock women became "world's tallest" to ascend the Pinnacle Peak (6.930 mts) until Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, a few months ago, becomes the first woman to conduct the fourteen eight-thousanders without oxygen bottles and in a style quite light. His last climb of the north slope of K2, is probably the hardest climb and committed mountaineer who has made a. But the Polish Wanda Rutkiewick was the first to believe he could be at the height of their male and conquer all fourteen eight-thousanders, but particularly highlight its first ascent of Gasherbrum III (7.952 mts). And so many other: Catherine Destivell, (with the three great north faces of the Alps in winter and solo) Lynn Hill, (his great free climbing The Nose), the, course Edurne Pasabán (the first to ascend the 14 ochomiles)…
In recent escalation K7 and Ogre, or accomplished by Steve House and Vince Anderson, hiperligero style, Rupal the slope of Nanga descending the Diamir, or winter ascents in the Karakorum, close the penultimate great achievements. Penultimate because, probably, at this time as there will have been a mountaineer who has climbed a new mountain "impossible". As seen has been a long journey in the footsteps of the "inaccessible peaks" of Mummery. The last phase, which the British called as a walk for a lady, perhaps that is happening right now, leading commercial expeditions with customers and the normal route of Everest customers crowded into long lines. As happens many summers in the Mont Blanc.
The last phase, what Mummery called "a walk for a lady", perhaps that is happening right now, with the normal route customers crowded Everest
Perhaps, at the end of the last hundred years, the circle is closed and everything is back to its origins ... Now, what ...? There is a quote from the great American mountaineer, Charles Houston, that it can synthesize the history of mountaineering I've tried to summarize in these few pages: "No ascent is the work of a single man. Behind them, huddle in the shadows of others who have tried before and failed. Their failure has enriched them and they look with pride and respect at those who have defeated.
Each generation is based on the knowledge and efforts of the previous, so that we have overcome increasing difficulties in a natural. I like to think that we are heirs of that feeling of the mountain whose grounds have left the greatest, the Saussure to Whymper, Mallory Mummery, of Welzenbach to Terray, Messner Bonatti. Y Buhl, Diemberger, Bonington, Scott, Boardman or Fowler. And, I hope, we also managed to learn from our mistakes, of bad shortcuts, accidents and wrong ways. Because if we ever went great, as said Newton, is because we aupamos shoulders of giants. We all depend on each other.
If ever we were great, as Newton said, is because we aupamos shoulders of giants
We are heirs to a history, an epic and shared ethics. It is easy to think, especially when we are young, that when performing a difficult, which overcomes the above, has done some more status and importance that previous feats and, therefore, worth more than those of large previous climbers. But history shows that this is not so. As stated Giuseppe Mazzotti, is when time flies when "establishing the true extent of the moral value of each company".
We always have reason to be humble. When we look back and analyze what those climbers ago 50, 100 the 200 years before us, when we think of their equipment, their knowledge or courage, and compared with ours, we have much to realize that they were real giants who made mountaineering, as stated Thompson, "The art of doing more with less".
We should be proud to be his heirs.
