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 Incontri ALPwall by Vinicio Stefanello In 1985 you started you long European tour, to the South of France and Italy, in search of limestone crags... I love travelling; it’s an important aspect of my life. I need to experience new sensations and meet new people to find my inner balance. And in the South of France, but also in Italy, I felt extremely at ease. So the experience I gathered, and continue to gather, was fundamental and I feel profoundly linked to these lands. I feel at ease with the people here, but then of course there’s also the climbing: Verdon, Ceuse, Cinque Torri, Arco... an infinite number of great crags and opportunities. With fantastic limestone that, having climbed on granite previously, was a great and completely new experience. Then you appeared on the competition scene and immediately made a name for yourself. What did all this give you? I think that competitions are a great thing, especially for young climbers. Without a doubt they are something positive. The competition circuit gives you the chance to get to know other realities, on an international level, to experience great things. Competitions help you prepare yourself; you learn to give your best at exactly the right moment. This is certainly another aspect that helped me for my ascent of the Nose. I feel that that competing, wanting to win, reaching the top are all things that are inborn, but at times it’s important to take a step forward, mature, and examine life from a different angle. Is this why you stopped competing in 1992? I have to say that stopping competing gave me a new sense of freedom. When I took the decision to stop, the competition environment was slowly beginning to change: the more competitions took off, the less fun it all became. Feeling part of a group, travelling with close friends, enjoying life climbing, wanting to be there with the others… these were all aspects that had characterised the start of my climbing career but which I now began to miss. Instead I saw more and more people with bulimia, anorexia… It seemed as if this friendship, the initial group spirit had disappeared. Right when you wanted to confront yourself on competition routes set for men. Yes, this is true. In 1989 in Lyon both Luisa Iovane and I – after our joint-equal in the Final – wanted to compete on the men’s route for the Super-final. We wanted to confront ourselves on equal terms with men. And the crowd wanted it too. I had wanted to climb on the men’s route right from the outset, but in reality I knew that both the climbing walls and the route setters’ experience and capabilities weren’t yet sufficiently developed to overcome the morphological differences, such as height, that play in men’s favour. Such as on The Nose where, according to some, you were at an advantage due to your small fingers. It’s true that on The Great Roof my fingers fit better, but this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for someone bigger than me. On the other hand, there are some sections on the 900m route where, compared to taller climbers, I was disadvantaged. A long reach helps enormously at the start of the corner, which for me is the crux of the entire route. Have there been other big wall ascents that impressed you? What Yuji Hirayama did on the Salathe was absolutely spectacular, and I regard it as one of the best performances of this sort. His ascent was truly courageous; announcing beforehand that he wanted to attempt it on-sight made it all the more difficult. It’s one thing fixing a personal target, but it’s something completely different if you invite all to come and watch. Obviously it’s fantastic for the spectator, but for the actor everything automatically becomes much more complicated. Who will manage to repeat the Nose in less than 24 hours? Leo Holding told me he intended to try it. His approach to climbing is uninhibited, he doesn’t worry about much, he likes something and so he goes out and tries it, no matter what the outcome. I’d be really happy if he managed to do it because I like Leo, he has a way of climbing that in many ways is similar to mine. And what about Scott Birch’s free ascent of the Nose… What can I say? 261 days to climb all the pitches free… I respect his determination. The route was really hard for him and therefore a great result. Then again, it’s all a game! In recent years you dabbled in mountaineering. Yes, my first mountaineering expedition was to Kyrgyzstan. Together with Conrad Anker and Dan Osman we climbed a route alpine style. But snow isn’t really my element – I love climbing on rock much more and I’m interested in “performing” there, rather than at altitude. Do you prefer to travel and climb in far away places such as Vietman or Madagascar? Certainly, even though it’s an enormous effort. In Vietnam we made some first ascents on completely untouched faces in beautiful areas. Cleaning the wall and placing the bolts was really hard work. Madagascar was a very particular experience: our expedition was comprised of women only, and here too we had to work hard to make the first ascent. Future projects, perhaps another big wall ascent like the Nose? In November I’m off to Cuba. Then I’d like to try El Nino on El Cap… I really like climbing new routes! How do you choose your projects and what would you recommend? First and foremost my projects must be motivated by personal targets. Then I ask myself: “Is it possible? What advantages do I draw from this?” To give you an example, in bouldering – which I consider the essence of climbing – my height is a distinct disadvantage, at times I can’t even reach the first hold. But (she adds with a smile – editor’s note) the grade is not important; the experience must be significant. This is the advice I’d like to give.  |
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