Alex

A book or movie to recommend ?

"I would recommend “The Mountains of My Life” by Walter Bonatti. It is a biography of Walter Bonatti, a legendary Italian climber and alpinist. Bonatti started out as a world-class climber and alpinist, who opened many new lines that were revolutionary at the time. At the age of 35, he then stopped climbing, but kept exploring as a journalist. I find it inspiring how he (seemingly) always followed his own beliefs, and had the courage to simply stop climbing when he felt he did not have the motivation/drive for it anymore."

If your bag were lighter and had extra volume, name one piece of equipment that you would always take with you, but never do now.

Oof, that’s a difficult choice! I must admit that I am rather lazy, so having a chair with me at all times would definitely be a great luxury. It would also be quite fun to carry a keyboard with me to have little music sessions, like Philippe Genin.

Spring or Autumn?

"I personally prefer autumn, as it is more quiet in the mountains. Many people choose to stay lower down in the valleys during autumn, enjoying rock climbing or running. However, it can be beautiful up in the mountains, with empty huts and the mountain for yourself. The days are shorter and the temperatures lower, so you have to make some smart choices regarding your routes. "

Is there an adventure you're not too proud of (but between you and me, you're proud of it anyway)?

"There are a few outings during which, in hindsight, I should have made different decisions. I would say that I am not proud of any of these (also not in secret ;), but I do believe that one can learn a lot from such experiences. One of these examples is climbing the Rotgrat on the Alphubel directly from Täschalp, without acclimatization. Halfway up the route I started seriously feeling the altitude, but I pushed through without giving it proper attention. This means that I had to completely rely on my climbing partner during the last 25% of the route, as I was in a very poor state. After this outing I paid much more attention to acclimatization, retreat possibilities on routes, and how I feel during a climb."

The biggest dream to achieve in the next decade?

"The biggest dream is always to keep having fun in the mountains, and to not take things too seriously. It is easy to get lost in big goals and dreams, but this often means you are always occupied with what is ahead and forget to enjoy the now. For me this is always a challenge, which I hope to improve on in the next years!"