The Ridge [005]. Poetry by kissthemountain

[005] POETRY

PHOTO Â© ESCOBEDO HEART

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MOUNTAIN CULTURE MAGAZINE

THOUGHTS

POETRY

“At the end of last January, many of us felt a mixture of anguish and admiration for the efforts made by Urubko and Bielecki to try to get Revol and Mackiewicz out alive from Nanga Parbat. This great show of humanity serves as a starting point to kick off a conversation with Kilian Jornet in which we have left aside more familiar aspects to delve into his mountain philosophy from more of a mountaineering point of view”. Summit Talks. Kilian Jornet. Mountain Poetry. “A few days ago, Ultra Trail World Tour announced the races in 2019 that will form part of its prestigious international circuit. Among them, and as a discovery race, was SALOMON ULTRA-TRAIL® HUNGARY. Undoubtedly a prize for a race that will be celebrating its fifth edition this year, and growing by leaps and bounds to become one of the reference events within the European and global trail running scene”. The Scene. Salomon Ultra-Trail Hungary . Trail is your way. The Legend. “Strength, courage and guts are absolutely essential to confront a track that is making history for its toughness and technicality, and yet, thanks to it, it is becoming a place of pilgrimage where every year the best runners in the world flock. Its appeal made it the 2016 venue for the Skyrunning World Championships. There must be a good reason”. The Scene. Buff Mountain Festival. The Great Stage. “Ice where we hang our lives. Endless snow slopes. Walls leading to heaven or death. Dreamlike scenes of heartrending beauty. Impossible balancing acts. Silence that shouts at you. Ridges between life and death. Vertical challenges”. Postcards. 28th Memorial María Luisa. Photo Contest. “Traveling on the north side of the highest peaks of Sierra Nevada is a unique and brutal experience. The hours and positive height gain advance at great speed while distances marked by GPS systems appear to stop before the immensity that opens up before the athlete’s eyes”. Wilderness Areas. Sierra Nevada National Parc. The South Face. This is “Poetry”. This is The Ridge [005] - Mountain Culture Magazine.

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CONTENTS

WILDERNESS AREAS SIERRA NEVADA NATIONAL PARK. THE SOUTH FACE.

SUMMIT TALKS KILIAN JORNET. MOUNTAIN POETRY.

THE SCENE SALOMON ULTRA-TRAIL HUNGARY. TRAIL IS YOUR WAY. THE LEGEND.

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POSTCARDS 28TH MEMORIAL MARÍA LUISA. PHOTO CONTEST .

EVENTS BUFF MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL. THE GREAT STAGE.

FOTOGRAFÍA DE PORTADA: ON UTMB. THE COVER Fotógrafía: Fede Zaid Arcos Ait Malek. (Paralelo 70). Photo: Escobedo Heart

PHOTO: ARCHIVE KTHEM

Issue [005]. Poetry. October 2018 Número #08. Horizonte. Septiembre 2016 PUBLISHER www.kissthemountain.com theridge@kissthemountain.com EDITA kissthemountain Granada. Spain C/ Albaricoque, 18 18198 Huétor EDITOR VegaIN– CHIEF Granada info@kissthemountain.com J. M. Ávila juanmi@kissthemountain.com REDACCIÓN ART DIRECTION Juanmi Ávila & DESIGN LAYOUT juanmi@kissthemountain.com Kiko Cardona kiko@kissthemountain.com ARTE Kiko TRANSLATION Cardona kiko@kissthemountain.com Liz Barrass Inboca MAQUETACIÓN Y DISEÑO ADVERTS Kissthemountain & MARKETING theridge@kissthemountain.com PUBLICIDAD (+34) 670013576 publicidad@kissthemountain.com (+34) CONTRIBUTORS 670013576 Gontxal K. M. COLABORADORES Guillermo Olcina PHOTOGRAPHERS Maite Maiora Aritz Jordi Urdampilleta Saragossa Jornet PipiKilian Cardell Luis Ordóñez Fede Arcos (Paralelo 70) Escobedo Heart Guillem Trius FOTOGRAFÍA Joao ParaleloM. 70Faria Jordi Rulló Carlos Llerandi Jordi Valldaura IosuSergi Juaristi Colomé Rubén Fueyo Memorial María Luisa Kilian Jornet Ultra-Trail Hungary Luis Ordóñez Mikel Besga Pipi Cardell Jordi García Localpres Fernando Guevara Pyrene Media

Prohibida Copyrightla2018 reproducción, Kissthemountain. edición No liability o transmisión is accepted total for the o parcial accuracy porofcualquier the information medio contained y en herein, nor are cualquier any guarantees soporte given sinby lathe autorización magazine. Copyright escrita de worldwide kissthemountain. of original material is held by Kissthemountain Kissthemountain and permission no comparte must be necesariamente obtained for any las use,opiniones transmission, destorage sus colaboradores. or reproduction. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the publisher. Kissthemountain assumes no responsibility for the loss or damage of unsolicited material. MOUNTAIN CULTURE MAGAZINE

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SIERRA NEVADA

N A T I O N A L

THE SOUTH FACE

PHOTO © LUIS ORDÓÑEZ | NEVADA PHOTO

P A R K

WILDERNESS AREAS

Closely watching over the city of Granada (Spain) one of the most important natural enclaves of the Iberian Peninsula can be found: Sierra Nevada.

Text: Kissthemountain

The Sierra del Sol, as it was known in the Middle Ages, occupies a large area spanning the Granada and Almeria provinces. It has been a biosphere reserve since 1986. Almost 175,000 hectares have been categorized a Natural Park since 1989, and of these, more than 85,000 a National Park since 1998.

Between its peaks, mountains and summits stand out Picón de Jérez (3,090 m), Puntal de Vacares (3,136 m), Pico de la Alcazaba (3,371 m), Cerro de los Machos (3,324 m), Pico del Veleta (3,398 m), Cerro del Caballo (3,009 m), and above all, Mulhacen (3,482 m). But there are many more, and of extraordinary beauty: Tozal del Cartujo (3,152 m), Pico del Cuervo (3,150 m), Puntal de 7 Lagunas (3,255 m), Pico Elorrieta (3,180 m), Puntal de la Caldera (3,225 m), Pico de la Atalaya (3,148 m), Puntal de Juego de Bolos (3,022 m)... These and others make Sierra Nevada one of the highest mountain ranges in Western Europe, second only to the Alps.

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PHOTO © LUIS ORDÓÑEZ | NEVADA PHOTO

Sierra Nevada is a fascinating attraction, not only in winter, when a great mountain range covered by a blanket of snow greets visitors approaching Granada from different parts of the peninsula, but also in summer. Its steep peaks and culmination of strong contrasting landscapes fixate the eyes of those who admire it, eager to get lost among its numerous peaks that tower more than 3,000 meters above sea level.

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FOTOGRAFÍA: MANUEL MATA OLIVER. ARCHIVO P.N. DE AIGÜESTORTES I ESTANY DE SANT MAURICI

PHOTO © LUIS ORDÓÑEZ | NEVADA PHOTO

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FOTOGRAFÍA: © paralelo 70 | ALWAYS EXPLORING.

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PHOTO © LUIS ORDÓÑEZ | NEVADA PHOTO

Observed from the capital or from the coast, the relief of Sierra Nevada is smooth. The mountain gains height slowly, without abruptness. That softness turns into hostility on the north face of Sierra Nevada. Its relief, steep and precipitous, has great geomorphologic interest due to how it was sculpted in the glacial and periglacial periods. U-shaped valleys, glacier cirques that culminate in large peaks and struts, lagoons of water, crystalline in some cases, opaque in others due to their depth, surrounded by green carpets of vegetation that are locally known as “borreguiles”. All this plays with the feelings of those who enter their domain, causing serenity and tranquility at first before suddenly turning into vertigo and a feeling of smallness in front of the Mountain, in capital letters. Traveling on the north side of the highest peaks of Sierra Nevada is a unique and brutal experience. The hours and positive height gain advance at great speed while distances marked by GPS systems appear to stop before the immensity that opens up before the athlete’s eyes: the north face of Veleta hosts a cirque that commands respect among even the most expert of mountaineers; between Alcazaba and Mulhacen the glacier known as Cañada de Siete Lagunas is impressive; Mosca and Caldera lagoons, located above 3,000 meters, are a source of life for mountain goats that come to drink from its waters, and for “snow stars”, native to Sierra Nevada, violets and poppies. Losing yourself in these mountains, alone or with a group of friends, is something different and unique that will be etched into your memory forever.

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PHOTO © LUIS ORDÓÑEZ | NEVADA PHOTO

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M O U N TA I N P O E T R Y

KILIAN

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JORNET

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PHOTO Â© JORDI SARAGOSSA

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PHOTO ÂŠ KILIAN JORNET

At the end of last January, many of us felt a mixture of anguish and admiration for the efforts made by Urubko and Bielecki to try to get Revol and Mackiewicz out alive from Nanga Parbat. This great show of humanity serves as a starting point to kick off a conversation with Kilian Jornet in which we have left aside more familiar aspects to delve into his mountain philosophy from more of a climbing point of view. The loss of friends such as StĂŠphane Brosse or Ueli Steck help us to reflect on death and on the risks we are willing to take in order to live life to its full. Kilian searches deep down and reveals feelings that only those closest to him know. Messner will go down in history for revolutionizing modern mountaineering and demonstrating, among many other aspects, that it was possible to ascend an eight-thousander without artificial oxygen. Steck will do it for his climbs of very great technical difficulty at unbelievable speed. The activities that Jornet is doing, together with a different mountain philosophy, are making him write beautiful lines in the history of mountaineering. Kilian draws admiration and is a source of inspiration for many. We also wanted to find out who sparks those feelings in him.

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Text: Kissthemountain Photography: Jordi Saragossa & Kilian Jornet

issthemountain: A few weeks ago we saw again one of those episodes that will go down in the history of mountaineering. Denis Urubko, Adam Bielecki, Jarek Botor and Piotrek Tomala rushed to the call for help from two other climbers, Elisabeth Revol and Tomasz Mackiewicz, who after reaching Nanga Parbat´s summit, suffered terrible problems in the descent. The story is widely known. I imagine you followed the rescue ... What incredible principles! Without a doubt, taking it beyond just a sport. On occasions like this we see that money and goals are shelved for much more transcendent issues as is human life... Kilian Jornet: Yes, I was following it. The truth is that this rescue has been particularly interesting in two aspects. Firstly, for the almost live streaming of all the advances and good use made of technology as a means to get help. From the moment that Eli [Elisabeth Revol] called for help, a crowdfunding campaign was launched that, thanks to social networks, managed to collect the money needed

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in just a few hours. Also through the networks it was possible to follow the rescue in a very up-to-date way and with important and interesting information, not morbid with the sole objective of getting clicks. I think it was a very good example of how networks and online cooperation were used to follow and finance the rescue. Secondly, there is the work and principles of Denis [Urubko], Adam [Bielecki] and the other climbers who were in K2. I believe that helping is a natural instinct in humans, as well as trying to do your best without putting yourself in excessive risk. Unfortunately, in many situations or places, this doesn´t seem normal anymore. In a small town, in an unpopulated area, when someone has a problem, usually people come to help naturally. I would say the same thing happens in mountain regions with few people around. In cities or populated areas, and also in busy mountains such as the Himalayas in spring or some areas of the Alps, we have this idea that if someone has a problem, their friends or a rescue squad will be there to help.

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As there are many people around, it is not our “job” to come to their aid, since we think that others will do it and that we have better things to do. This, which happens very often and almost naturally, is a pity. What Denis, Adam... did is heroic because of the difficulty. It´s really complicated to get there that fast, but what we should contemplate is that it shouldn´t be considered heroic but the natural thing inside all of us, not only in remote areas where of course there are fewer options to find the necessary help, but in any mountain or in any city. They´ve shown us that the heroic should be the normal human thing to do, and in our individualistic and self-centered days, this is important and admirable. K: Once again Urubko ... I´ve not been able to stop thinking all weekend about another rescue of a spectacular human dimension. I speak of the unsuccessful one of Iñaki Ochoa de Olza. I wanted to talk to you about someone who participated very actively in it. I mean the great Ueli Steck. I know you had a great relationship with him and shared time in the moun-

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tains. He was without a doubt a spectacular mountaineer. Probably one of the best in history... KJ: Ueli was someone with an awesome level who moved exceptionally in the terrain. For me he has been a source of enormous inspiration since I started in the mountains. Ueli, Denis, Simone, Tomaz, Valeri, IĂąurra, Steve, were some of the climbers who did amazing activities when I started out. Then, through mutual friends, and through a similar way of understanding the mountain, Ueli and I met. We skied a couple of times in the Alps. The first time we climbed something together was, in fact, in the Himalayas. He was with Colin Haley to try out the Babanov route on the south of Nupse. Helias Millaroux and Ben Guigonnet were also there to attempt a new route. We coincided in Chukkung. One day we went to climb a summit around 6,300 meters. A nice mixed ridge with Ueli and Helias. Descending we were surprised by his technique of climbing down an 80 degree slope with an ice ax, to traverse a glacier looking for a safe place... Afterwards, every time I went with him to the mountain, they were moments of great learning. He was someone that interested me a lot because, apart from the technique he had, he prepared things very well. He planned his trainings in a scientific way, and also took care of food, psychology... We talked a lot about very specific topics and geeky aspects, and also about the vision he had of mountaineering, of various activities in this environment, combining sports to make ascents and chaining... The things he did were only possible because he had a

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very advanced technical level that allowed him to scale (and climb down) alone in a very fast way at difficult altitudes. When we went to the north of Eiger, he climbed as if he were walking along a path. There was a lot of strength and resistance training behind him... He trained specifically for goals for around 1,200 hours a year. to mine, but I wouldn´t like to die Emelie and I heard about his on the mountain. I´d prefer, when accident while at Cho Oyu. It was the time comes, to be somewhere really tough. Losing someone else. Death in this environment close is very difficult, but if it´s must be surrounded by great also someone who does a type of loneliness and in many cases, the mountaineering you identify with wait, knowing that it is inevitable, and with whom you share a set of must be endless. I imagine that values, it´s even worse. You´re shat- on some occasion you have felt tered in the moment. And it makes it creeping up on you. Do you run you think about things. Is it worth away from these thoughts when ing. But to achieve this I don´t want taking certain risks...? Because no- they appear on the mountain or to stop living and be shut away and body wants to die, besides know- do you prefer to reflect on them? protected to preserve a life without ing that you have people around What is risk to you? experiences. And of course, if we go you, a partner, family, friends... KJ: Well, the truth is that I haven´t out to live life, there will be risks we Moments like those are where thought much about it. On the take. Therefore, if you have to die in you stop to think and weigh up mountain I try not to die, in the same an accident, I haven´t thought about the risks you whether it´s betare willing to ter or worse in “What Denis, Adam... did is heroic because of the dif- the mountains take. Without a doubt Ueli´s ficulty. It´s really complicated to get there that fast, or in the city, at death influor elsebut what we should contemplate is that it shouldn´t home enced me in where. I think in be considered heroic but the natural thing inside all the end it´s not the Everest expedition, of us, not only in remote areas where of course there that important where I decideither way. If I are fewer options to find the necessary help, but in ed to go the could choose..., normal route that it be quick any mountain or in any city. They´ve shown us that and not take and direct, rather the heroic should be the normal human thing to do, unnecessary than waiting and risks. knowing full well and in our individualistic and self-centered days, this K: Since we there is no other is important and admirable”. are discussoption than to die. ing Ueli Steck I don´t reflect I´d like to take the opportunity to way or maybe more so than in other on death, I don´t think about it. Yes get to a really delicate issue. The activities, because in commonplace I do think about the risks and what other day whilst chatting with a ones, like driving, we don´t have the you have to do to stay alive. I think friend, we talked about the over- same consciousness or precau- you have to be cold and objective used phrase of “at least he died tion. If I could choose, like almost and try, on the mountain and in doing what he loved”. Kilian, may- everyone, I would prefer to die as committed ascents or situations, be your opinion is very different an old man and without any suffer- not to be influenced by emotions,

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good or bad, by fear or happiness, but to be proactive and look objectively at what lies ahead, the mountain, the conditions, the difficulty of the route... and also be real about ourselves, our technical and physical level, our knowledge, the material we´re carrying, so as to, from this standpoint, see if it can be done or not, and if we are prepared to take the risk knowing what could happen to us. K: Recently a friend bumped into Alberto Iñurrategi on a plane on route to Granada. Undoubtedly, one of the greatest mountaineers in history and who still loves the mountain even though it took his brother´s life. Death is something that those who take big risks have to coexist with. “An instant, that’s what separates happiness from pain. Everything is decided in millimeters, in tenths of a second.” I think those are your words referring to the death of your great friend and companion Stéphane Brosse. Apologies for delving into something very personal, but I wonder how you overcome this. If I lost certain friends that way, I don´t know if I would ever be able

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influences the risks we take to a greater or lesser extent. I returned to Aiguille d’Argentiere about a year after his accident. I think it’s important to deal with it. Without a doubt, after Stéphane’s death, I had a difficult year. I may not have realized it for a while. I don´t think I accepted it. I don´t know if I have still accepted the fact he departed when it would have been much easier if I had fallen, because at that time I had no family, no children, no plans. If I had died, my parents and some friends would be sad, but that´s it. The following year I did a lot of solo climbing close to my maximum level, which was low. I climbed 6b routes when my maximum then was 6c. It was the first accident in which I understood the difference between knowing there is a risk and really being aware of it. K: Messner will go down in mountaineering history for hav-

to return to the mountain. Can I be known for other types of asask you if you went back to that cents in which lightness and simplace where the snow cornice plicity, the “alpinism of man”, and collapsed under him? Does not also speed, are characteristics giving up on the mountain, and that will define your career in the returning to it with more strength high mountain. Do you agree with if possible, a kind of tribute to me? Do you know yet if you´ll conStéphane? tinue other mountains which you KJ: I return to started as part the mountain of the Sumbecause it´s mits of my Life “Emelie and I heard about his accident while at what gives project and in Cho Oyu. It was really tough. Losing someone us life, even particular Evthough someerest? close is very difficult, but if it´s also someone times it can KJ: I haven´t who does a type of mountaineering you identify also snatch ever thought it from us. about what with and with whom you share a set of values, it´s Maybe you legacy I want to will take difleave. I like beeven worse. You´re shattered in the moment. And ferent risks ing active. It´s it makes you think about things. Is it worth taking depending on not important the moment. talking about it certain risks...? ”. It doesn´t feel or being part of right to take something, becertain risks in the same way on ing revolutionized it and having cause often, if we dwell on these two different days. There are days shown it was possible to ascend issues, we waste time that we when it seems reasonable and an eight-thousander without ar- could have used in training or doothers where it doesn´t. And here tificial oxygen. Ueli Steck, will be ing other types of activities. What emotions come into play, if you’ve remembered for those tremen- I like most is versatility and being lost someone, if you’re in love, if dously technical ascents at diz- able to continuously move as opyou’ve had a good day or a bad zying speed. I have a feeling, Kil- posed to difficulty. I like running, one.... Undoubtedly everything ian, that it´s highly possible you´ll doing ultras, vertical kilometers,

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skimo races, skyraces, crossings, summit ascents, chaining mountains, and I don´t believe that one of these activities is superior or more laudable than another. All of them give me different and enriching aspects. Speaking of high mountains, the learnings over the last five years in the Himalayas and through Summits of My Life, have helped me understand a little better the mean the “eight-thousanders”, logistics, how to acclimatize... Last will see how your name started year was very interesting for me. to write the pages of history in Firstly to find out if I could climb to the near future... Where are your 8,850 meters without oxygen (be- steps directed? forehand I didn´t know if my body KJ: I don´t believe there is such a would be able to handle it), and thing as all-round mountaineering. also to see that, despite harsh con- We don´t even know with certainty ditions or discomforts that don´t what mountaineering is. Nor that place your life in danger, it´s pos- there is a better or purer way to sible to continue moving and do- climb mountains compared to othing activity. And finally, to prove it´s ers. What you have to do is be honpossible to do long activities, chain est when saying how you climbed. peaks and make different ascents What I do is go up hills or climb in just a few days. I would definitely like “Without a doubt, after Stéphane’s death, I had a difficult to keep doing it, but, yes, year. I may not have realized it for a while. I don´t think I without focus- accepted it. I don´t know if I have still accepted the fact ing exclusively on this type he departed when it would have been much easier if I of activity, be- had fallen, because at that time I had no family, no chilcause I like to compete, do dren, no plans”. other things in the Alps, Norway, downhill skiing... mountains. I don´t know where my K: You are probably one of the steps are going, but as I said beclosest people to all-round fore, I prefer to be able to do a bit of mountaineering, understood as everything than to focus on somethe ability to move with great thing specific. ease, among the best in the K: “Mountaineering had been the world, in many sports disciplines traditional form, then climbing difrelated to the mountain. Maybe ficulty was sought and I decided to I’m wrong, and if so I apologize, expand to mountaineering of rebut I think the “great” mountain- nunciation. Renunciation because eering, which doesn´t necessarily it meant leaving behind the rope,

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a companion and oxygen bottles. Only in that way did mountaineering become valid for me. That’s my philosophy.” These are Messner’s words and I think they are very close to your own way of understanding this activity. Here is another: “Competing doesn´t make sense in mountaineering. That’s why you can´t talk about records either. Progress in alpinism lies in the way it´s executed. I strive to perfect my style, to exercise my sight, to increase my capacity for resistance.” I think here we can see some differences, although perhaps I´ve misunderstood something. I’m talking about FKT [Fastest Known Times]... KJ: Let’s see, I think I’m going to get geeky here. I´ll try to explain it to you. There is a difference between a record and FKT. A record is a mark under certain conditions and rules. Like in a race where they are the same for everyone: assistance, materials, and the circuit. Even in athletics there is no mention of a record if, for example, there is more than x wind assistance, if the race fulfils certain conditions (Boston marathon), or if pacemakers or help is made available (sub 2 hours of Nike in Monza). That´s why it´s difficult to talk about records in the mountain. First, because conditions are constantly changing, and then because of the different ways to go about it. When we talk about FKT it’s something else, and I think this is interesting on two levels. An overarching one, of knowing when and up to what point a man can reach his full potential through certain training methods and technique. And, at an individual level in two aspects. Such as motivation, to have a goal or something that pushes you

to train even on the bad days, and knowledge of oneself, to measure if we are progressing. Looking at the stopwatch in a terrain with certain difficulties and conditions, can help us know if we´ve improved. For example, a more efficient movement with better technique and thus greater assurance, will naturally move us quicker, and this can work as a reference point for ourselves: knowing we are capable of running 1,000 meters in x conditions between 1,000 and 2,000 meters in 30 minutes, or in two hours between 6,000 and 7,000 meters, or climbing 1,000 meters in AD [Fairly Difficult, according to the French grade system for alpine routes] in an hour and a half, or TD [Very Difficult according to the same grade system] in three hours. Therefore, the FKT are interesting if all the conditions are known (assistance, material from the start and weight, pacemakers, leading footprints, knowledge of the route, existence of communication, time of year...). The point lies in discovering new preparation methods and finding the motivation. Therefore, to compare two FKT’s without knowing conditioning factors, I don´t think is very useful. For example, the same Ueli on Eiger with a marked track/attached to two fixed ropes compared to no markings/without taking anything, signifies, I believe, a 30 minute difference. The conditions are not comparable. You can´t say that one is faster than the other. The importance is in knowing that with markings in TD you can climb at 680 m/h whilst freestyle without any markings at 600m/h. But I think this is getting very geeky, it´s difficult to explain and comprehend outside this circle. For the media and peo-

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ple in general, it´s much easier to understand that someone is faster than another and match up, when the real point of this type of activity is quite different in my opinion. K: Vanity. Returning to the great Alberto Iñurrategi, probably one of the most humble people in this world and who, nevertheless, recognizes the fact that more than “because they are there”, he wanted to conquer the mountains for vanity. Another great mountaineer, Ferrán Latorre, told us that his motive was a mix between the conquest of beauty, challenge and curiosity. I know it´s a difficult question to answer, but I would like to know why you do it. KJ: No doubt, part of it is vanity. We do egocentric activities to feel an individual, intrinsic pleasure that potentially puts us at risk. I believe I climb mountains for the beauty of being there, for the landscape, the light, the challenge, progression, imagining things and seeing whether I´m capable of doing them, the emotion or sensation of the moment, the feelings when climbing, the snow sliding under your skis, running with a fluidity of movement... Without a doubt it´s dedicating a lot of time (which brings life) and effort to an activity that is not productive (you´re not producing anything of material use for yourself or others, like food, a roof... ) and that implies a more intrinsic search than anything else. K: Kilian, you draw admiration and are a source of inspiration for many people throughout the world. Can you tell us who invokes that feeling in you? I´m not just referring to their “results” but rather their way of understanding the sport.

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KJ: Many people, close friends with whom I go to the mountain and learn from every day, like Seb Montaz, Vivian Bruchez, Jordi Tosas, Jordi Canals, the people who I go out with in Norway..., all these people. Then there are people who are doing interesting activities now, like Colin Haley, Alex Honnold, Marc Andre Leclerc, Paul Bonhomme, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko, Nick Elton, Eli Revol and Tamara Lunger; also trail athletes such as Mejía, De Gasperi, Max King, Rickey Gates ...; and athletics, long distance runners, biathletes ...; coaches who share workouts, and people that you meet who tell you their story. And from the past, people who when I started out were doing incredible activities like Lucas and Bohigas, Mark Twight, Messner, Bonatti, Preuss, Comici, Brosse, Elmer, Greco, Meraldi, Pep Ollé ... I think that each person brings many things from which we can learn and be inspired.

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PHOTO Â© KILIAN JORNET

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PHOTO Â© SALOMON ULTRA TRAIL HUNGARY

GARY

U LT R A T R A I L WORLD TOUR

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THE LEGEND

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Text: Csanya – Race Director

Following the death of King Géza, the nobility brought his younger brother, Prince László, to the Hungarian throne. Everyone knew that László was pious, courageous and goodhearted. At first, László objected the coronation because he wanted to keep the peace and return the country to his cousin, Salamon, who had been king before he was removed. Finally, he gave in to the noblemen’s decision and had himself crowned. He was a pious ruler. He eased the severity of the laws, consoled those in sorrow, released the prisoners and protected the orphans. He generously provided for Salamon who was living in Bratislava at the time. Salamon, however, was bitter and angry. Infuriated by his yearning for the throne, he started plotting László’s death. He persuaded one of

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László’s former soldiers to kill the King in his sleep. At the time the soldier was László’s bodyguard. When he arrived on duty one day, he sneaked into László’s bedroom, broke in and pulled out his sword to stab the King. At that very moment he was blinded by a blazing light. The entire room was filled with brightness because lightning had struck the crucifix standing at the marketplace nearby. The assassin took it as a sign from God, dropped his sword and fell on his knees in front of his King, begging for forgiveness. He admitted to him that Salamon had bribed him and made him agree to carry out the heinous act. László was merciful even then. He locked Salamon up in a huge tower that stood near Visegrád, its ruins can be seen to this day in the Danube bend.

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PHOTO Â© SALOMON ULTRA TRAIL HUNGARY MOUNTAIN CULTURE MAGAZINE

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Text: The Ridge | Kissthemountain

A few days ago, Ultra Trail World Tour announced the races in 2019 that will form part of its prestigious international circuit. Among them, and as a discovery race, was SALOMON ULTRA-TRAIL® HUNGARY. Undoubtedly a prize for a race that will be celebrating its fifth edition this year, and growing by leaps and bounds to become one of the reference events within the European and global trail running scene. On November 1, 2018 registrations will open for the event that will take place in the town of Szentendre (Hungary) on June 9, 2019, and that awaits some 1,200 participants. It has been a while now since 416 runners took part in the very first edition held in 2015. Surely many of them will return to take their place in the streets of Szentendre ready to traverse the mountains of Pilis and Visegrád. Szentendre is a village washed by the Danube waters. Its narrow cobbled streets have been witnesses to those painters and artists who have discovered this town of pastel colored houses and curved roofs as an inspiration for their work. It is located just 49 kilometers away from the Ferihegy airport in Budapest. In each edition the number of participants from beyond Hungary´s borders grows. In 2018 there were 34 different nationalities. This is without a doubt due to its proximity to major European capital cities such as Vienna (264K), Prague (571K), Zagreb (366K),

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Belgrade (453K), Bucharest (870K), Bratislava (228K) and Ljubjana (484K). SALOMON ULTRA-TRAIL® HUNGARY is an authentic multicultural party. This event offers four different race distances and gradients: 112K | 4,200+, 84K | 3,100+, 54K | 1,800+ and 29K | 1,100+. Various options to discover the mountains and hills of Pilis and Visegrád. The choice to embark on an adventure that will take you through the history and tradition of this spectacular and magical area of Hungary is in your hands. Let the legend begin! #trailisyourway

w w w. u l t r a t r a i l . h u

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COURSES PROFILES

JUNE 9TH, 2019. 00:00 H. (FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY)

D+ 112 KM.

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SZENTENDRE

4.182+

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4.182-

9 AID STATIONS

20 H.

4 POINTS

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JUNE 9TH, 2019. 02:00 H.

D+ SZENTENDRE

SZENTENDRE

3.034+

3.034-

7 AID STATIONS

17 H.

3 POINTS

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84,1 KM.

MAX

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COURSES PROFILES

JUNE 9TH, 2019. 09:00 H.

D+ 54 KM.

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1.640 M+

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4 AID STATIONS

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JUNE 9TH, 2019. 10:00 H.

D+ VISEGRÁD

SZENTENDRE

1.063 M+

1.063 M-

2 AID STATIONS

6 H.

2 POINTS

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29,8 KM.

MAX

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INTERVIEW WITH CSANYA | RACE DIRECTOR

The Ridge: Hi Csanya. Nice to meet you. Could you tell us more about Salomon Ultra-Trail® Hungary? Csanya: Hi! Salomon Ultra-Trail® Hungary is a trail running race in – you guessed it! – Hungary. Runners will gather at the start line in Szentendre for the fifth time in 2019.

close to the capital and not far from the national airport either. A third of the participants in 2018 came from Budapest and a fourth from abroad. The importance of the start venue in a race is self-evident. Szentendre offers many beautiful sights for both runners and their supporters alike. TR: Race course?

TR: What’s the secret? C: There’s no secret. Here’s the recipe. Take a location that is suitable for the start and finish, design a course, have a good marketing strategy, have an amazing team to work with and organize a race that you´d gladly enter too! That’s all.

C: The highest point of the route is 700 meters above sea level, however, the total elevation of UTH is 4,000 meters. Runners from overseas simply call it the roller coaster. Many smiled at the route at the start – but not at the finish…. No wonder, as the time limit is only 20 hours. Which means that here you have to run!

TR: Let’s look at the ingredients one by one. Start-finish location?

TR: Marketing?

C: It’s Szentendre, the most beautiful small town in the country. It´s

C: I think the success of most races depends on its marketing because

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it’s not just enough to organize the most beautiful, the hardest or the most whatever of all races if no one knows about it. You should get your race out there to as many trail runners as possible, avoid the clichés, be original, invite runners from neighboring countries and ask your title sponsor for help. Salomon has played a key role in our success, no question about that. We also take UTH to expos of trail running races in neighboring countries as well. For instance, we have been to the 100 Miles of Istria and the Lemkowyna Ultra-Trail. TR: Team?

of the Crew. Every runner knows that a race is no good without volunteers. If you read the reviews on UTH’s website, you can see that many people highlight the role of volunteers and praise their work. TR: Last question. Is UTH a race that you would enter? C: Of course! Over the years I´ve organized many races (the 60th took place in July) but UTH is closest to my heart. It’s a race I’m really proud of. During each start there are a million things whirling in my head but this one is always there: if only I could be there in the start zone with all the runners!

C: You should know that I´ve been organizing trail running races since 2007. By the time runners took their start at the first UTH in 2015, I had many races behind me and a solid team to rely on. It´s considered a privilege to be a volunteer and part

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28 MEMOR TH

INTERNATIONAL MOU

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PHOTO: © SEBASTIAN WAHLHUETTER | MEMORIAL MARÍA LUISA | NORTHERN PORTAL

ORIAL MARÍA LUISA P H O T O C O N T E S T

UNTAIN, NATURE AND ADVENTURE

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NILLA | MEMORIAL MARÍA LUISA | LA ÚLTIMA

POSTCARDS

Ice where we hang our lives. Endless snow slopes. Walls leading to heaven or death. Dreamlike scenes of heartrending beauty. Impossible balancing acts. Silence that shouts at you. Ridges between life and death. Vertical challenges. Every year, the small Asturian village of Infiesto (Spain) becomes the epicenter of mountain, nature and adventure photography, when the results of the María Luisa Memorial Photo Contest are announced. The jury, after assessing 15,000 photographs sent in by 1,586 registered photograph chooses those that turned out to be the most technically commendable and visually striking. You can see part of their decision within these pages. The photograph that has been crowned the overall winner in the Mountain and Adventure section, the Liberbank Grand Award, is the cover of this article. Its author is Sebastian Wahlhuetter (Austria); and its title “Northern Portal”. The collection of photographs is available at www.memorialmarialuisa.com. Thank you, Memorial María Luisa, for allowing us once more to share these images with our readers.

www.memorialmarialuisa.com

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JULIO CASTRO NOCHE EN PICOS DE EUROPA

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NICCOLO AIAZZI VETTA DEL DENTE

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MICHAEL CLARK HI-SYNC SNOWBOARDING

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POSTCARDS

GUNAR STREU SNOWFALL

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CHRISTIAN PONDELLA AMONGST THE GIANTS

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POSTCARDS

DUMAS MATHIS VENT DU DRAGON

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JOSÃ&#x2030; ALLENDE LOS COLMILLOS DE LA TIERRA

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Â®

THE GRAND STAGE

BUFF MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL

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Zealously watched over by steep mountains to the north and to the south, is the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (Spain). Only at its flanks is where nature, in wonderful carelessness, grants access to this impressive natural environment. Through the Espot Valley you can reach the area irrigated by the Escrita River and the Sant Maurici Lake (Estany in Catalan), at the foot of the spectacular silhouette of Els Encantats. The Boí Valley is the other natural entrance to the Park, more characterized by its unique meanders and canals that lend it its name, and where the locality of Barruera can be found, a town that every year at June/July hosts the BUFF® MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL.

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PHOTO ÂŠ ESCOBEDO HEART

AigĂźestortes. Summits that exceed three thousand meters, more than 200 lakes of different shapes, colors and depths, animal species and flora of great daintiness and strength at the same time, will be witnesses to the activities that make up this spectacular event: mountain races of different distances, MTB and climbing competitions, via ferrata, yoga, rafting, canyoning, trekking, live music, orientation and astronomy workshops, a mini Skyrace and much more; all made for a few unforgettable days for over 1,300 people, many of them families, who will take part in various activities.

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Nature in general and glaciers in particular have sculpted and modeled valleys and cirques, leaving in their wake basins of lakes or estanys so characteristic of this high Catalan mountain. Many of them play with each other connecting through waterfalls and natural intersections. Others, isolated masses of water, are happy to contemplate the splendid mountain that encircles them, and where runners like Zach Miller, Holly Page, Marc Pinsach, Finlay Wild, Zaid Ait Malek, Manu Vilaseca, Andreu Simon, Stevie Kremer, Gerard Morales and Oihana Azkorbebeitia, passed by in the last edition; just some of the participants in the 65, 42, 26 and 11 kilometer races that left no one indifferent.

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PHOTO ÂŠ ESCOBEDO HEART

Everything in this area is of such wild beauty that it provokes mixed feelings in those who leave their paths. On the one hand, serenity and happiness gazing at the perfection of all that extends before you; but on the other hand smallness and vertigo overwhelmed by the immensity and depth of this expanse: the Mata de Valencia de Aneu forest, the cirques of Colomers and Saboredo, the Besiberri valley, the peak of Montardo, the lakes of Cabdella ... everything breathes life. AigĂźestortes has it all.

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PHOTO ÂŠ GUILLEM TRIUS

Beauty is not exclusive to these lakes, some of which include Serrade, Llong, Negre de Peguera, Mussoles, Morrano, Monges, Dellui, Negre de Portarro, Ratera, Barbs, Munyidera, Travessani, Mangades, Llebreta and Sant Maurici itself. Its hills, peaks and mountain ranges are not far behind. Among them we can name Peguera Peak (2,982 m), Sierra de los Encantados (2,747 m), Comaloforno Peak (3,033 m), Besiberri (3,015 m),

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PHOTO ÂŠ ESCOBEDO HEART

Strength, courage and guts are absolutely essential to confront a track that is making history for its toughness and technicality, and yet, thanks to it, it is becoming a place of pilgrimage where every year the best runners in the world flock. Its appeal made it the 2016 venue for the Skyrunning World Championships. There must be a good reason.

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Mountains. Peaks Rivers. Waterfalls. Li The AigÃ¼estortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park is br

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s. Crests. Summits. . Reservoirs. Lakes. ife. rimming with water and life. There is nothing else quite like it.

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PHOTO: ARCHIVE KTHEM

Publisher by:

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MOUNTAIN CULTURE MAGAZINE www.kissthemountain.com