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Wörgler Wasserwelt

Mountain wisdom

At the Masherbrum in Pakistan, Lama gets to know his - temporary -

limits. The staggering mountain is 7821 metres high and everything

about it earns the title “impossible”. Lama has already been there

twice, and both times he had to turn around. His goal is to conquer

the northeast face of Masherbrum: 3500 metres of rock and ice

at an altitude of 5000 to almost 8000 meters. “It’s one of the

hardest unclimbed routes left in the world – it’s sort of like climbing

the Eiger, with a Cerro Torre on top,” says Lama. The face and the

conditions require excessive risk-taking. “If we do it again, we want

to be sure that we can make it. The second attempt two years ago

showed us that we are a long way away from that. It’s simply not

worth it to just try again.” Whether Lama completes a project or if

it remains part of his dreams depends on his personal conviction.

“As long as I have the feeling that I can do it and am willing to prove

that to myself I will try it again and again. But if either drive or

conviction is missing – then there is no point. That’s why in my eyes

it is so important to have the right attitude towards yourself and

towards mountain climbing.”

Nowadays, even the most challenging mountain could be con-

quered with the latest equipment. However, mountain climbing

isn’t only about the conquest of the summit, it is about the path

leading you there. “Mountain climbing has a lot do with idealiza-

tion. For me, it is about sticking to my projects. When I notice that

I can’t realize a project according to my ideal way, then I want to

accept that. I don’t want to start experimenting with my ideal con-

ceptions, as this could lead to strategic gaps and that’s simply un-

acceptable.”

Lama believes in the fastest and easiest way – which today is

common consensus in the world of alpinism. “Climbers have start-

ed to distance themselves from huge teams, fixed ropes etc. The ap-

„A lot of people associate climbing with arm power,

but it in fact it has a lot do with technique and

clever footwork. The centre of gravity and how to

make it work to your advantage plays a significant

role in climbing. Who cares about how many

pull-ups you can do? I think I can’t do 100,

probably not even 50.”