PHOTO | VIDEO | Mountaineering, Messner's warning:“Be self-responsible, no to the masses”

The famous South Tyrolean mountaineer met the boys and girls of the Eagle Team project

BOLZANO – The mountaineers of today and tomorrow must dedicate body and soul "to the mountaineering of self-responsibility". The words of Reinhold Messner they inspired the boys and girls of the project Eagle Team who, last January 25th, met the famous South Tyrolean mountaineer at the Messner Mountain Museum Ortles in Solda, in the province of Bolzano. The great climber wanted to meet the team members, to get to know them and to be able to convey his vision developed over decades of mountaineering, to those who will be the athletes of tomorrow.Messner spent a long time with the group, focusing on the cultural aspects of mountaineering practice and listening in turn to stories of the group's first major exploits and progress.Together with the boys, the general president of the club was also present Cai Antonio Montani, team leader Matteo Della Bordella and tutor Marco Majori.

“I would like you young people to follow the culture of traditional mountaineering, based on the concept of conquest and renunciation, against the touristized and mass mountaineering of today”, Messner said.

“The meeting with Reinhold Messner represents a moment of great importance for the Eagle Team project.The values ​​that have animated Messner's mountaineering have always been those of the Association. The concepts of limits and responsibility they must guide the businesses and careers of today's and tomorrow's mountaineers, always with great respect for the mountain environment", states General President Antonio Montani.

The ice he was the protagonist of the third week of Eagle Team in Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland, which began a few days after the meeting with Messner.The 15 young climbers tested themselves in the third climbing and training module from Sunday 28 January to Saturday 3 February 2024.In addition to Della Bordella, the tutors Ezio Marlier, Nicola Tondini, Luca Moroni, Roger Schaeli, Silvan Schüpbach, Angelika Rainer and Francesco Ratti were present.These are mountaineers with great experience and a high international level.

Kandersteg is an ice temple, which this year immediately appeared to be in less than optimal condition, with an extra challenge for the boys and girls: find the best lines.“Here we saw real talent,” comments Della Bordella.“With the conditions we encountered, I am very satisfied with the results that the group managed to bring home, demonstrating that they have an eye and ability to move even in a severe and difficult environment”.Among the various repetitions carried out by the boys and girls, we mention the route "Muttology” and the “Taschen Kombo”, both on the Stockhorn in the Bernese Prealps.Without forgetting the Verschneidung at Fisistock in the Bernese Alps.

Alessandra Prato, Camilla Reggio and Lorenzo Toscani together with Ezio Marlier, president of the Aosta Valley Alpine Guides Union, spent two days in Valsavarenche, in the Aosta Valley.Alessandra opened a challenging pitch using ice screws and fixes, while Camilla and Lorenzo opened a multi-pitch route in traditional style. In addition to climbing, there is also space for training sessions.Together with Nicola Tondini and Angelika Rainer, the boys were able to learn more about ice climbing techniques and dry-tooling, a climbing technique with ice axes and crampons on rock.The educational evenings, however, were curated by Marlier, pioneer of modern ice and mixed climbing, who told the history and evolution of the discipline, from its origins to the present day.