Great Riccardo Cassin interview

[billcoe]

99 years old now. Like Walter Bonatti and Fred Becky: kicking ass and taking names way back when.

 

Link to Climbing mag online.

 

Interesting parts:

 

"You might think that with him confined to a wheelchair, Cassin’s sprit might be broken, but when you ask Cassin how he feels, he smiles and says he is happy to be alive and that it was just four years ago when 30 minutes of push-ups and sit-ups were part of his morning routine. That is why at 85 he was able to climb the 5.10b Luna Nascente, in Val di Mello, Italy. "

 

On if Maestri really climbed Cerro Torre:

 

"I believe if we start doubting what he did up there, we should reconsider many of my ascents, as well—for example, Mount McKinley, since there are no pictures showing I actually reached the top. I tried to shoot one and almost froze my hand. What concerns me more about the event is that I lost a good friend who was a brother to my sons—Toni Egger, who was always at my house eating enormous dishes of pasta before each climb. "

 

 

"SPORT CLIMBING IS STILL CLIMBING, but it is not the type of climbing I’m used to. Not because it is easier it is, [but] because the other one—the traditional one—is more normal for me."

 

 

The whole thing is a great read.

[Reid]

I think this is a great quote:

 

"THE MOUNTAIN IS A LIFE TEACHER, because it gives you the most fulfilling sensation you could possibly get from life and teaches you how to think without fearing. One who fears should not attempt to climb; nonetheless, you must have a little prudence when you climb. One without prudence is crazy."

 

 

[Bigtree]

Thanks billcoe. What an interesting read.