Past

Climbing is not a battle with the elements, nor against the law of gravity; it's a battle against oneself.

I love the mountains passionately. I have signed a sort of contract with them, and in them I will live out my life. I love other things too, but the mountains are where nature offers her most beautiful contrasts. Nature offers the mountains to me, and I have consecrated my life to them. Without them, I would feel condemned to death.

Strong emotions is what a climber lives for. Fear and joy are the two strongest of all. The climber who feels no fear is very unlucky, for this means that he is simply unfeeling altogether. If he can't feel fear, he certainly can't feel the sublime joy of victory.

It is to conquer fear that one becomes a climber. The climber experiences life to its extreme limits. A climber is not a crazy man. He is not trying to get himself killed. He knows what life is worth. He is in love with living.

The mountains have rules. They are harsh rules, but they are there, and if you keep to them, you are safe. A mountain is not like men. A mountain is sincere. The weapons to conquer it exist inside you, inside your soul.

My goal is to give others a kind of image of beauty. To me an exploit on a mountain is beautiful. It is made to be known to others. It is an art form. I climb for myself, to find my own truth, to realize my own personality. But a work of art is perfectly only when it has been revealed to the public. We demonstrate in the most stunning way of all - at the risk of our lives - that there is no limit to the effort man can demand of himself. This quality is the basis of all human achievement in whatever field. It can never be proved enough. I consider that we climbers - that I - serve humanity. We prove that there is no limit to what man can do.