«Beyond the enclosures, towards the real»

IMPRESSIONS FROM THE FIRST EDITION OF THE “KARL UNTERKIRCHER AWARD”

«Karl’s ideal goes on: to carry on without getting enclosures, without bounding yourself, towards what you feel to be real». With this sentence, on Saturday the 10^th of July, 2010, in Selva di Val Gardena, Kurt Diemberger concluded his speech for the last evening of the first edition of the “Karl Unterkircher Award”: the event organized in memory of a great mountaineer and dreamer, who, since the 15^th of July, 2008, rests on the Rakhiot Face of Nanga Parbat. After Kurt’s words and after having called on the stage the jury – composed of Ines Papert, Hans Kammerlander, Rolando Larcher, Volcher Leuchsner and the undersigned – here comes the awaited announcement of the winner’s name (primus inter pares, “first among equals”): Ueli Steck has been awarded with the honour prize for his exceptional versatility, which through 2009 led him from the big north faces of Alps to the granite of the Yosemite Valley until the summits of Gasherbrum II (8035 m) and Makalu (8463 m).
Though, what really matters is that the “Karl Unterkircher Award” has been a successful event: an important meeting occasion that could be compared in due proportion to the Piolets d’Or. Because in the past days in Selva di Val Gardena – an ideal background, as far as both environment and history are concerned – beside the Swiss mountaineer Steck, others were under the spotlight: his conational fellows Samuel and Simon Anthamatten and Michael Lerjen have been nominated for the route opened on Jasemba ; Marko Prezelj, Rok Blagus and Luca Lindic, from Slovenia, for three wonderful ascents on Bhagirathi II, III and IV; Robert Jasper from Germany and Roger Schäli from Switzerland for the free-climbing of the Japanese Direttissima on the North Face of Eiger; then Simone Moro from Italy and Denis Urubko from Kazakhstan, first ones in wintertime on Makalu. In short, as someone remarked, a good sample of the best world mountaineering, an international stars regiment as maybe had never been seen before in Val Gardena and that on Saturday morning, before lunch at the Salei refuge next to the Sella pass, beavered away on the walls around there.
What else to add? It could be told about the great strength showed by Silke and Peter, Karl’s wife and brother, who founded the award together with the untiring Herbert Mussner. It could be told about the wonderful childlike smile of young Lindic (class 1988) and about the kind look on Schäli’s face. Then about Samuel Anthamatten, that load of energy (height: around one meter sixty), who, with an imperturbable fake-innocent-like expression, introduced himself to the audience as a real rascal (class 1986), more or less like this: «Dunce in school in German, math and all, I thought to devote myself to sport». Also Steck, even if neat as always, did not fail to make his exhibition («On the walls I have to run because it’s been short time since I got married and my wife wants me home by midday»). Eventually the Swiss concluded with a sentence – not a joke – of Lerjen: «Planning such an event is harder than climbing Jasemba». Then there were Moro, more comfortable with the German language than little Anthamatten, and the extremely kind Jasper. Not to forget Prezelj, the veteran of the group, with an undying passion, greater than the mountains he climbed. Fantastic characters, all together at the foot of Sassolungo with those – Ivo, Stefan, Adam, Reinhard, Hermann… – who know Sassolungo since they were born.
This time we saw the event from a particular point of view, not just as “simple” reporters. So it is even harder to tell about it: sure, we could expatiate upon it a little longer, but we feel like stopping, leaving the rest to the images and wishing the “Karl Unterkircher Award” the wonderful future it deserves.

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Cover Photo. Last evening of the “Karl Unterkircher Award”. From the left: Silke Unterkircher, Herbert Mussner (partially hidden), Michael Lerjen, Marko Prezelj, Luka Lindic, Kurt Diemberger (partially hidden), Samuel Anthamatten, Rok Blagus, Ueli Steck, Roger Schäli, Robert Jasper and Simone Moro. Photo by Carlo Caccia

Photo 1. Three members of the jury: Rolando Larcher, Ines Papert and Hans Kammerlander. Photo by Carlo Caccia

Photo 2. Ueli Steck and Simone Moro: Makalu-men in summer and wintertime. In the middle, Herbert Mussner. Photo by Carlo Caccia

Photo 3. Concentration of great mountaineers in Selva di Val Gardena. From the left: Michael Lerjen talking with Ueli Steck, Simone Moro posing with Kurt Diemberger, Samuel Anthamatten who is probably telling one of his jokes, then Marko Prezelj, Luka Lindic, Rok Blagus and Roger Schäli, evidently amused. Photo by Carlo Caccia

Photo 4. Luka Lindic (class 1988) pays homage to Kurt Diemberger (class 1932). Between them, Rok Blagus and Robert Jasper. Photo by Carlo Caccia

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Italian version – More pictures