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Simone Moro: "I want to do something different"
Apr 29, 2005 08: 41 EST
Italian Simone Moro came up with his next goal by asking himself a simple question: What is the highest unclimbed peak?
An easy question, right? Not at all. It took Simone over two months of intensive research to find the answer. He wanted an independent mountain, not a satellite peak or the fore summit of a bigger one (like Lhotse Middle-East, nearly 8400m). He was looking for a peak that was off the beaten track, and far away from the crowds. A mountain where he could really get a sense of adventure and discovery, but that would still present a technical challenge.
I don’t want to join the race
“I am bored of the 8000ers,” reflected Simone. “I don’t want to join the race for the summit. I want to do something different. I want to feel like Bonatti when he first climbed Gasherbrum IV or Messner when he climbed Everest solo from north. I want to follow the steps of the really great climbers, those who were not just strong, but also intelligent.”
That feeling led him to refuse some juicy offers, and even turn down his long-cherished dream of completing the real traverse of the Gasherbrums. “I don’t like the idea of people watching me from base camp while I try the traverse, I would feel like an actor in a play. Of course I will climb 8000ers, but in different ways: Winter ascents, new routes, something that fills me.”
Forgotten stories and red herrings
Simone dropped his previous plans and set to work in search of an ideal peak. The research became an adventure itself, a novel-like quest of old exploration reports, interviews in six different languages, lost pictures, false leads and even NASA images. But the effort was well worth it. He has found the place, and the mountain. Its name, barely ever heard, is Batura II. Its height: 7762m (give or take 10 meters, depending on the source). Its location: Somewhere near Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi, not far from the Afghan frontier.
Interested? Then don’t miss Simone’s complete report next week in an Explorersweb special: The research, the pictures, the maps, and the clues to one of the most original expeditions this year.
Stay tuned!
Simone will climb with American Joby Ogwyn, who will film the expedition, and a cook. He will be using Contact 3.0 as well, sending live dispatches and images. “On Shisha Pangma I sent the first pictures two hours after summiting. I had to look for a sheltered place, because up there it was too windy. This time, I hope I’ll be able to send the pictures from the very summit.”
Simone Moro and Piotr Morawski summited Shisha Pangma Friday January 14 at 1.15 pm (local) after a fast 5 hour climb in very strong winds. It was the first (real) winter ascent on an 8000er since 1988, and the first winter climb on Shisha Pangma.
Simone Moro, 37, has summited Mount Everest (twice), Broad Peak, Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma (winter), Lhotse (twice) and 5 peaks over 7000 meters. He has accomplished the first winter climb of Marble Wall 6400m (Tien Shan), a 24-hour climb on Fitz Roy’s West face (Patagonia), and many other climbs around the world. Simone, who was a sport rock climber before he fell in love with high peaks, still trains daily on a climbing wall and continues to tackle 8th degree (European graduation) routes.
Image of Simone courtesy of Simone Moro
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| Ireland K2 expedition leaving town Sunday Jun 3, 2005 | | Avalanche alert in Pakistan and media reports of 2005 causalties Jun 2, 2005 | | Vikings for Pakistan sky descents! Jun 1, 2005 | | Russians for K2 West Face first ascent May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | Pakistan's last images of Chinese/Tibet expedition May 28, 2005 | | China/Tibet's great loss - Rena dies, Bianba Zaxi seriously injured May 28, 2005 | | China/Tibet Gasherbrum expedition caught in big avalanche May 28, 2005 | | Simone Moro's Batura II expedition: “Thank God Alpinism is anything but dead,” part 2 final May 26, 2005 | | Simone Moro's Batura II expedition: "Thank God alpinism is anything but dead" part 1 May 25, 2005 |
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