MASSES IN THE MOUNTAINS
Vertical Arena 2018
Review
14. Juni 2018 / 20.00 pm
Sesto indoor climbing centre
THE SERIES OF EVENTS "VERTICAL ARENA" IN THE DOLOMITES OF SEXTEN TOOK PLACE FOR A SECOND YEAR!
After last year’s extremely successful event, the second Vertical Arena in Sesto took place on 14.06.2018 at 8:00 pm. Participants were once more international greats from the mountaineering scene such as Steve House (USA), Ines Papert (GER), Lukas Furtenbach (AUT) and Heinz Grill (ITA). The location could not have been more perfect: the newly refurbished indoor climbing centre in Sesto, South Tyrol.
The most special thing about the event: Famous and not so well-known acteurs from the mountain sports scene shared the stage and talked about their victories in the mountains. The format of the event is the brainchild of East Tyrolean mountain guide and Alpine climber Lisi Steurer and the Tourism Association Sesto. It was already a great hit with the audience in 2017.
In 2018 expedition organiser Lukas Furtenbach from Innsbruck came to Sesto and talked about his Everest Flash expeditions. Physically fit and well-off participants can acclimatise at home in oxygen tents and thus reach Mt. Everest, the summit of their dreams, faster. Time is money – also in the mountains! Commercial mountaineering versus “alpine style” climbing. This is what American Steve House, one of the most famous purists of the scene, also talked about that evening. House conquered the most difficult routes in the Himalaya, including the Rupal flank at Nanga Parbat (8,125 m) in Alpine style without fixed ropes and bottled oxygen.
The 20-minute keynote talks by the extreme mountaineers there were followed by a discussion on the topic “Curse and blessing of the masses in the mountains”. Additional podium guests were Sesto hotelier, mountain guide and mountain rescuer Joe Rainer and Christina Schwann MA, Ecologist, a freelance regional developer.
Vertical ARENA 2018 in Sesto was presented by Peter Plattner, editor in chief of the magazine bergundsteigen.
Vortragende 2018
Lukas Furtenbach
Lukas Furtenbach joined the Vertical Arena in 2018. The climber from Innsbruck made his name with his “Everest Flash Expeditions“, where well-off customers can climb this highest mountain in the world in the shortest possible time using bottled oxygen. His style is highly controversial in the scene. Furtenbach explained the pros and cons of his style. In the subsequent discussion on the subject of “masses in the mountains” Furtenbach pointed out that his style only appeals to a few customers and that it is therefore not a mass product. Qualitative target group segmentation as a recipe for success.
Steve House
Steve House is an example of a quintessential alpine purist. His motto: „The simpler you make things, the richer the experience becomes“. The US American has an impressive list of routes and first ascents worldwide from Alaska, Canada to Pakistan to his name. He became known worldwide as an extreme alpinist with his ascent of the Rupal flank on the Nanga Parbat together with Vince Anderson in September 2005. Steve received the Piolet d`Or for his alpine achievements and joined the Vertical Arena in Sesto in 2017. Steve’s modesty and calm recall Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s quote: “Mountains are silent masters and make for quiet students.”
Ines Papert
During her visit to Sesto Ines Papert talked about the remoteness of her expedition to Patagonia. On Torres del Paine she successfully repeated the route “Riders on the Storm” together with the New Zealand climber Mayan-Smith Gobat. The 45-year-old exceptional German athlete and mother of a son became known as multiple ice climbing world champion and has for many years been living her dream of professional climbing and mountaineering.
Heinz Grill
In 2018 Heinz Grill was a guest at the Vertical Arena in Sesto, where he gave the audience an insight into his world of spiritual climbing, his rhythmic movements and the equally purist style in all he does. His talk was spontaneous and direct. Without preparation or the aid of images, he powerfully explained his activities. With his precise words alone, Heinz Grill took his audience with him into his world of climbing. This included his first ascents in the Sarca Valley near Arco, where he has been particularly active in recent years, and his world as a yoga master and teacher. A refreshingly different talk by an ascetic and spiritually reflected man of the mountains.
Press photos
Images of Vertical ARENA 2018. When using these images, the following photo credit must be given: Vertical Arena 2018 © wisthaler.com/Patrick Schwienbacher
Presse releases
Press release for the announcement of the Vertical Arena 2018 and a summary.
Press reviews
Vertical Arena 2018 in the press: Reviews also on dolomitenstadt.at and alpin.de