“In climbing and mountaineering there are so many different disciplines to be found that it’s sometimes difficult to understand that they all fit under one and the same umbrella. Whether it’s bouldering, trekking from one hut to the next one, climbing 4000ers, 6000ers or even 8000ers, collecting 7 summits, speed climbing, going for big walls or trying to scale peaks in winter, pushing the edge on the highest grades, there’s one thing we can all agree upon; we’re all trying to challenge the vertical and enjoy the mountains and the activities we’re engaging in. And yet there’s probably one category that’s most difficult for mere mortals – like myself – to wrap your head around. There’s a bunch of supremely gifted climbers who open up and ascend routes at the highest climbing degrees that the scales have on offer, on some of the most beautiful peaks during the most brutal of circumstances. Silvo Karo perfectly fits into this exclusive category.
Now I don’t speak Slovenian so I was happily surprised to learn that Silvo’s book “Alpinist” has been translated into English and was published under the title “Rock ‘n’ Roll on the Wall.” As he admits in his own words [page 71, bottom]; “I’ve always been drawn to mountains because of their visual appearance and not the stories they told. That’s one of the reasons why I never climbed the Eiger, for example, where each part of the rock and each peg are drenched in history. Plus, the mountain itself is not particularly beautiful, with all due respect for its historical significance. I prefer slender-looking peaks such as Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, Aguja Poincenot, Grand Capucin, Torre Egger, Trango Tower, and so on.”
Then, as a reader and as a climber, you should already know what’s coming next; if it’s about trying to climb such peaks [“Cri de Roc” / “Scream of Stone”, as they’ve been described in the past] you’ll be in for a fun but extremely rough ride. And he simply doesn’t struggle up Cerro Torre just once; over the years he put three new routes up there, some of which haven’t been repeated after 30 years.
Whether it’s about his 8a+ climbs in Slovenia, or the 7a+ routes on the Torre, or the new line up the West Face of Bhagirathi III in the Indian Himalaya, or the first one day ascent of “Eternal Flame” on Nameless Tower [24h round trip], or Yosemite, story after story in this 300+ page book will leave you breathless. There’s so much information in here that it simply boggles the mind. The translation is excellent and Silvo added a nice and rich selection of images to entertain the reader.
Now, of course, Silvo was lucky to team up with legends like Slavko Svetičič, Franček Knez, Janez Jeglič, Jim Bridwell and others, but the same holds true the other way around; they were lucky to rope up with a talented and skilled individual who has been described by Rolando Garibotti [there’s another name for you!] as “He had the energy of a train engine, and there was something distinctly reassuring about the way he pounded pitons – the rock would ask for forgiveness.”
I’m a mere mortal, my feet firmly grounded, knowing full well about all my limitations. So I concur with the famous words uttered by Steve Gerberding – the first to climb El Cap one hundred times – when he said; “We are not worthy, we are not worthy.” Thank you, Silvo, for taking the time to write this book.”