Simon Gietl

Simon Gietl may have taken the "wooden path" by profession, but he found his calling in completely different terrain. The South Tyrolean mountain guide and extreme mountaineer lives with his family in Luttach and can mainly be found outdoors in the mountains - thanks to his passion. Whether somewhere between the Dolomites, on an expedition in Greenland, Patagonia, the Himalayas or on various other walls around the world - Simon Gietl is an adventurer through and through. However, it is the experience as a whole that is of particular importance to him, rather than the mere summit victory.

When it comes to rock and ice, Simon Gietl's main focus is on challenging himself - both physically and mentally. He prefers to dedicate himself to rock and ice routes, where he can be true to Wolfang Güllich's statement "The head is the most important muscle when climbing". "I also train my body and mind with the aim of leaving my own mark on alpine walls," he says of himself. Tracks that have already been honoured with the "Grignetta d'Oro" - Italy's best alpinist award - in 2016.

Simon Gietl,

WE CAN NOW OFFICIALLY WELCOME YOU TO THE LOWA PRO TEAM. HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR WAY INTO THE TEAM?
"I was travelling with Hans Kammerlander in 2013. He took me with him to Canada for his project. The aim of the project was to climb the Matterhorns of the different continents. in 2013, it was Mount Assiniboine's turn in Canada. It was of course a great honour to be on an expedition with him. Hans was also wearing the LOWA LATOK boot model at the time. Of course, we talked about expedition boots and that's how I became aware of LOWA. I then got to know various contacts through Hans, it went back and forth for a few years and today I'm sitting here."

LET'S GO BACK IN TIME FROM THE HERE AND NOW. HOW DID YOU GET INTO MOUNTAIN SPORTS?
"That's an interesting story. I started climbing when I was 18. Back then, I was hitchhiking from Bad Doberan to Bruneck and an older gentleman who had just come from the Three Peaks gave me a lift. He was there on an ascent and told me about his experiences, how it felt up there and all the things he took home with him. I found it so fascinating that I thought to myself, I have to start climbing now too. That was the real start.

In addition, school was always a difficult subject for me. I didn't understand the subject matter and the teachers didn't understand me as a person. Sport back then - I was in a running club, football club and mountain bike club - was a means to an end and gave me a lot during this otherwise difficult time. As a teenager, I was always looking for something in sport, but I never really found it. After this experience as a hitchhiker, however, I went on my first climbing tour. Just before I went to sleep that night, I realised that this was exactly what I had been looking for all those years. Since then, it was clear to me - the Three Peaks are my mountains."

WHAT MAKES MOUNTAIN SPORTS FASCINATING FOR YOU?
"For me, mountain sports are of course the exercise and being outdoors. But primarily, my biggest motivation and my biggest attraction is the fact that you are your own referee. You decide how you approach the mountain and what you leave behind on it. The mountain doesn't have countless road signs telling you the direction and rules. Being your own referee, perhaps even a somewhat stricter one, is something that gives me particular pleasure and also motivates me."

TRAINING IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF BEING AN ATHLETE. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME YOUR INNER SWINE DOG WHEN TRAINING?
"I think my great luck is that I just love training too much. I can't remember having to force myself to train. You usually set yourself a goal. For me at the moment, it's important that I train at all. I usually have two or three goals a year. I prepare for these big projects accordingly. Once I have set my sights on these goals and have focussed on them, I will do everything I can to achieve them. I have no problem doing things that I might not enjoy doing because I simply know how important they are to me and that I can benefit from them."

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR TOURS? IS THEREA SPECIAL RITUAL?
"Firstly, of course, it's important to question what you really need for the project. Is the focus on climbing technique or is endurance important? You prepare yourself accordingly. Last year's "Nord Drei" project is a good example. We had a clear goal there: we wanted to connect the Three Peaks and the Grossglockner by bike in a night hike. We were travelling non-stop for 48 hours. For us mountaineers and climbers, it was clear that the mountains themselves would not be the biggest problem, but the 400 kilometres of cycling in between. As a non-professional cyclist, I knew that I would be cycling from spring onwards. I don't think about it too much, I like to do it when I know what I have to do. It's often the case that I prefer to do an extra lap when I'm almost home because I know I'll be glad I did it later."

WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU ON YOUR TOURS? MAYBE SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL?
"I actually always have a guardian angel with me. I always have it with me - and that's my family."

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR DESTINATION?
"When you've successfully completed a project, there aren't so many thoughts at that moment. Of course you're initially happy that you've done it. The feeling of happiness and that you can finish the project is also important. The satisfaction doesn't actually come until a week later, if not even later, with inner peace. This is also a very important topic that I have been focussing on in recent years. That moment when you've really reached the top is often very short. You have to learn to really savour it. Unfortunately, it only happens once. It's often like this: you're at the top, you've done everything and then you want to go back down again quickly. That's all well and good, but that moment is then over. It never comes back. That's why it's important to be able to enjoy it emotionally."

DOYOU HAVE A FAVOURITE TOUR?
"My favourite tour, which means a lot to me personally and especially in the Dolomites, is the "Can you hear me?" tour. I thought about this tour with my best friend, who unfortunately later died in an accident. He had the idea and I had promised to do the tour with him. But fate decided otherwise. This tour was one for which no amount of preparation was too high for me. I was simply willing to do it, no matter what I had to give for it. It was very important to me to keep my word to him."

DO YOU THINK THERE IS ONE PLACE EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE SEEN AT LEAST ONCE?
"South Tyrol and the Three Peaks are a must-see. I have the privilege of having seen many other countries and discovered new places there. But I wouldn't swap any of them for the Dolomites or South Tyrol. That's just what my heart beats for."

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO LIVE?
"For me, freedom means living. I enjoy every day because you never know how long and how many days you have left. That's very important to me. Even if things don't go the way they should, for example with projects. It's important to always get back up and keep going. There is always tomorrow. You don't have to put your head down and see everything in a negative light. You should draw positive conclusions from failure."

DO YOU LIVE BY A MANTRA OR AN IMPORTANT WISDOM OF LIFE?
"There is a piece of wisdom that we wrote on my personal training wall after my climbing accident: Feel strong, but not immortal. That's something I hope to never forget."

Besides mountain sports, what else can you be passionate about?
"A day with the family is worth at least as much - definitely. I don't need to be extra enthusiastic there either. Everything runs automatically. Everything has to be in balance."