Nobody begins their alpine climbing career out of their comfort zone… unless you’re David Lama, that is. You can spot him in the trailer of his film, a black speck climbing the vertical headwall of the Cerro Torre towering over everything else at 3,128 m. David Lama was the first person to succeed at something everybody else considered impossible, and at 23, to boot: he climbed the Cerro Torre without the aid of any equipment whatsoever other than a rope. Even mountain climbing legend Reinhold Messner describes his feat as a watershed moment in alpine climbing. Today, the 25-year-old David Lama considers the Cerro Torre a momentous event in his life which transformed him from a competitive professional climber into a proper alpinist. None other than mountain climbing legend and veteran Peter Habeler notices David’s extraordinary talent for climbing at the early age of 5. He’s consequently admitted as the youngest member of the group trained by Reini Scherer who, more than anyone else, was responsible for instilling a love for everything climbing in him. People are quick to start dubbing him the climbing wunderkind following his raft of childhood wins in indoor climbing competitions. Already at the age of 15 he competes in the adult World Cup and scores plenty of awards in his first season alone. Despite his successful indoor competitions, he ends up training more and more outdoors, in the mountains. He completes his first ascents, and soon discovers a passion for steep walls upon travelling to the Yosemite Valley. David leaves school early to mainly focus on climbing.
Looking for an adventure
In addition to the competitions he disputes, David is especially interested in alpine adventures. While others only train to compete, the Tyrolean – who stands out for his unusual mop of jet-black hair – also trains for the joy of it on the rocky walls. He knows what he wants, listens to his intuition, and ultimately falls under the spell of the world-famous Cerro Torre in Patagonia. Three instructive years later and he’s reached his goal. Users visiting his website can read the following: ‘To me the first ascent of the south-eastern ridge represents the end of what has up to now been the biggest adventure of my life. I’m enormously proud of having achieved the whole route without adding any bolts.’ This is when he starts attracting the attention of the press, rather, of those journalists who’d ignored of his existence up until then. His very own documentary on the legendary expedition comes to life, and he’s already published a book on his adventures: there’s no escaping David Lama’s name when it comes to climbing.
Climbing allows me to express myself.
His climb to fame, brought about by his extraordinary talent, hasn’t changed happy-go-lucky David, who still manages to tower over everybody else with his larger-than-life presence at 1.65 m. Of course, he knows it’s a big recognition to be on everyone’s lips. He says it’s always better to hear you can do something well, rather than the opposite. Yet this isn’t what motivated him to continue. ‘Climbing is more than a profound passion which has always been with me. Climbing allows me to express myself.’ He believes first ascents leave more than traces of magnesium on the rocky walls: climbers leave ideas behind, which can then be seen by other climbers. David has nurtured this passion right from the moment he was born, son of an Austrian female nurse and a Nepalese Sherpa. His parents met on a high mountain tour in Nepal.
‘I constantly want to give all I’ve got’
At the age of 25, David has already become quite successful in this discipline and won over countless sponsors. Yet the alpinist doesn’t make any promises to his sponsors he can’t keep and maintains his cool. ‘I constantly want to give all I’ve got, but at times you don’t get that kind of opportunity with mountain climbing and climbing.’ David knows exactly what he’s talking about, as he experienced it himself last year. His expedition to the Lunag Ri with climbing partner Conrad Anker in Nepal was spoiled by not reaching the summit of the mountain by a hair’s breadth. David is clear about one thing: that is one project he wants to take on again, as seen by his upcoming return to Nepal this autumn.
David is completely satisfied and content, he knows what he’s achieved and appreciates it. However, his world view changed a couple of years ago while climbing a supposedly safe wall in a climbing gym, and realises how swiftly things can come to an end. A climbing grip brakes off, and he falls on the rocky ground between two steel posts which would skewered him and thus coming to a close brush with death. Since then he’s become engaged for Wings for Life, an institution whose goal is to cure paraplegia. Today, David Lama is already a climbing legend and one of the greatest alpinists in the world. The allure of the unknown is a siren call which sends him on new expeditions time and again – on average twice a year. ‘You still have some playing ground to form your own impressions and ideas, implementing them in a creative way if a side, cliff, or wall of a mountain still hasn’t been climbed on. The same happens with skiing: if there’s already hundreds of traces on powder snow, then it’s difficult to leave your own mark; but if you’re the first to climb or ski on unchartered territory, then you can trace your route exactly where you want to.’ You want to meet David? Send us your climbing picture on ilooove.it and grab the chance for an exclusive meet & greet with him during the adidas ROCKSTARS 2016 event!
