Modesty despite supreme Alpine achievements – Roger Schäli
The Swiss mountain guide matches his friend Christoph Hainz in modesty. On the mountain sport scene, Roger is respected and popular because, despite his supreme achievements, he does not constantly force himself into the limelight. For him, success is the result of his passion but not the motivation.
Concentrating on what is important
The likable Swiss spent his childhood and schooldays in Sörenberg and it was there that he experienced his first adventure in the mountains. Even now the local Alps are still Roger’s »playground«. After his apprenticeship, he completed the mountain guide diploma in 2001 when he was 23 years old. From then on, Schäli concentrated fully on mountaineering and climbing and very soon had his first successes.
Nominated for the Piolet d’Or
In 2002, together with Bruno Hasler and Stephan Harvey, he successfully completed the first ascent of the central peak of the Arwa-Spire (6193 m) via the »Fior di Vite« route (V+, A2, 80°, 780 m) as well as the west peak of the Arwa-Spire (M6, A3). They were nominated for the Piolet d’Or in 2002 for these achievements. In March 2006, Schäli completed the famous Patagonian trilogy of Cerro Torre, Cerro Stanhart and Torre Egger, a success, which only a few Alpinists in the world have managed to achieve to date. The list of Schäli’s first ascents shows that he is a globetrotter in the field of Alpinism: »Donnafugata« (VIII+, A2) in 2004 on the Torre Trieste in the Dolomites or »Tartaruga« (VIII+/ IX–, A2) in 2006 on the Asta Nunnat in Greenland, both with Christoph Hainz, to name but a few. In 2007, he successfully reached a further milestone, again with Christoph Hainz. On his local wall, the north face of the Eiger, he achieved the first ascent of the »Magic Mushroom« route (20 SL, IX, 600 m). In 2008, he climbed the six great north faces of the Alps (Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Große Zinne, Piz Badile and Dru) within the first six weeks of the year. And at the beginning of 2009, he climbed one of the largest icefalls in the world in Norway with Robert Jasper (»Fosslimonster« M8+, WI6+, about 1000 climbing metres).
Not the end by any means
Forty 4000-metre peaks, ice and mixed climbing up to grade WI6+/M10 and rock climbing up to grade 8b demonstrate the great mountaineering range of Roger Schäli. This repertoire will certainly yield the quiet Swiss a few more interesting successes in the future, which we are eagerly anticipating.
