Words & Photos: Patte Schwienbacher
Products: Salewa – Scarpa – La Sportiva – E9
Sometimes they come back
On January 9th I received a message on Instagram from patrick.schwiembacher.photo: “Hi Enrico. Did Joey already tell you something about the shooting? Denis asked me for your size, M or L? And what about the shoe size? ”
I answered immediately: “Hello Patrick! Yes, he told me… for the shoes a 39.5 or 40 size and a 43 one too. Size M or L if the clothes are tight. Denis Piccolo? ”
He replied: “Yes, Denis Piccolo asked me for the photos”.
Thinking about the last time I shoot photos with Denis makes me smile, I think it was 6 or 7 years ago and certainly the shooting was not about climbing. Snowboards’ shooting were common at that time and as an athlete I had to be present at every event and appear in a lot of photos and videos. From the moment I started climbing, however, I have never taken part in a photoshoot so I immediately accepted the proposal, perhaps a bit nostalgic of the good old days.
“From the moment I started climbing, however, I have never taken part in a photoshoot so I immediately accepted the proposal, perhaps a bit nostalgic of the good old days.”
On the following day Patrick created a group on WhatsApp called “Shooting the Pill”, the first idea was to reach Val Venosta on Sunday, January 14th. But that idea unfortunately did not last long due to bad weather and other logistical details. We had little choice: our deadline was set for the 19th and the only sunny day was Thursday the 18th. We followed the motto “make it or break it” and decided to meet for a coffee on Thursday at 8 AM and spontaneously decide the location based on the weather.
Patrick and Alex were extremely punctual while Joey and I were not! Anyway we found ourselves sitting in front of three cappuccinos and a long coffee trying to find the best location. We thought about all the possible cliffs based on the required shots and the exposure of the spot while constantly looking at the sky, which was becoming more and more grey up to the north. Excluding South Tyrol we decided to drive towards Sarche, stopping for a bit at Lunelli’s, that between a “jawohl” and some nice attempt to speak German, made us four baguettes with local meats and cheese.
We soon reached our destination. Bassilandia, a beautiful place in the valley of the lakes dedicated to Roberto Bassi and known for its beautiful routes and its view in front of the Toblino lake. We chose to shoot on a working day so we were lucky and found almost no one on the cliff. With a cloudless sky, the rest of the day passed fast between one change of clothing and the other. At 4 PM, with the last rays of sunlight, we finished our shooting with all the photos that Patrick and the publisher needed, realising that the days were finally getting longer.
Alex Unterkalmsteiner.
Hoody – La Sportiva Discovery
T-Shirt – La Sportiva Welcome
Pant – La Sportiva Arete
Scarpa Maestro Woman.
La donna acquista sempre più spazio e successo in ambito sportivo e i principali sport brand impostano intere collezioni sul mondo femminile. Scarpa, leader indiscusso nell’outdoor a 360° presenta la rivoluzionaria Maestro Wmn, una scarpetta sviluppata giocando due hatù fondamentali, l’aderenza e la stabilità sui cristalli più piccoli e le superfici più lisce. In questa calzatura è racchiusa la più alta tecnologia del mondo dell’arrampicata. Niente è lasciato al caso, tutto studiato attentamente sino nei minimi dettagli. La tomaia presenta cuciture estremamente elaborate e un’intersuola in plastica Relion dalla forma speciale ed esclusiva, frutto della sapienza decennale dei maestri artigiani di Scarpa. Il profilo della Maestro è diritto e leggermente inarcato con punta poco/mediamente arcuata. La Maestro si rivela quindi una miscela esplosiva di materiali di massima qualità, tecnologia avanzata e esperienza artigiana di un’azienda che sta facendo la storia dell’arrampicata sportiva. Donne siete avvisate!
Salewa Wildfire Gtx.
Between the brands that, in the last years, have given a strong imput to the outdoor world, Salewa has distinguished itself opening the way to a new category of footwear, introducing the concept of approach: it is the possibility to wear a hybrid shoe that allows you to walk on easy mountain trails without using a real boot. The Wildfire guarantees you the possibility to walk and climb thanks to the new Pomoca Speed MTN sole made with the Pomoca Butilic compound, which offers better grip on the rock in both dry and wet conditions. The sole of the Wildfire is also equipped with climbing zones at the tip, it has an excellent grip on the edge and aggressive gussets for greater traction on mud and soft terrain. The Exa Shell structure has been redesigned to guarantee greater torsional stability in synergy with the already tested 3F System. The Wildfire GTX is also equipped with a waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex Extended comfort lining.
Scarpa Chimera.
Heinz Mariacher, one of the greatest alpinists of the last years, is the inspiration and the mind behind the new Chimera and all Scarpa’s projects connected to free climbing. The famous climber and mountaineer has translated his experience and his many tests in this model that today represents the greatest evolution of a climbing shoe. The Chimera, in fact, combines the qualities of the Furia and the Drago models, further improving the fit, which is even more precise and performing than the previous two. Softness and sensitivity are the main characteristics of this free climbing without limits, even at the highest and most competitive levels, thanks to the use of the Vibram Xs Grip sole. The very aggressive heel shape allows extreme movements, in contrast with the forefoot part that, due to the special high-grip material and the ergonomic construction, completely encloses the foot for an absolute performance. Its ideal environment is boulder together with other places where the performance is pushed to the highest levels, thanks to its great sensitivity and softness.
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