After their first ascent of Black Tooth in the Karakoram, Simon Messner talks about his spirit of alpinism

During the course of this expedition, Black Tooth was Simon's second successful climb of a virgin peak, as on 29th June, 2019, he also made the first ascent of Toshe III (6200m), situated 18km South West of Nanga Parbat, locally known as Geshot Peak.

"On 26.07.19, Martin Sieberer and I reached the summit of Black Tooth (6718m) in Karakoram for the first time... it was snowing all the day and we had very bad sight. As we had decided to leave our tent behind - because anyhow it was too steep to set it up and we had to save weight - we now had to down climb the mountain the same day and night to not get stuck in bad weather... It was a great adventure!!", Simon Messner posted on his Facebook page.

In an exclusive interview with Dream Wanderlust, Simon Messner talks more about his climbing philosophy and style.

"Try something you don't know how it will end. Use all your knowledge and your skills to solve problems you will find on the mountain," he stated to define his understanding of Alpinism.

The Baltoro region where Black Tooth is located

Black Tooth on right and Muztagh Tower on left, route up red line on right and route down red line on left

Interview with Simon Messner

DW: Congratulations on yet another first ascent. Being an alpinist, committed to the long tradition of alpinism, how important is this word "first" for you? Should it be given any importance?

Simon: No, being the "first" is not really important. It just tells you that the climb was never done before, and therefore it was a way into the unknown. That is the essence of my climbing: try something you don't know or how it will end and use all your knowledge and your skills to solve problems you will find on the mountain.

Simon Messner, Martin Sieberer and Philipp Brugger (Left to Right) at Base Camp (4500m)
Muztag Tower and Black Tooth in the background

DW: Though you have climbed all over the world, you have avoided 8k peaks. Do you find them too crowded for the "experience" you are looking for?

Simon: Absolutely! The 8k peaks are too crowded for me, nothing remains "unknown" there. When I'm climbing in a queue of hundreds of other climbers (as on Everest, Manaslu or K2 this summer...), for me, that is not the sense of alpinism. When joining an organized expedition, I can only decide if I'm going further up or if I'm going down. The rest is all organized and planned by a tour operator.
Where then is the responsibility of the individual? Where is the freedom of movement on the mountain when I am supposed to use only a fixed rope towards a prepared higher camp and the Sherpas are cooking for me on the mountain?

DW: When you describe a mountain or a peak as "beautiful", do you mean its visual & physical beauty or the individually unique experience that you enjoy during the climb?

Simon: I think both. Firstly, there is the mountain's appearance - its visual form, and the possible lines that you could climb. Also, its remoteness plays a role for me. But looking at a mountain which you have climbed, you see even more in it. Now the mountain is closely related to a lot of personal emotions. Normally, after a climb, you have the feeling of knowing the mountain because you have been there! And before the climb, you want to go there to get to know it.

DW: Since alpinism is neither "measurable nor comparable" and with the whole world to choose from, how do you decide on the peak you want to try?

Simon: That's not an easy question. There are many things involved. Sometimes, it's the first moment which decides for you whether or not you want to try it. But there are also the mountains e.g. walls that you have to study prior to undertaking an attempt. Some look very steep and repellent. You have to find a solution before you give it a try. And of course, another important factor is where the mountain is located. Beside climbing, I'm always interested in the country and the local culture there!

DW: On your final summit climb on Black Tooth, you decided to go ahead in bad weather and without a tent. Though you were successful, do you, in retrospect, now think that it was a risky decision and best avoided?

Simon: It was risky, there is no doubt about it! But as we saw no possibility to rappel down the ice field, because the ice was simply too bad for installing anchors, we had to keep climbing on. In some sense, we were forced to reach the summit and to get down the other side. We were lucky that the temperature, on our summit day, was warm. Hence, we were not freezing. But the falling snow would have prevented a safe downclimb the next day.

In general, I would say that alpinists are sensible and analytical. They always try to evaluate the situation, they are not daredevils! But at times, you get into situations that you don't plan for before. That can become dangerous. But in this case, you must stay focused and use all your skillsets that you have collected over the years. That would surely help you to stay as safe as possible. This is a skill you have to learn first.

Simon Messner leading a pitch on summit day, 26th July, 2019

Martin Sieberer on the final part of the ascent

DW: Over the past decade, more and more "clients" are "guided" to peaks and back. Your views on this so-called mountaineering please.

Simon: I observe this "guided alpinism" from a distance. For me, that's okay - why not? People can do what they want to do on the mountains if they do not destroy historical climbs and if they bring back all their rubbish. These guided tours bring a lot of money and work for the people of mostly poor areas - for example, the Baltoro region in Pakistan. So why not? The only thing I request is, that the people should tell what they have exactly done. A guided climb is not a self-organized climb in alpine style. That is all I request from these people: stay honest to yourself.

DW: A "classic" climb remains a "classic" climb. What is a classic climb and why do you want to repeat them?

Simon: Climbing has a long history in the mountains of my country. The Dolomites - it is about 170 years old! While repeating such old routes, I always face them with respect, knowing that at that time everything was different: there were no weather forecast, no climbing shoes, no magnesia, only pitons and hemp ropes for protection and no rescue. Classic climbs tell us a lot about history and ancient times – such as "what was possible in a certain time and what was not." I think this "old" classic routes are like a gift to us "modern" climbers, which we must protect to keep them as they are - contemporary witnesses.

DW: Thank you once again and we wish you many more years of joyful "alpinism".

Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer sitting for the first time on summit day after 6h of climbing in bad weather and poor light.

On the Summit. Black Tooth, 6718m

Timeline of the Expedition

Start position: Base Camp
End position: At around 5600-5700m (Bivy 1)
Total ascent that day: 1200m
Start time: 01:00am, on 24.07.19
Arrival time: 08:00am the same day
Number of pitches: All the way up in team solo
Position of camp: Bivy on the wall, everybody on his own small bivy spot.

Start position: Bivy 1
End position: Bivy 2 on the end of the ridge coming from East Side (see the first picture at the top)
Total ascent that day: 400m
Start time: 04:30am, on 25.07.19
Arrival time: 08:30am the same day
Number of pitches: All team solo
Position of camp: End of the Ridge, beginning of the summit slope

Start position: End of the snow and rock ridge, bivy 2 (see the first picture at the top)
End position: Over the summit and back the other side of the mountain to Base Camp
Total ascent that day: 500m to the summit and 2200m back down to Base Camp
Start time: 04:00am on 26.07.19
Arrival time: Summit 01:00pm, Base Camp at 01:00am the next morning
Number of pitches: maybe 20? I don't know... we used a mixture of team solo climbing and belaying
Position of camp: No camp this day

Photo Courtesy: Simon Messner