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Bernhard Russi has fulfilled a dream together with his wife Mari.
Felix Bingesserreporter sports
The fascination of Patagonia already fascinated the British naturalist Charles Darwin around 1830. Only the strong survive. This is the insight of Darwin and his theory of evolution, which is also influenced by the observations in Patagonia.
The southern tip of America with its steppe, its glaciers and fjords and its wild nature has fascinated mountaineers and adventurers for 200 years. A longer expedition to this latitude has been a dream of Bernhard Russi for 50 years.
Now the Swiss ski legend has fulfilled this dream together with his wife Mari. And so he made his own personal Christmas present. “I’ve been to this region several times as a skier. But because of my work at the FIS and on television, a longer expedition was not possible.”
The World Cup result comes via transistor radio
The adventure started in Buenos Aires. There, the Russi couple really get going with a three-day tango course. After that, the trekking begins in the Andes, where the couple travels for weeks. In wind and weather. “When it’s really windy in the steppes of Patagonia, you can only lie flat on the ground,” says Russi.
Russi only tackles the king’s stage with the 16-hour tour to the Mojon Rojo together with a mountain guide. “The king of the mountains down there is Cerro Torre. It’s one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. But enormously difficult to climb,” says Russi. At least he has a great view of Cerro Torre from Mojon Rojo.
And on the way up, he also learns from the transistor radio of an employee of the nature reserve that Switzerland has just defeated Serbia in the current World Cup finals. Russi also witnessed Argentina’s lamentation after their opening defeat by Saudi Arabia. In the storm of enthusiasm after winning the title, he was no longer in the country.
magic of the mountains
Because the South America trip also took the Russians to Peru and Machu Picchu and finally to Costa Rica for a few days. The return home to Andermatt followed just for Christmas. What remains are many memories. And the realization that the magic of the mountains still has the Olympic and world champion firmly in its grip.
And so it’s not surprising that Russi is already planning the next adventure. He has already climbed the north face of the Eiger, the Matterhorn and El Capitan in California. “My next destination is Nepal and Tibet,” says Russi. This raises the question of Mount Everest. “I will never climb mountains with oxygen. And I’ll probably look for a destination that’s less touristy,” says Russi.
But one thing is clear: as long as your feet carry you, the mountains will call.
Attention ski fans! Now quiz and type races
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!
The 2022/2023 ski season is coming up and with it the “Blick Ski Trophy”: answer questions every day, type ski races and crown yourself as ski champion. Lots of great prizes await.
To take part in the “Blick Ski Trophy”, you have to register here.
Have fun and good luck!