Mountaineers receive high state award

World-class Slovenian mountaineers Franček Knez and Silvo Karo received the high state award Order of Merit today, December 22, 2010, from the hands of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Danilo Türk. The President awarded both mountaineers for their achievements in Slovenian mountaineering and for their contributions to the reputation of Slovenian mountaineering in the world and greater recognition of Slovenia.



After countless climbed vertical kilometers, after shared freezing on cold belays of big walls, as well as climbing parties in base camps and above all after more than three decades of exceptional mountaineering opus, today in the Presidential Palace the musketeers Franček Knez and Silvo Karo stood shoulder to shoulder once again.

The awards were also received by boxer Dejan Zavec (gold Order of Merit) and the Ljubljana Cave Research Society (represented by president Primož Presetnik), also gold Order of Merit.

Immediately after the official ceremony, the reputedly modest guru of Slovenian mountaineering Franček Knez shrugged his shoulders in his style and commented on his award: Yes, there were many beautiful moments. Unfortunately, many who would have deserved such an award are no longer with us today. This is not just my story... I don't know what to say? I don't have a big comment. To the slightly joking question of what is easier, climbing a hard pitch or overhang or attending a protocol reception, he just grinned mischievously and said: Easier? The first is better, for sure.

Silvo Karo, who was celebrating his 50th birthday that very day, in the presence of his long-time climbing partner, revived memories mainly looking at a photo where three grinning musketeers sit on top of the giant crack of Patagonian Fitz Roy: How nice it would be if Janez Jeglič – Johan and some ace from the eighties generation were here with us today, thanks to Franček, who is undoubtedly a bit stronger engine and pushed the train forward, we climbed and created the Slovenian mountaineering path, history. Every generation had someone who pulled it, raised it higher, to a higher level... Before us, before Franček, it was Nejc Zaplotnik.

Interesting is also Knez's answer to the question about the mountaineering anecdote when during a storm on the Fitz Roy wall he was belaying Silvo, without a helmet, with a balaclava on his head, and a stone flew onto his head, which apparently didn't bother him at all. Why would it, replied the always mysterious Franček. Silvo of course couldn't hide his laughter at this answer and explained: Yes, I remember, when I rappelled down to Franček, everything around him on the belay was bloody, but probably due to the cold he didn't feel that strong blow at all. Franček, during our conversation and reviving memories, just shrugged his shoulders again and concluded simply: Of course. But nothing serious.

After the solemn ceremony, Silvo also said: All this surprised me a bit, how everything condensed into one period and turning point, also time-wise... Yes, basically I'm glad that this effort we put into mountaineering over these three decades, as we did it with heart and awareness that we are doing it well also for the nation, the country, recognition..., has now been awarded.

---------------------------------------------

The awarded mountaineers were the main actors of the golden age of Slovenian mountaineering in the eighties and nineties. Famous as bold big wall climbers, they have an exceptional record of ascents (their combined "climbing sum" includes almost 7000 routes), among which Franček's incredible 729 first ascents particularly stand out, which is without a doubt an elite or record achievement on the world level of this sport. Franček Knez and Silvo Karo in the world of modern top mountaineering are considered immortal icons, heralds of fast alpine style climbing and mountaineering visionaries who sought their sporting motives in steep, extremely difficult routes on the world's big walls.

The climbing beginnings of both mountaineers date back to the seventies. Similar desires, vertical challenges and quality were the motives for them to tie into the same rope in 1982. The late Janez Jeglič - Johan joined the team and Slovenian mountaineering got its "three musketeers", who carried a clear message to the world of world mountaineering about fearless Slovenian mountaineers who honed their mountaineering senses, intuition and courage in wild and crumbly routes of home mountains. Also because of the three musketeers, there was a stir in traditional climbing nations, as stories began to appear in French, English, Italian and other foreign media about brave climbers from the sunny side of the Alps who don't turn back in the wall even if it's whipped by Patagonian storms or ropes freeze in the poisonous cold of the Himalayas. At the peak of their power, the triple team Knez, Karo and Jeglič was certainly the strongest such team in the world, setting many standards in mountaineering that still exist today. The three musketeers of Slovenian mountaineering thus in just two days in the Julian Alps together made an incredible 19 first ascents. They also made world-class mountaineering ascents together in Patagonian granite giants, where they signed almost unrepeatable first ascents, true Patagonian classics in Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre (Devil's Gully, Hellish Directissima...).



Franček Knez – guru of Slovenian mountaineering



Routes marked as his first ascents are still approached by climbers today with awe and respect, as among mountaineers there is an unwritten rule to add at least one difficulty grade more to ascents rated by Knez. Franček Knez is simply a mountaineer born with the mission of exploring the useless world. He never courted fame and attention, although his ascents brought it to him. He perceived mountains and walls in his own way. While on numerous expeditions he participated in, many in rain, snow and wind sheltered under tent tarps played cards, Franček charged his "batteries" for hard ascents on glacier moraines, where he searched for rare crystals and other formations of inanimate nature. He thus knew the material, the rock he climbed, to the core, so it's no wonder he discovered passages in walls that without him would probably remain undiscovered, unclimbed forever. In the home Alps he thus climbed first ascents in all important faces, alone in the North Face of Triglav he has 34. He is the only one who made first ascents in the walls of the "last three problems of the Alps" (north faces of Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses and Eiger) and also in all important Dolomite walls. He made numerous solo ascents, in the "wall of death" (north face of Eiger) he held the speed record for a long time. Also for the famous route named after Walter Bonatti, he used only two hours in the Dru wall, and Krušica route in the north face of Špik he soloed with a night approach to Škrlatica... With an original approach and years of systematic hard work he contributed to raising mountaineering to an extreme level. Franček Knez on (his) mountaineering says: "Mountaineering is a solitary path through wild valleys to the illuminated peaks of the soul. Whoever has ever stepped on a thin sharp rocky ridge that separates here from beyond has glimpsed the greatness of life... ... Everyone has a friend, even if it's a stone, a mountain. I dedicated my life to her, who has a stony face that cuts the mists of transience." A mountaineering thought that in his style says more than a thousand headlines. From the Slovenian national symbol Triglav and its North Face to Sagarmāthā, the goddess mother earth or Everest, the highest point of the earth's sphere, Franček Knez has climbed over 5000 routes, more than enough for the Slovenian mountaineering tradition with his help to touch the heavenly vault many times. Order of Merit? Definitely!



Silvo Karo – king of granite

The qualities of the Domžale mountaineer were perhaps most vividly described by Argentine climber, child of Patagonian mountains, Rolando Garibotti, who in one interview said: "I can say that climbing with Silvo Karo... is like racing with Schumacher or playing soccer with Maradona. Silvo was a hero, an idol for me..."

How else to describe an athlete whose physical preparation is so sovereign that in a one-day climbing marathon, in just 13 hours, he solos three home walls or climbing classics: ascent of Helb-Čop Pillar and descent via Long German Route in the North Triglav Face, then drive to Tamar, where after two vertical kilometers in the Wall follows 800 meters of vertical of the famous Aschenbrenner in the wild face of Travnik, from the top ridge traverse to Šit and descent via Gully, altogether more than 2300 vertical meters of pure climbing? How to even imagine an athlete whose determination and mental readiness are so solid that in the raw wall of Patagonian granite giant Cerro Torre despite hurricane storm, cold and at times tricky belaying he makes a practically unrepeatable ascent and at the same time films an award-winning film with prestigious silver encijan about Hell Mountain or breathtaking route in the South Face of Cerro Torre? Three decades of top mountaineering, 1850 mountaineering ascents, 170 first ascents, 24 mountaineering expeditions, epic ascent (abroad rated as one of the greatest mountaineering achievements of all time in big walls) over the Himalayan overhanging giant Baghirati III, collaboration with renowned National Geographic in the book Voices from the Summit, jury at the most prestigious world mountaineering festival in Canadian Banff, honorary membership in the elite English club The Alpine Club founded in distant 1857, and care for preserving home mountaineering tradition as well as design and development of the increasingly prestigious Domžale International Mountain Film Festival are facts that place the Domžale mountaineer Silvo Karo among the legends of world mountaineering. In a unique, visionary and above all unrepeatable mountaineering odyssey across the world's most inhospitable walls, he carried Slovenian mountaineering to the top, among the world giants of this sport. As an athlete, climber and mountaineer he ascended the high-mountain Olympus and ennobled his rich sports path also with culture and brought stories from big walls to the cinema screen. The red thread of great ascents will thus from belays, cold bivouacs, cracks and overhangs continue also into the temple of culture with the help of Silvo Karo, where the otherwise colorful and extremely rich Slovenian mountaineering tradition unfortunately doesn't enter very often, although it deserves its place there too, just as Silvo Karo undoubtedly deserved the state award Order of Merit.



From Makalu in 1975 and altitude record without supplemental oxygen to the West Ridge of Everest which stunned the world in 1979, and via Hellish Directissima in the stormy east face of Cerro Torre in 1986, Slovenian mountaineering history and tradition grew and enriched with many incredible stories, bold ascents and adventures that each in its time meant a breakthrough in conquering walls and steep summits.



Jure Gregorčič, Urban Golob