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Mountains are something special. Mountains stand out, in so many different ways. They fascinate us since the dawn of mankind. A famous quote says: "Why do we climb mountains? Because they are there". I don't think that is all there is to it, because even from a distance those needles, ridges and walls are admirable. Furthermore, the transition from the lakes and forests to alpine mats and farther up to the glaciers can't be found anywhere else on our planet. The Biodiversity equally matches the many landscape subdivisions that exist, from northern to southern and eastern to western slopes. But ultimately, what startles the most, is the simplest of all characteristicts: The view downwards and the all around panorama. Fueled by a desire that goes way back to the days of Icarus, and the geneticly inwoven wish to touch the sky, and be it just for one moment, this is the greatest feeling when one hikes up to the alpine level.

When you have lived in big cities in the flat plains all your life, there is nothing quiet like the moment you see the high mountains for the very first time. As a kid, I was fortunate enough that my parents traveled with me deep southwards for the spring break, almost every year. What started there, among those giants made of countless different shapes, materials and folding processes, was a journey that has kept me grounded ever since and that has given me the humility and love for nature to this day. On the summit of a pre-alpine mountain, in March of 1994, a fire was ignited that will burn a lifetime...