26 May “Bike & Climb”, the project by Simon Gietl and Vittorio Messini starts tomorrow

The 48 of “Bike & Climb” by Simon Gietl and Vittorio Messini will start tomorrow, during which the two mountaineers will attempt to climb 3 North walls, interspersed by several kilometers by bike.

The Bike and Climb project

In 1991 Hans Kammerlander and Hans-Peter Eisendle climbed the north faces of Ortles and Cima Grande di Lavaredo, covering the distance between the two mountains (246 km) by fair means, with their bikes. In 2018 Simon and Vittorio will chal- lenge that achievement, adding a third north face, the Grossglockner’s, and adding another 117 km by bike. This adventure will not only be a celebration of a clean and sustainable way to enjoy the moun- tains, nor just a dialogue with a page of history: the entire enterprise will be an opportunity to collect donations for Südtirol Hilft, a charity organization for people under acute emergency.

Simon and Vittorio

Simon, born in 1984, lives in Luttach, in Ahrntal, and is a professional athlete. Vittorio, born in 1988, lives in Kals, at the feet of the Grossglockner, and is a mountain guide. Their lives revolve around the idea of discovering, de ning and climbing new routes, modern and dif cult, but with traditional protec- tions. They like to travel and to explore new and unexpected places, but the Dolomites are still their inspiration and favorite playground.

“Following in the footsteps of men who have imagined the future of alpinism over twenty years ago is a challenge in itself: it is simply hard to believe what these people have done, but our goal is not just a tribute, a sort of second edition: we want to push our limits further, we want to build a dialogue with our precursors.”