Hervé Barmasse: «We will save the world with cycling and green mountaineering»

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“Renunciation is wisdom. If on Everest, in the mountains or in any area of ​​your life you don’t have the strength or energy to carry on, you have to accept your limitations and go back. Once you get to know them, you live better: in this, mountaineering, done in a sustainable way, can be of great help». Herve Barmasse, originally from Valtournenche (Aosta), is 45 years old: athlete, writer, director and popularizer, he comes from a family of alpine guides for four generations, and has linked his name to first ascents made all over the world, often faced alone . With a watchword: “respect for man and for nature”.

His mountain of choice, also for geographical reasons, is the Matterhorn, where he is the only one together with the legendary Walter Bonatti to have opened a new route solo. Now, his dream – among others – is to achieve a feat that no one has ever achieved: to climb an 8,000m peak during the astronomical winter and strictly in “alpine style”, that is, without Sherpas, without pre-set camps, without fixed ropes and without oxygen. Basically relying only on one’s own strength.

“Not so much to be the first, but because I think this could help open people’s minds and push them to try it at least in the summer,” explains Barmasse. The alternative is the consolidation of a trend that is unfortunately already underway, with the great European peaks and the Himalayan massif invaded by the “mass” which leaves behind it a trail of waste, endangering the ecosystem and the balance of mountains already tested by global warming.

Sustainability and the environment are two keywords for Barmasse: this is one of the reasons why he decided to travel by bicycle – four stages for a journey of 550 kilometers and more than 7,000 meters in altitude – from Valtournenche to La Villa, where the Marathon of the Dolomites, also as Enervit Ambassador.

Why did you choose to reach the Dolomites by bicycle from the Aosta Valley?
The bike today is identified with sport but was born as a means of transport and is synonymous by definition with sustainability. I liked the idea of ​​approaching the Marathon using the same means with which you run it and more generally I believe that the bike should be placed at the center of the path towards a world with net zero emissions. First of all, for this we need more respect for cyclists, but I think there is still a long way to go, especially in cities, and the political will to focus on infrastructures dedicated to two wheels, especially in urban centres, where it is proven that over distances up to 10 kilometers the bike is the fastest way. It’s a question of culture, mentality and physical well-being: if they’ve succeeded in Northern Europe for years, why can’t we do it? Sure, it’s a long process, but sooner or later you have to start it.