LOWA PRO Team Martin Feistl
The passion of climbing
Martin Feistl is a dyed-in-the-wool mountaineer. The geography student was raised in the Ammersee lake region southwest of Munich. But it wasn’t water sports that got his juices flowing. Rather, it was wide world of climbing that caught his eye. It really didn’t matter what type of climbing was involved: ice climbing or sports climbing, mountaineering or expeditions involving climbing.
It all began for the Augsburg resident in a climbing garden that he regularly visited with his parents. Step by step, he added more alpine-like routes and tours. On his 14th birthday in 2010, he climbed an unknown six-thousander in Ladakh. He has particularly strong memories of climbing Petit Dru by taking the Allain- Leininger” route. “We had to deal with winter weather here, ” he says. “Things were so bad we had to climb everything wearing crampons until we were four pitches below the summit – plus we had an unplanned sitting bivouac – and we did it all without using a cable car, ” he explains.
Another highlight in his already huge mountaineering portfolio is his reaching the summit of the Indian Matterhorn, the Shivling (6,543 metres), in autumn 2018. During this climb, he and his companions even stopped by a cloister in Dehra Dun to present the children’s aid organisation KENIAL with warm clothing and shoes for the children who live in the cloister – it was a very special experience for him.
Facts & figures
- Birthday:
- 16.08.1996
- Birthplace:
- Weilheim
- Home base:
- Augsburg
- Profession:
- student
- Favourite climbing site:
- Konstein
- Local mountain:
- Colodri in Arco
- Height:
- 1,81 m
- Weight:
- 71 kg
Martin Feistl,
What has been your climbing highlight up to now?
“I try to take on a wide range of things. For this reason, I have a hard time coming up with one particular highlight. But I cannot forget the time I climbed the Petite Dru by taking the “Allain Leiniger” route. The winter weather was so bad that we had to use crampons until we were four pitches below the summit. It was also a climb that included an unplanned sitting bivouac, and we did it all without using a cable car.”
What are your athletic goals?
“In athletic climbing, and particularly in multi-pitch climbs, I have various dreams involving the 10th grade of difficulty. I also think about big modern combined tours in places like Chamonix. Right now, though, I’m focusing on places that are (more or less) right outside the front door.”
Do you have any tips for young climbers?
“Use every chance you have to live your passion in the way that you want and don’t feel bad about doing so.”
My shoes for…
Approaches: ALPINE SL GTX
“The ALPINE SL GTX copes with snow and ice with all the lightness and directness of an approach shoe!”
