Alpski bojevniki

by Bernadette McDonald, Gorazd Pipenbaher (Translator), Ines Božič Skok (Editor)

Although Yugoslavia managed to avoid becoming involved in WWII until 1941, German armies invaded in April of that year and the Yugoslavian defense collapsed in less than two weeks. The state of Slovenia was split up amongst Germany, Hungary and Italy. Partisan groups, under the leadership of Josip Tito, managed to liberate the state by 1945, and then began a period of relative calm, under the benevolent rule of Tito. A Communist, he began to distance himself from the Soviet Union, looking to western economic models as Yugoslavia struggled to rebuild. During the thirty years following the war, a Yugoslavian passport was one of the best in the world, and Yugoslavians could travel freely during this time, if they had the money. Most did not.

But alpinists did. Through centralized government programs that established elaborate training régimes and state-supported expeditions abroad, Yugoslavian alpinists began making impressive climbs in the Himalaya as early as 1960. By the early 70’s, they had advanced to the 8000ers. Although not exclusively Slovenian, the teams were – not surprisingly – dominated by Slovenian climbers, since Slovenia is blessed with the Julian Alps. A fiercely steep range of limestone peaks, the Julian Alps provided the ideal training ground for Slovenian climbers, in both summer and winter. The brooding north faces and razor-sharp ridges taught them the skills they would need on the highest mountains on earth – the Himalaya.

But when Tito died in 1980, the calm period ended. Inter-ethnic conflict and economic decline ripped the country apart. Serbian Communist leader, Slobodan Miloševic, led the charge with, what appeared to be an unstoppable strategy of aggression and oppression. But he misread the strength and character of several Yugoslavian states, including that most northerly one – Slovenia. By the summer of 1991, Slovenia was an independent country.

Slovenia continued the tradition of support for climbers, and success breeds success. By 1995, all of the 8000ers had been climbed by Slovenian teams. And in the next ten years, some of the most dramatic and futuristic climbs were made by Slovenian climbers. Apart from a few superstars, most of these amazing athletes remain unknown in the West.

What prompted this Himalayan performance by a tiny nation of just two million people? Life in Slovenia during this period was defined by shortages, preoccupation with ethnic conflict and poor living conditions. Yet, like had previously happened in Poland, its neighbor to the North, Slovenian climbers seemed to thrive and excel in these trying conditions, setting standards that no other country could replicate. Alpine Warriors explores the explosion of Slovenian alpinism within the context of its turbulent political history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Adventure, Mountaineering

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2015

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Všeč mi je bil popolnoma zunanji in precej objektiven pogled na slovenski alpinizem. Tudi vzponi so bili opisani precej tehnično, kar je dobrodošlo, kajti ko bereš knjige plezalcev samih, je običajno poudarjen predvsem čustveni vidik vzpona. Tako oboje naredi smiselno celoto. Ni pa mi bilo všeč pretirano opiranje na Pot Nejca Zaplotnika in nekateri citati so bili resnično vzeti iz konteksta, samo da bi podprli avtoričino trenutno misel. To se mi je zdelo nekoliko nepotrebno.

[Elsa Termato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written account that serials many great climbs in a way that manages to be often riveting for someone who knows nothing about it while conveying a nuanced account of the history and how it changed over the years. I picked it up because I wanted more Slovenian history and it gave on that front too, not too much but framing the climbing itself. Relies a bit heavily on the poetic Pot written by Nejc but in a way that melded with her account and lent pathos and understanding why the climbers take on these enormous risks. And often pay with their lives.

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zanimivo napisana knjiga o vzponih (in padcih) slovenskega oziroma jugoslovanskega alpinizma. A kot je nekdo že napisal, resnično je preveč citatov iz Poti; razumem, da je knjiga bila avtorici inspiracija, da jo je sploh napisala, ampak vseeno … večkrat delujejo uporabljeni ‘na silo’.

[Álvaro Vivanco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gran libro de montaña y de montañistas. La autora logra retratar una serie de personajes entrañables que dan inicio a la época dorada del montañismo esloveno para luego continuar relatando los grandes hitos, llenos de actos de heroismo, pero sin evitar los momentos que han dejado dudas. Como todo buen libro de montaña, muestra las luces y las sombras de esta actividad.
Cuando terminé de leer, no tuve otra oportunidad más que abrir la puerta de la casa y salir corriendo al cerro.

[Clara Mazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un altro gioiello firmato Bernadette McDonald: una meravigliosa breve storia dell’alpinismo “yugoslavo”, che è poi fondamentalmente sloveno con l’inclusione di un croato, Stipe Bozic (questa raccolta non include alpinisti montenegrini né bosniaci: Edin Durno non è incluso). L’idea di scrivere questo capitolo di storia dell’alpinismo nasce quando la McDonald parte per la Slovenia alla ricerca di materiale su Tomaz Humar, un alpinista dalla fama controversa. Nel corso dei vari incontri per buttare giù le idee, Tomaz le menziona spesso un libro, “Pot/La via” di Nejc Zaplotnic. Bernadette prende nota, ma non per una serie di motivi, non si precipita a compralo (anche perché non era ancora stato tradotto in nessuna lingua). Passa qualche anno e tante altre interviste con altri alpinisti sloveni e con sua meraviglia, la McDonald nota che il libro di cui le aveva parlato Humar era un punto di riferimento praticamente per qualsiasi alpinista sloveno.
Bernadette allora decide di procurarsi il libro e di farselo tradurre mentre scopre via via tanti altri grandi alpinisti, poco noti al mondo occidentale perché anche loro oppressi da un regime comunista che permette pochi scambi con l’esterno.
Col coraggio, la determinazione e l’abilità di comprensione e di sintesi straordinari che le sono propri, la giornalista capisce che anche per questo capitolo di alpinismo, come per quello polacco, non si può prescindere dal contesto storico-politico che ci narra con quella sua abilità di selezionare pochi eventi chiave che però collegano sia la Storia della Slovenia che l’alpinismo (e devo dire che ho appreso di più sulla purtroppo tragica ed orrenda storia contemporanea dell’ex-Yugoslavia che tanti articoli sparsi di giornale).
Bernadette ritrae abilmente tanti grandi dell’alpinismo, non solo sloveno ma mondiale, come Ales Kunaver, Stane Belak (Srauf), Andrej Stremfeli, Tone Skaria, Viki Groselj, Tomo Cesen, Marko Prezelj, Tomaz Humar. Due di loro mi hanno particolarmente colpita perché credo che siano proprio quel tipo di alpinista che ricerco io, cioè degli alpinisti che vanno in montagna con un pensiero loro molto profondo ed interessante e che vale la pena che venga condiviso. Non ho ancora letto niente di loro, ma ho già i libri nel carrello di Amazon e sto parlando del sopra citato Nejc Zaplotnik e Franeck Knez (forse però influenzato da Nejc).
Anche questa breve storia dell’alpinismo sloveno (che la stessa McDonald chiarisce non vuole definirsi né completa, né definitiva), scritta sulla falsa riga dei “Freedom Climbers” è un lavoro eccezionale: molto scorrevole, ben narrato e ben strutturato. Mi è arrivato di meno rispetto a quello scritto per i polacchi per dei fattori che nulla hanno a che fare con il lavoro della bravissima Bernadette: gli alpinisti sloveni sono meno conosciuti per loro scelta (sono persone che amano poco i riflettori dei social o della stampa) e quello in cui hanno mostrato il loro grande valore è stato più di natura “tecnica” che non prime eclatanti (c’è da dire che anche loro, causa il regime comunista, non hanno potuto uscire dal paese che molto “tardi”, quando cioè tante “prime” erano già state fatte in tanti modi diversi: estate/inverno/solitarie/di corsa, ecc.). Indiscutibilmente molto forti (hanno vinto sfilze di Piolet d’Or e secondo Messner, hanno portato l’alpinismo himalayano al next level) raggiungono più difficilmente il grande pubblico, sia perché è meno in grado di apprezzare solo l’aspetto tecnico di un’ascensione (e in questo grande pubblico, mi ci metto pure io) che perché loro (come menzionato sopra) sono comunque più restii a parlare di sé. A loro non gliene può importare di meno della fama mediatica. E questo, nel XXII secolo è LA garanzia di serietà e di sincera passione per un alpinista ma anche la spiegazione del perché arrivino di meno al pubblico.

[Mihai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the history of Slovenian high altitude alpinism, which was at the forefront of the sport of mountaineering for almost two decades, from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. Like all of author McDonald's previous books, Alpine Warriors is a compulsive read that sets the scene well through important geopolitical facts (which in the case of former Yugoslavia are critical), and presents the climbing personalities with just enough detail so that the reader does not get bogged down trying to keep track of too many names, dates or places.

This review from American Alpine Club Publications captures the essence of the book much more succinctly than my impressions here can. I took the liberty to copy and paste some of those thoughts below.

In its unveiling of lives and climbs previously hidden by the curtain of politics and language, Alpine Warriors serves like a sequel to McDonald's much-lauded previous book, Freedom Climbers (2011), which covered Polish climbers before and after the fall of communism. Both books perform an essential service, ensuring that the stories of those bold and deadly years on the greatest Himalayan faces are preserved, while the survivors are still around to tell them. With its colorful characters and the fascinating thread of Pot [a philosophical work on life and climbing written by one of the key figures in the early years of Himalayan ascents] running throughout, plus a lighter, more agile touch in her writing, Alpine Warriors is McDonald's best book yet.

[Ivan Kantardziski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is 280 pages of evidence why Slovenians don't belong in the Balkans and probably wound up here by some mistake.

As amazing they are as alpinists and as people, the book was a bit dull. It just didn't connect many dots or delve s bit into a topic from which it could extract more meaning. Also I found the historical explanations of WWII and postwar Yugoslavia simplistic.

Overall, a nice book to learn more about the amazing Slovenian climbing world and the Slovenian people in general which I admire greatly.

[Bill Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accounts of bold new mountaineering routes carried out by Slovenians during the 1980's and 1990's, where they were among the leading mountaineers of the world in terms of fast climbs over difficult terrain. Unfortunately, bold routes are usually higher risk routes. Six of the people highlighted in the book eventually died in the mountains.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

just skimmed it, too much detail

[Camila Oyarzún · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante historia de los alpinistas eslovenos y su forma de organizar y ejecutar expediciones.

[Tamara Covacevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure to read Bernadette McDonald, so well researched and such a great narrative. Also, she manages to give a different touch/style to the books. I hope Pot gets translated someday!

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zgodovina slovenskega alpinizma, podana skozi osebne zgodbe najpomembnejših akterjev. Odveč so (slovenskemu bralcu) zgolj odstavki z zgodovino Jugoslavije, ki z osrednjo zgodbo nimajo neposredne povezave.

[Matic Sket · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neka sredina, ni "ful dobra" in tudi ni "za en k*rac."
Tako na kratko opise podvige Alpskih bojevnikov v vseh mogocnih gorah Sveta.
Za kaksne bolj podrobne poglede v same ekspidicije, pa je bolje prebrati knjige ki so jih spisali sami junaki, tako imenovani Alpski bojevniki.

[Klemen Kocevar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting outside biography of Slovenian alpinism