Stolby is a national park in Russia, it features rock formations that have been climbed for ages. This video about climbing in Stolby was shot some years ago and put online by Patagonia. It’s probably one of the most bizarre climbing videos I have ever seen.
Some rock formations in Stolby are easy to climb or even walk on to. Other rock formations have some really hard routes. It’s bizarre to see that the border between walking up a rock formation and free soloing harder routes doesn’t seem to exist in Stolby.
I just rediscovered the video because my colleague (thanks Tim) showed me the english version of the Stolby National Nature Reserve website. Make sure you check out the historic pictures on that website. It also features stories from ‘Stolbists’.
Oh and… Free soloing kills! Don’t do it.
De bekende Stolbyfilm.
Twee dingen: ’s lands wijs, ’s lands eer’ en ‘een mens lijdt het meest door het lijden dat hij vreest’.
In Rusland hecht men minder waarde aan een leven dan in de westerse samenleving - misschien iets te weinig. Van het overdreven risico-mijden heeft men echter nog geen last.
Alle alpinisten soleren overigens - bergwandelaars vaak ook. Men heeft het alleen meestal niet door.