Posted: May 02, 2009 12:30 pm EDT
(MountEverest.net) Yesterday he spoke of lost friends, the Italian earthquake, and the virgin winter ascent of Makalu. Today Simone Moro reflects on media, exploration, and - the future.

ExWeb: How was it to come home; have you had a lot of media?

Simone: I had much more attention from foreign media than my own country, to be honest.

Spain has been the most sensible: their online media, magazines and newspapers gave me a lot of coverage and are still requesting photos and info. France, Germany, Austria, Poland, and some other EU countries also covered the climb and asked for interviews.

It was not more than usual in Italy and this is normal for me. I have many friends in my country, but also enemies. With this second virgin winter climb above 8000 meters I probably closed their mouths and that's maybe all I can expect from them. Their silence is noise enough.

ExWeb: Any reflections after this climb?

Simone: To guard exploration and real adventure (words so often misused) mountaineer have to look for the unknown and NOT for success. Unclimbed mountains, unclimbed faces, new routes, winter climbs, traverses, remote and unexplored valleys: this is exploration alpinism.

I know well that normal routes increase chances of success and safety, but this should be a choice of a personal dream (I fully respect these persons) without the misconception than one has realized something unique or historically relevant.

To be the 16th, the 20th or the 50th person to climb all the 14 x 8000ers along the normal route makes no sense in terms of exploration. It's a great and very difficult project, but a clone of previous ideas.

It's really a question of choice. Those who want to explore and try to be professional mountaineers have to follow strict ethics and look for the unsolved vertical problems.

Lucky enough there are some very good and innovative explorers in the mountain community, and their names are well known, but they are too few compared to the “normal route walkers and collectors.”

ExWeb: Next plans?

Simone: I will spend four months in USA (April/May + August/Sept) to realize an old dream of mine: a commercial helicopter pilot license.

I will skydive and take up base jumping, in addition to my daily training of running and climbing. I'll go to Kalymnos to rock climb in July and later that fall attempt a new route in alpine style on the south west face of Cho Oyu with Hervè Barmasse. Emilio Previtali and Lizzy Howker will be on the same mountain and I expect it to be lots of fun.

I'm looking for an editor to publish the English version of my first book about the tragic 1997 Annapurna winter expedition with Anatoli Boukreev and a new book is also in the works. So 2009 is already full of projects. I also hope to do lectures around the world to describe my ultimate climbs and finance such expensive dreams…

North Face athlete Simone Moro, 41, has done a total of 40 expeditions during the last 16 years. Some of his high altitude achievements include the first winter ascent of Shisha Pangma (8027m); a traverse of Everest (8848m) south-to-north side, with summit at 3.15 am and descent to base camp in only 5 hours; a number of new lines such as on the north face of Baruntse; a number of winter ascents and speed climbs on major mountaineering peaks. A difficult attempt on an Everest-Lhotse traverse together with Kazakh Denis Urubko ended in the successful rescue of a young climber gaining Simone a number of awards for true, climbing spirit.

Before his first winter ascent of Makalu together with Urubko, Simone made a first ascent of Beka Brakai Chhok 6940 m (Pakistan) last summer, in pure alpine style and a 43 hours roundtrip.

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