Alone in the wilderness, with no connection to the rest of the world. Silvia’s unprecedented style of ascending virgin walls around the globe is extremely rare in the climbing community. Asked about her favorite place to live, she unhesitatingly points to a portaledge suspended in the air.
Selected Achievements
How would you describe your relationship with nature?
It’s an easy and natural connection.
If Mother Nature could talk, what do you think she would tell us humans?
Don't worry about me, I am and will be fine. I'm the one who's worried about you.
Which expedition experience has shaped you most as a person?
Each of my solo expeditions. Because each of them was the biggest challenge for me at the time and divided my life into periods before and after.
What basic qualities should your expedition partner have?
My past expeditions have been solitary endeavors, but when I have a partner by my side, I value cooperation and balance.
Which LYO product can’t you imagine going on an expedition without?
I can’t imagine going on an expedition without high-quality freeze-dried food. LYOFOOD products reduce the weight I have to carry and also help me eat well. Previously, I went on expeditions with standard food that required more water and time to prepare. But when you're alone without a tent to cook in, a cook, or a partner to assist you in the cooking process, it’s raining or snowing, you've been walking for hours carrying all that weight, it’s getting dark, you have to pitch your tent first etc., etc. Usually, I was just too tired and I didn't feel like cooking. Therefore, on many days I ended up eating only a few biscuits or almonds, which consequently weakened me..
If you were not a mountain athlete, who would you be?
Who knows!
Why alpinism then?
It's a creative way of climbing, progress is so slow and the whole thing takes so long that you have to spend weeks or months living on the wall. And I love living hanging on a portaledge.