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With donor heart in alpine heights
Just a few months ago, Elmar told us how he once felt during his ascent of the Großglockner and how he would like to climb even higher and further. But what is actually not a too difficult goal for most athletes is a different matter for Elmar.
Ten 4000m high mountains in 5 days
The enthusiastic multisport athlete received a donor heart ten years ago. And that changed everything. Elmar fought his way through, soaked up all the tips and information you could find on training with a donor heart (and it wasn't that much) and now regularly competes again in long-distance triathlon events, rides in the Cape Eric mountain bike race and doesn't miss out on what he enjoys - what "his" heart beats for.
I ALWAYS HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT MY HEART BEATS FAST ENOUGH TO SUPPLY MY BODY WITH ENOUGH OXYGEN. SO THE HIGHER I CLIMB, THE MORE ATTENTIVE I HAVE TO BE.
Elmar Sprink
Once set in his mind, there is usually no way back for Elmar. So he planned his tour to alpine heights not only for the adventure but also to prepare himself for his upcoming sporting challenges. On August 28, the ambitious triathlete will start at the Ironman in Canada. At the end of October he wants to be successful in St. George (Utah) at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
He always felt safe with his mountain guide Laszlo Toth and the "somewhat different altitude training camp" in the Alps provided Elmar with thrills, incomparable views - and as a small bonus, a blister on his foot along with an "unusual muscle ache". A highlight of his tour was the overnight stay in the highest refuge in the Alps, the Capanna Regina Margherita on the 4554-meter-high Signalkuppe. "Higher than the Matterhorn. That looked pretty nice from the top, too," he grinned.
But more of the tour he tells you best himself:
Day 1 I With the Kleinmatterhornbahn we went up to 3820 meters. From there we marched immediately to the Breithorn (4164m). The firn ridge offers tremendous views. The first night at the Ayas hut (3425m) was, like all the others, "restless". In the uncomfortable camps I regularly slept two to three hours at the most. My tribute to the altitude: headaches. And because the body excretes more water, I had to get out more often at night. Those were really no rest days, because "besides" I had to control my oxygen saturation regularly. Normal is different ;-).
Day 2 I Early we left for our second 4000m peak, the Castor (4228m). Certainly an absolute highlight of this week. Before we reached the yoke, we turned and climbed the steep flank of the Castor. In the end, we "only" overcame a short, steep passage and shortly after stood on the summit. The last part was really steep! Now we descended over the breathtaking firn ridge and soon reached the Refugio Quintino Sella.
Day 3 I On day three, the Schneedomspitze (4272m) should be exceeded. There I really had to marvel at the impressive, powerful glacier landscape and the "stark crevasses". There we have seen the consequences of global warming so right. Light rock climbing, also sometimes with rappelling, were always part of this medium-difficulty high-altitude tour. Over the Lys glacier the further route led to the Balmenhorn (4167m) and the Vincent pyramid (4215m). We spent the night in the Gnifetti hut. In the huts it was true: sometimes there was more food, sometimes less. Sometimes rusk, sometimes hard bread from the day before.
Day 4 I The program on day four was as follows: Corno Nero (4322m), Ludwigshöhe (4341m), Parrotspitze (4432m), Zumsteinspitze (4563m) - and for the crowning finale we went to the Signalkuppe. We spent the night in the highest hut in the Alps, the Capanna margherita. In perfect weather there was a gigantic sunset at the end, which I will remember for a long time and with pleasure.a
Day 5 I Early rising was the order of the day. Over the gigantic Grenzgletscher we descended to the Monte Rosa hut (2795m). From there we went up again over a glacier and rocky terrain and further on a slightly ascending path back to the Gornetgratbahn. Tired and exhausted but very happy, we boarded the train and headed back to the valley. What remains for us is a brilliant week full of unique impressions.
TIRED AND EXHAUSTED, BUT HAPPY AND FULL OF UNIQUE IMPRESSIONS OF THIS REALLY GREAT WEEK, I WENT BACK TO "NORMAL" HEIGHTS.
The bottom line is that we hiked for about 28 hours and covered 55 kilometers of trail with 4200 meters of ascent and 5000 meters of descent. Surefootedness and a head for heights are essential requirements for this adventure. Who can do without comfort, sleep, four-course meal and showers and is physically fit (most of the time you are at an altitude of over 4000m above sea level, the oxygen content in the blood decreases sharply and every effort feels twice as hard) should definitely go the tour!
What else Elmar is up to, you can follow on his instagram profile
Elmar's alpine touring clothing
Vermunt Veste
CHF 380
Monte Rosa Pantalon
CHF 270
Livigno Veste
CHF 260
Grion Gants
CHF 65
Pro T-Shirt
CHF 65
Cambrena Bonnet
CHF 44