With LOWA: in the ice

After completing her education as a physiotherapist, Ines Papert left her home in Saxony, Germany, in 1993 and moved to Berchtesgaden in the Alps. It was there that she discovered her passion for the mountains and, particularly, for ice climbing. In 2000, she gave birth to her son Emanuel, which she calls the biggest highlight of her life. Not shortly after, in 2001, she won for the first time the Ice Climbing World Cup and thus began her professional career. Papert won the world championship title all together four times, until 2006 when she withdrew from the World Cup event.

It wasn't only on the ice, but also on rock, that Ines began to feel increasingly more at home. In 2003 she climbed in a one-day ascent the "Symphonie de Liberté" on the north face of the Eiger. In her book "Im Eis" she describes the balancing act of being a mother and a professional climber and how she found her way on the toughest route.

Mountain film Tyndýk: A film exploring the mother-son experience in the Kyrgyzstan mountains

Modern alpinism seems to be taking speedy strides similar to the development of social media: Successes, records and top performances are posted, tweeted and facebooked in seconds and distributed quickly to a large and anonymous public.

Tyndýk - a documentary by outdoor photographer Franz Walter -- deliberately follows a totally different path. The main character is Ines Papert's son, Manu, whose inspirational, child-like narrative tells the special story of his travel experiences underscored by mythical music. The unending vastness of Kyrgyzstan, life so different from our civilised reality. Calmly, from Manu's perspective, the film tells the story of Ines Papert's first ascent of the 5,842-meter Mount Kyzyl Asker in the high mountains of Tien Shan. In the process, mountaineering and the summit attempt take second place to the opinions, impressions and encounters as only a child can experience during such personal travels in a world that has been fully forgotten.

Tyndýk can be found by going to www.tyndyk.com; selected showings are planned for alpine film festivals. Launching the film through a variety of websites contradicts the feeling that Franz Walter wants to convey with it. "The story and its cast are simply too precious to me. And viewers who watch the film quietly for 20 minutes don't deserve to be bombarded with banner ads. Too often, we allow ourselves on the Internet to be satisfied with low quality and a lack of substance".

• Click here to download the interview as PDF file

'Black Madonna'

Ines Papert achieved the first ascent of the south-west face of Untersberg in the Hochthron Berchtesgaden Alps . Sometimes it takes a few years from the time an alpinist has an idea to the actual climb happening - perhaps more so when the wall is not on a far-off continent! That's indeed what happened with the south-west wall of the Untersberg massif in the Berchtesgaden Alps.

"In 2008, together with Stefan Rass, I continued a line that had been started a long time ago by Michael Grassl ("Gschlossei") on the south-west wall of Untersberg in the Hochthron Berchtesgaden. Stefan and I bolted the route in a direct line from the bottom. After the technical climb, it became clear that a free ascent could be quite difficult. But I never imagined that in the end it would take a full four years until I could redpoint the route," Ines explained about the starting point in 2008.

Certainly it was also due to the fact that the route was as good as on Ines' "home turf" and often just a pure lack of time meant the climb didn't come to pass: "In the end, I had to recognize that it would took some effort to free climb the six pitches."

With her good friend Lisi Steurer, she finally started a highly motivated attempt last October: "On the 6th of October we both stood at the base of the wall. With optimal autumn conditions, we were convinced that we could both be successful that day. I was able to climb the first pitch for the first time before tomorrow's warmer temperatures set in. It was damn close - I had no power reserves left in my forearm - as I jubilantly reached the first belay without falling. Immediately, Lisi let me down. Now she was leading. I so wanted my friend to send the pitch. But her foot slipped from the face - as happened to me so often before - and she fell on the rope right before the belay. Lisi's second attempt also failed. We then decided to keep climbing. I sent all the rest of the pitches on first go, albeit with great effort, on this gorgeous autumn day. Even the next to the last - a 7c. By late afternoon I stood at the top together with my friend Lisi. To be able to share this very special day with my friend meant a lot to me. I promised to come along with Lisi on the route until she successful sends it too.

Facts
- 180m face height
- Route name: Schwarze Madonna (Black Madonna)
- Suggested grade: 10- (8a+)
- 6 pitches (8a+, 7a, 6c, 7b+, 7c, 6a)