#Alpine #climbing #maestro #dies #aged
Marcel Remy, the grand old man of Swiss alpinists and one of the oldest active climbers in the world, has died at the age of 99, newspapers and several specialist websites reported on Wednesday.
“For almost a century you have inspired people all over the world with your unwavering passion for climbing,” said his sponsor, the Swiss mountain sports company Mammut, on Instagram.
“Merci pour tout (thank you for everything), Marcel.
In 2017, at the age of 94, Remy conquered the Miroir d’Argentine, a Swiss climbing classic with its 500 meter long limestone wall.
Even in his late 90s, he and his eldest son Claude scaled the 16 meter high wall of the climbing hall in Villeneuve in south-west Switzerland.
Climbing has always been an important part of Remy’s life. Raised on stories about the mountains, he loved exploring the great outdoors and the Alps became his playground.
Remy worked for the Swiss railways and spent all his free time with his two sons in the mountains.
“He was a tough father. It was all or nothing for him, no matter what the conditions,” his son Claude told AFP last year.
Remy passed on his passion for the Alps. Claude and his brother Yves are also well known in the climbing world.
In August 2020, the leading French climbing magazine Grimper dedicated around 40 pages to the heroic deeds of the family and the most impressive climbs they mastered together.
In an interview with AFP last June, Remy said the secret to his longevity lies in putting himself on the pace.
“It’s the rhythm you have to take – for the breathing, for the movements,” he explained.
“If I go beyond that, I have to pay a price afterwards. I can’t tell you exactly what, but either the shoulders or the muscles. It’s better to walk calmly, without overexertion – and then it works.
“I really enjoy it because you have to work, think and surpass yourself, that suits me.”
And he added, “If I’m still enjoying it and feeling good, why not keep going?”
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