Thursday, August 4, 2011

Tough Guys May Get Old But They Still Can Be Tough

In 2008, he climbed Mt Everest when he was 66 years old. He’s quite motivated as well as clever:

“.. Linzbichler hasn't always had the resources to travel and climb, so he's had to be creative - like joining scientific expeditions with various universities to get to remote places. He financed the entire Everest expedition after pitching the idea of bringing a soccer ball to the peak of the mountain to the UEFA (United European Football Association). ‘It takes no time to write a letter, print it and send it out,’ he says with a shrug. "I had Everest completely financed a week later.’

“Linzbichler retired as a school teacher after a bout with cancer. He will turn 70 at the end of the summer. To celebrate his life and achievements his hometown is hosting a 35km run over a mountain pass to the north of his town. ..After his birthday runs he plans to take things a little more slowly, chip away at a few of his goals and enjoy a bit of rest. That doesn't mean he's finished - he still has peaks in Europe to climb, marathons to run and, on the other side of the world, Garibaldi Mountain. While it should be a piece of cake at 2,678 metres, he seems to hit bad weather every time he visits. ‘Maybe I'll get to it next year,’ he says. ‘There's no rush.’”

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