The 25 Club held a grand event last night at the Palace Hotel in Madrid, where we were able to see numerous well-known faces from the world of politics, film, television and sport. Like every year, the Club presents awards to those most representative people who defend the presence of women, in a supportive way, in all areas of life.
The event, chaired by the First Vice President of the Government, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, has had the collaboration of professionals such as Rosa María Calaf, who presented the event, the writer Lucía Etxebarría, Karmele Marchante as president of the Club and Pedro Zerolo, secretary of social affairs and relations with NGOs of the PSOE.
Edurne Pasaban was one of the winners , for being the only Spanish woman to have reached 12 eight-thousanders. The award was a fan designed by Lolita Flores and was given to her by Sara Carbonero, a Telecinco journalist. Along with the mountaineer, the efforts of Amenábar, Blanca Portillo and Lola Herrera, among others, were recognized.
Yumping.- From a very early age in the mountains... and without going any further with your parents. They taught you hiking and you took off. How were the beginnings?
Edurne Pasaban.- As you very well say, I started when I was little with the help of my parents since the truth is that the Basque Country is a mountain environment and in that sense it gives a lot of play. I signed up for a course in my town, Tolossa, and there I met new people, new friends. I started little by little and the path has been guiding me.
Y.- At the age of 16 you were already climbing peaks of more than 4,000 meters and a year later you would reach the summit of Chimborazo, more than 6,000 meters. An adolescence different from the others, right?
E.P.- Yes, it was a different adolescence. I had my friends from the school group but I also had another group of friends who climbed, went to the mountains, went out... I made two groups: my lifelong friends and friends older than me with whom I climbed. But honestly I didn't enjoy spending Sundays eating pipes in the park, so I opted for escalada, I liked it better.
Y.- How should you train day by day to practice this sport?
E.P.- Now my day to day is very planned, with training in Barcelona. At first it was more at my own pace, I did mountains and when I could I combined training with work. But one day I decided to dedicate myself to this completely.
Y.- That was when you left your profession as an engineer, right?
E.P.- Yes, I left the engineering profession, I stopped working with my father and now I am dedicating myself to training and these types of events.
And.- What is the approach of each expedition?
E.P.- Now everything is easier, I am part of the Spanish Television team "On the Edge of the Impossible" so we are a fairly formed group, we are always the same and from one expedition to another everything goes smoothly. a rhythm We came last Wednesday and the program director has already called me to plan next year's Annapurna. I have many people around me who collaborate and help me a lot.
Y.- Climbing is a profession in which camaraderie is essential. Is coexistence hard in the high mountains?
E.P.- Coexistence is hard because it is 24 hours with the same people in the same place and the truth is that although we are all very friends, there is always friction. But the best thing is that since we know each other so well we know what one wants or what happens to another.
And.- And competitiveness?
E.P.- There is always a little bit of the issue of finishing the 14 eight-thousanders and I am going with a Korean and an Austrian to see who arrives first, but this competition has been created more around us by the media. There is no competition between us.
And.- What do you feel on those expeditions in which you necessarily have to turn around and return home without having reached the top, as happened to you on Shisha Pangma?
E.P.- You have to know how to face the good and bad moments, it is true that making a decision to abandon a mountain, as just happened to us, is quite hard. Every time the weight is greater, the people, the media, the sponsors... everyone is looking out for you and follows you more, but when you can't you can't and I'd rather go home than not come back.
Y.- On your website you publish communications whenever you can telling about your day to day life, the experiences of each moment, how the time... In addition to a great presence on the Internet, where users can send you their messages of support. Does it make you feel closer to your fans and family?
E.P.- I love it, above all I like to convey what I feel on expeditions. The warmth that people give me, their support... is essential when you are in the middle of a mountain, I appreciate it very much and I find it necessary in a job like mine.
Y.- The 25 Club presents you with an award tonight for your career. What have you felt?
E.P.- I think it's fantastic, I'm very happy because lately I'm receiving many awards and this is recognition of a job I've been doing for a long time. It's been ten years doing eight thousand; In the first years no one knows you but you have to sow. Now it is fucked with pleasure, with great desire and with affection, the truth is.
Y.- One of the objectives of the 25 Club is to fight for women's rights and their position in today's world. With the award you just received, your effort and dedication in climbing is recognized. Do you think women should have more weight in sports?
E.P.- What happens is that women have a moment in which when we reach an age like mine, perhaps you leave professional sports more for issues such as family or motherhood. But I believe that women have to continue doing sports, maybe not professionally, but stay active.
And I think that women are doing a lot more sport every day. This summer I was in the United States and I was very surprised by the amount of sports that everyone does there. I often went to a climbing wall and there were women over 40 years old climbing as if they were going to the gym.
And.- In a traditionally male profession, how is that experienced?
E.P.- As you say, man, not only in this sport but in many others, has always had the leading role. Even at this point in climbing it still has a lot of weight, without going any further I live day to day surrounded by men, who are the ones with whom I carry out the expeditions. When it comes to coexistence it is very noticeable and throughout my career I have had to prove many things due to the fact of being a woman.
Photographs: Deivi Ruiz
