The alpinism was born in the world of big mountains and smaller rocks. From the cradle of the Alps men find themselves in the world of 8000s, level XI, artificial climbing rocks and minutes and seconds becoming sculpturesque. We can choose from a wild range of opportunities; but besides the popularity of sport climbing and artificial walls, more and more climbers re-discover the bigger Alpine rocks. It is a comeback to the cradle, however on a different level, with different tools and perhaps with different principles. Daniel Solymari alpinist is one of the new Hungarian pioneers.

You do quasi all branches of mountaineering from artificial rocks to classical rock climbing. Which one and for what reason you feel nearest to your heart?

I consider myself to be an Alpine mountaineer in the classical meaning of the word. My roots come form my relatives, who also did climbing and I was still a little kid when they took me to the Tatras Mountains. This could be a reason why the Alps motivate me primarily. I like moving among mountains. It is hard to tell exactly why and I do not want to create ideology behind it, because it is totally a selfish activity. This is not good for anybody else, many times not even for me. It requires lot of money and time, which you take from somewhere else. Also it involves quite some danger. I really don’t know why I have stayed with this.

If we take a look at your climbings, most of it was done in the Tatras Mountains in Slovakia. What is your connection with the Tatras?

The Tatras are extremely dear to me. Thanks to my relatives I got to know all parts of it which can be accessed by a tourist path by the time I reached 16 and I already climbed level V trails. Since then, I climbed in several mountains of the world and on returning I always get the feeling that Tatras are where I am really at home. Most alpinists, many friends of mine have a place similarly, what they feel theirs and had their biggest achievements among those mountains, either in boulder, spot or Alpine climbing. This must be because they feel one with the place, they know it by heart. For me, this is the Tatras. On one hand I have an emotional relationship with it, on the other it is a very conscious selection, meaning the real school to me.

What is the need for this deliberate selection for the place?

I have thought that I could improve the most if I examine the actual accomplishments at the climbing world-powers. Slovakia is ideal from this point of view, because it is close to us, there is not a big difference in the standard of living, it is easy to get there and climb. After climbing the many many classical ways I started to look at the actual achievements. I wanted to try out the trails that meant the next steps for me and I followed with attention the new ways of the Slovakian top-climbers.

And the results?

Mostly I could reach these levels in mix-climbing. Winter-climbing is one of my favorites. We did some repetitions: first winter climbing of summer trails, first winter climbing on old trails. The ways of Pochyly, Rybicka-Smid, Belica-Koller, then the pair climbing of Jackovic-Jakubec gave me huge motivation. The latter are still very active climbers. Their new trail, La Sarapata, which they opened on the northern wall of the Wéber peak, was first repeated by Bence and I. Also, we opened a new path in level VIII and did some first or second repetitions of a few harder modern techno trails.

You climb a lot nowadays together with László Fucskó, who lives in France. How did you get in contact with each other?

I am lucky, because I have met people who gave me a lot both as a person and a climber. Gábor Babcsán is such a man, and also Laci, who I got to know through Gábor. Laci is less known here in Hungary. He was first a sport-climber, then an alpinist, but now he is almost exclusively a bigwall-climber. The modern techno climbing is a new field for me. The climbing with him is very important for me both personally and technically. I learn a lot from him.

How can you use your bigwall experience in free climbing?

Very much so. Nowadays, in any harder alpine way you will find artificial sections, or at least such rope-maneuvers, which could not be learnt otherwise. I had used securing tools in alpine trails and Slovakian sport-climbing and clean ways, but I was shocked to try them out at the first serious bigwall climbing. Here I had to place one every meter and put my weight on it. It turned out in a minute which tool bears what. I really learned how to use them here. Certainly, the bigwall is not only useful, but also a great challenge. Proof of courage and skillfulness. I like it.

How does the non-climber Dániel Solymári look like?

Good question, I myself can see it hardly. It is for sure that I fear people more than the mountains. I cannot really transmit my firmness which I have among mountains into everyday life. If I take climbing out of my life there are not too many things that left. It is good and bad at the same time, because I always wanted to be expert in one thing. I respect those who are really experts in something, because I know how much work it takes. Although, I try to squeeze other things into my life. There is a proverb that might be a commonplace, but I feel it suits me: “Plan like you would live forever and live like you would die tomorrow!”

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(This is a short version of the interview, which was made by Csaba Szikszai and was published in the journal ‘Hegymászó’.)