In memoriam

Roman Bascuñana (mountain guide)

[dec. Swiss Alps, March 31th. 2018]

RIP

The Swiss botanist, meteorologist and geologist Horace Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799) is traditionally considered the intellectual father of mountaineering, by propitiating with his economic sponsorship the first historical ascent to Mont Blanc (15,781 ftm – 4,810 m), due to the interest that he felt for the different topics of scientific matter applicable to that mountain.

It will be, however, on August 8th, 1786 when the two climbing experts Jacques Balmat (chamois hunter) and Michel Paccard (doctor) reach the top of the mythical damn mountain, running for Les Grands Mulets. At dusk and “to the heroic”. After spending the previous night in an improvised and fragile camp, the attack will begin at the summit without pegs, crampons or protective equipment to the current use, based on techniques that today seem rudimentary but armed, however, of large doses of enthusiasm, expertise and courage. Days later, Balmat will go to Geneva (Switzerland) to inform Saussure of the success of the company, and almost a year later, the guide-hunter will lead the aristocrat and his team to crown Mont Blanc, where they will proceed to calculate their altitude and the realization of other scientific observations. The anniversary is remembered each year in Chamonix (France), the cradle of mountaineering and the origin of the expedition, in a holiday that recalls the feat and the kick-off of the profession. A beautiful bronze sculpture immortalizes the Saussure/Balmat tandem in this French town.

Not in vain, Jacques Balmat (1762-1834) is considered one of the pioneers of the discipline -as we know it today- and the technical-professional father of the mountain guides, who with the rise of nineteenth-century romantic naturalism , the expansion of the traveler phenomenon, the birth of mountaineering (as well as the andinism and himalayism) as a sport in the second half of 19^th century, or the popularization of winter tourism and hiking since the 1950s, will consolidate the training, prestige and professional evolution of mountaineering experts in guiding, guidance, security, teaching and sports training for amateurs and initiates in this discipline.

The spirit of Balmat survives in them today. Bold, mountain-loving technicians, solidly trained, who as vectors of their passion for the environment, inoculate their love for summits to those who hire their invaluable professional services.

Among their recognized skills (differentiated in several levels of training performed by the guides of ravines, climbing, medium and high mountain) we can highlight technical knowledge that includes disciplines such as hiking, climbing or skiing, implementing technical skills on rock, snow, weather conditions, orientation, first aid, etc. This is achieved after overcoming a rigorous selective procedure and continuous training for several years, materialized in a certificate that combines in the figure of the experience guide, technical training, commitment and dedication.

It is a demanding profession, constantly renewing, increasing knowledge, techniques and skills, with a strong component of physical demand. Their training, performance and curriculum must be accredited and certified by an approved degree and membership of the various local-national professional associations, or other transnationals such as the prestigious UIMLA (The Union of International Mountain Leader Associations), which since 2004 promotes the profession (International Mountain Leader, IML), its identity and the relationships between professionals transcending borders.

The figure of the professional mountain guide (mountain leader, guide de montagne, guida da montagna, guía de montaña...) is especially valued in countries with a long mountain tradition, such as France, Italy, Germany or the USA.

Continuing with our trilogy on food and its fascinating origin, history and dispersion throughout the world, today we want to stimulate your curiosity and senses by talking about its folkloric side, materialized as disparate as incredible and exotic in the form of meals and dishes that, without a doubt, will not leave you indifferent …

As you know, the 4th of November is the day of UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture) to commemorate the achievements made by this organization and the signing of its constitution on November 4th, 1946

UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that was founded on November 16, 1954. Whose main objective was to improve educational systems and the quality of life of those affected by the Second World War.

Today, the organization is composed of 195 members and members committed to contribute to world peace and the development of all peoples, especially those in the most deprived and needy areas of our planet. improve educational systems and improve the quality of life of those. One of its main objectives is the literacy of the world population worldwide. According to the organization, no child should be prevented from receiving an essential and necessary education for its growth and development. Work that, without the slightest doubt, deserves a huge thank you.

We are proud to celebrate the 4th of November with UNESCO.

It happened on November 1, 497 years ago …

The King of Portugal Manuel I the Fortunate would never know his decisive and incredible outcome, because he would die before he knew about it. When that expert marine-soldier of the Portuguese nobility, a certain Fernando de Magallanes (Fernao de Magalhaes, Ferdinand Magellan), proposed to set up a flotilla in order to discover a route to the west to reach the strategic “islas de las especierias”, he and his advisors considered it risky and unfeasible. They already had their route to the east by the Cape of Good Hope and Portugal was by then -together with Spain- the first colonial maritime power in Europe.

An offended Magallanes would then go on to propose his strategic adventure to the all-powerful Carlos I, King of Spain and future Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (as Carlos V). In Seville (1518), then the economic capital of the world (by centralizing trade with the Western Indies through the Casa de la Contratacion), the Caesar Carlos will accept his intrepid journey through Castilian seas (according to the Treaty of Tordesillas, which in 1494 divided the world from an imaginary line on the Atlantic Ocean, between the European powers of Spain and Portugal), naming him also knight of the prestigious Order of Santiago, captain of the flotilla and Admiral of the Spices Islands.

The squadron, composed of five ships (Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion, Victoria, Santiago) and 234 men of the sea, will depart from the Sevillian metropolis the following year (1519), in pursuit of a new route to the Eastern Indies, as that later would become one of the greatest adventures of all time: the western passage towards the Moluccas.

After a hard Atlantic journey -for latitudes hitherto unknown to Europeans- and having overcome endless calamities (extreme hunger and thirst, scurvy, Antarctic cold, etc.) and even a mutiny, the loss of one vessel and the desertion of another and its crew, between October 30 and November 1, 1520, three vessels captained by Magallanes doubled by the entrance of the strait that bears his name, crossing the then known as the Southern Sea through the labyrinthine Strait of All Saints (baptized then so given the date). The route would be so dangerous that, in comparison, the new waters would be baptized as the Pacific Ocean (which had already been discovered in Panama by the Spaniard Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, in 1513), a name that has survived to the present day to the detriment of its name original.

Those experienced and courageous men would see unprecedented phenomena -when not overwhelming- for the time, such as the fire of San Telmo (considered a good omen as a divine sign), sources of natural gas in flames shining in the dark (lit by indigenous people) in a territory they would call Tierra de los Fuegos / Cabo de los Hornos, or giant humans of great strength, such as Antonio Pigafetta (geographer and Venetian chronicler of the expedition) would describe the Patagonian indians (from the Spanish patones, “big foot”), whose males measured over 6.5 ft (2.0 m), compared to 5.0 ft (1.5 m) of the European standard of the time.

After the feat, the expedition will finally arrive in the Philippines (archipelago baptized like that in honor of the Spanish prince, the future Felipe II), where Magallanes will die at the hands of the indigenous (Mactan Island, 1521).

Explored the area and established a series of commercial contacts after several armed confrontations, the expedition -now commanded by the Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano and integrated by a handful of survivors (18)- crossed the Indian Ocean and circled Africa. A unique boat loaded with valuable spices will arrive to Seville: it was the nao Victoria, of significant name.

In subsequent decades, Spaniards will continue to explore and expand their domains not only in the Americas, but in Europe, Africa, Asia and even in distant and unknown lands like New Guinea, Australia, Hawaii or Tahiti.

The incredible Magallanes-Elcano expedition ended so that, the first circumnavigation of the planet, ultimately and fundamental milestone for the birth of the first universal empire in history: the Spanish Empire.

One of the inherent characteristics in the human being is his/her insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge, which combined with the desire for adventure, fame and wealth, has led to the exploration and conquest of the most remote, legendary and dangerous corners of the planet.

Today we go back in time to remember and pay tribute to heroes –Some with a name, others anonymous at its majority- whose fascinating voyages of exploration would be thwarted by fate, the gods or the own ambition and pride of man.

Vikings in Terranova   According to the Norse sagas and recent archaeological finds, it was the Icelandic explorer Leif Eriksson (The Lucky one) who by the year 1000 would lead to the first Europeans to arrive to America almost 500 years before Cristóbal Colón. On the island of Terranova (Vinland) they would found Leifbundir as a fishing and trading settlement, however, it would soon be hastily abandoned for unknown reasons.

The gold of El Dorado This legendary city, full of gold and emeralds – which ruler offered every morning to the gods who inhabited a nearby sacred lagoon – would be sought with fury between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. All the expeditions would end in disappointment or disaster, although they were decisive to explore rivers like the Orinoco or the Marañón / Amazonas. Especially truculent would be Lope de Aguirre (El Loco Aguirre), another failed attempt on that occasion plagued by outrages, murders, intrigues and riots (1560). Also interesting is that of Percy Fawcett, British military and adventurer (who would inspire the character of Indiana Jones) whose group would disappear (1925) without a trace somewhere in the Matto Grosso (Brazil) forest, in search of the legendary lost city of Z.