Climb every mountain

Marty Schmidt might have been born in California but he considers himself a Kiwi, feeling more connected to the South Island and being able to climb and ski without crowds. "I visit California most years to climb and ski, but my heart and calling is in New Zealand," he says.

Schmidt was introduced to the outdoors when he was six, by his parents who immigrated to California from Poland and Germany in 1950 and 1952.

His parents would take the family for backpacking and tramping trips to California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

"I am the only one who took this calling and continued into the higher realm [of climbing], but it was the start that counted the most, getting the chance."

Schmidt started technical rock climbing when he was 12, scaling Indian Rocks, Mount Diablo, and leading into Yosemite Valley and the Big Walls. "Once I started the technical moves on the vertical walls of Yosemite I knew my calling was to be in the mountains forever. I learned from this early age to train, eat right, live simply in vans and to climb hard."

Schmidt taught himself how to become a mountain guide in the 1970s. "What it meant to be a guide for me was to get my clients to feel the rock and ice, the edges of our toes, finger tips and skis, to have the best attitude and to really want to be in the mountains. I was 15-years-old and taking people into the hills, into another realm of living; every client grows while in the mountains and this is what it is all about."

Schmidt's love of the outdoors continued into adulthood, with him working as a United States Air Force para-rescueman from 1981 to 1985. He says his climbing and guiding experience equipped him well for the profession.

"We did it all, from rescuing downed air crew members in places like Guam, Philippines, Iceland to saving the lives of climbers on Denali and fishermen, hunters all around Alaska. All my climbing and guiding . . . prepared me for what these five years had to offer."

Moving to New Zealand in 1988, Schmidt has climbed Aoraki Mt Cook 19 times, Mt Aspiring 16 times and Mt Tasman five times. He says he loved New Zealand from "day one". "I went to climb Mount Cook straight away. Doing the Zurbriggens route was amazing, walked in and out, making this climb feel like a Himalayan summit. The Southern Alps has everything to offer - from the big rock walls to the big ice faces and to the most stunning ridges - that prepare you for any route in the world. The best part is the altitude: being only 3700 metres, we can climb hard, fast, and light in a few days, top out and get back down before the hard nor'westers hit us."

- © Fairfax NZ News