Always Connecting, Never Conquering: The Next Elite Mountain Athlete’s Rise to Fame
Another bluebird day in Michael Wirth’s “backyard” and a beautiful view of the Capitol-Snowmass Massif in Colorado’s Elk Range. pc: screenshot michaelcwirth
No Looking Back
Coming in waves, circling white sheets of snow whipped around him as he ceremoniously slowed to a stop halfway up the face of one of Colorado’s gnarliest 13,000 ft. peaks. Michael Wirth stops, not necessarily because he wants to, but rather because he has to. Storm conditions have worsened over the last few hours and now his right eyelid has frozen shut. No longer able to see and with his vision compromised, the situation demands an immediate solution if not at least a reassessment, neither of which he commits to. Instead, he readjusts his gloves, then takes another deep breath and focuses back on the climb ahead, following his well-thought-out plan. “Believe in the plan,” he says to himself, as once again he starts his march up the last half of this notoriously steep face.
How does it all turn out? That would be a great question for an ordinary person, doing ordinary activities in a safe manner. This particular situation, however, carries none of those characteristics. This isn’t a place where you just get off at the next rest stop. He’s alone, halfway up the face of one of the largest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, exposed to the elements in a blowing storm, with no immediate help of any kind. All he’s got is his wit, his wisdom, and a bevy of technical skills to help enact his plan.
Moments like these are not for the faint of heart. They are recipes for disaster. Ask any mountaineer. Occasionally, however, performing on the edge like this is necessary in order to accomplish such extraordinary feats. Thankfully, this is no ordinary person, but an elite superstar mountain athlete.
Superstar Mountain Athlete
Michael C. Wirth is a 24-year-old professional ski mountaineer, cinematographer, and mountain athlete living in Carbondale, Colorado. Basically, he spends his time perfecting his ability to travel quickly and efficiently in the mountains and then films it. He likes to connect with the mountains in ways others have not and finds happiness in what Wirth calls, “the focus and flow that comes from skiing steep alpine faces.” With a number of world-class accomplishments already under his belt, it’s possible he has already accumulated a career’s worth of work. But at the prime age of 24, let’s get serious…he’s only getting started.