Colombia

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 2020 X-Nepal Vol biv

with Geoff

 more details to come

wake up people, they are fucking us

 

 

Finally I love this feeling, the last airplane is leaving and I remain here

in the last days it has been an endless turnover of people in hurry to decide what to do

I felt a lot of pressure, and I reacted with a kind of lethargy, inability of deciding anything

I got lazy. Don't want to go through airports, don't want to be jailed in my home in italy , and for how long than ?

Making a medical certificate to go to Thailand ? Apply for a chinese visa and quarantine there ?

I am just postponing decisions. Yesterday I listened to the news and I got sick

I went out and made a permit for Annapurna trek... but who knows … will I go ?

One week ago coming back from a XNepal Vol biv I wrote this:

A sunny day in pokhara is enough, now I can die

My life is here on this bed full of my backpack stuff

emptied for cleaning after 10 days of mountain and and country

the best part of my life is here

on this terrace

drying in the sun, the tent the sleeping bag, the clean clothes

a shower with the backpack

the glider waiting to be fixed

Sun

Springtime

the Nepali Saturday

the washing day

THE CHINESE ARE POLLUTING US 
MORALE 

 

WORLD POLLUTION MAP

model based on how the pollution travels around carried by streams.

So ... after three days spent on the internet did i get an answer ? Is the Swiss liter of milk clean and sustainable ? Clean is clean: pure like spring water in paradise. Being up there in the alps and being washed every day by valley winds Switzerland gets no pollution.

Is it sustainable ? does it give back the energy it take ? Is it worth ?

I miss the numbers to say but something I can say...

life expectancy reduction because of pollution

I am a paraglider pilot, I collect landscapes. Today is a fly day but I am lazy. After watching the others disappearing in the clouds I top land on a green grassy field lost somewhere at the footstep of the Himalayas. I lay in the sun being happy of doing nothing like a cat does in the sun. And than of course I start thinking. There's a mass of fog far down in the Haryana plane, some days is far some days it floods our valley and arrives to the sacred mountains. In that days unhappy pilots sit in the bar chatting about western air masses coming from the Mediterranean, unhappy gods, sfiga, or just bad weather. Others say is pollution. I was skeptical but one day I was sick and I started roaming the internet looking for maps.

People living at the footstep of the Himalayas have 4 years life expectancy reduction because of intense pollution carried from somewhere else, Nepal the same ! my beloved second home ! a country with no economy no industries, nothing, only farmers that live with 3 us per day and one cow for family if they are lucky.

Germany 0.1, France 0,1, USA 0.1, while Switzerland has 0 year reduction in life expectancy.  

From korchon top landing at sunset

 

At the end of the story what happens at sunset ? Me as usual I become nostalgic I take off and go for a beer at landing. The Swiss family tired but happy finally sits down around the table to have a big polenta and to enjoy the liter of milk they produced. The energy they burned produces a scary sunset framed by black and red clouds in Hebey, China. Xiao May young assembly chain employee in a Swiss owned tractor factory walks home asking herself if that cloud is a friendly dragon that will bless her child or not. Somebody In Congo start coughing. And just 100 km away from the Swiss border, in a small village near Milan in the foggy Italian Po valley la Signora Paola start having some trouble to read correctly.

She goes to doctor and doctor say “thyroid, we dunno exactly what is the problem but is becoming pandemic here since a few years” “we suppose is the pollution coming from china”

WAR !!! what can la Signora Giovanna do ? declare war to China of course

Morale

Next time, before starting blaming china have a look at your garage , what's inside ?

THE CHINESE ARE POLLUTING US part 2

This chart is nice ! The map colors become opposite !

energy consumption per capita vs pollution

If i think that the single man is responsible for the world ...

if i think that when i use energy i produce pollution somewhere

if i think that everything is connected, so the pollution that i produce will not necessarily come out from my garden but from somewhere else in the world 

Than i have to use another chart not the weather map

Energy consumption per capita this chart shows a completely different landscape than the weather map

The big predator in this world appears to be a person located in (after trinidad and tobago. what dey do down there ?!! hahaha !! : )) ) of course the United States of America followed by The Emirates, some EU members like Germany and France (Switzerland is somewhere there) . My Italy is in the middle of the list.

But the Big surprise is China. It is further back. They work a lot down there but they use no energy. So... all that black smoke over north china is not because of them (but they breath it).

Lying on the grass under a beauty full summer sky i start laughing. I meet a lot of people at take offs and in my memory the big predator guy is usually the same that complains more about China pollution. The guys i met that had the longest finger to point out other's people mistakes were from: Germany first, Europe First, and the Uncle Sam boys first.

Reading the chart i started feeling a bit guilty about me using more energy than some slim guy eating rice and working in the field somewhere in SE Asia. I got used of being richer than others and i can easily ignore it or justify it but... energy is a limited resource in this world...

And, at sunset, when my thoughts tends to become negatives finally i get mad and cannot not sleep good: Why do this big guys in north America and north Europe has to take all the energy for them ? What a fuck ! that energy is also mine !!

Is this the same feeling that the Se Asia slim guy has when he look at me ? Is not a friendly feeling indeed.

THE CHINESE ARE POLLUTING US

Are there comparative studies that calculate the energy of our daly life processes ? 

This question is becoming obsessive in my life and i find no answers.

How much energy is needed to produce one liter of milk ? And how much energy is needed to produce a liter of milk in Switzerland and how much in China ?

It is a no fly day, the glider is resting in the van. I am in Switzerland the country that I, like many others, consider an environmental friendly paradise, were everything works in the best possible way compared to the rest of the world.

I am lying in the grass in the sun enjoying the landscape of the alps and the marvelous countryside. Everything is clean here, urban development is a fantastic equilibrium between nature and development. I always dream to move to Switzerland.

I enjoy the sun and I observe. There is a farmer family harvesting the grass, it is an enchanting spectacle to see them working. The guy is running a mini tractor to cut the grass. The tractor is fantastic design: it looks like a hybrid between a quad, a snow cat, and a 4wd: amazing piece of technology. And the garage is full of beautiful tools to be applied on it: plows, seeders, manure sprayers, every step of the grass production process is managed by a sophisticated machine. The man drives up and down the field while the family is refining the cut with gasoline bush cutters 4 people 4 cutters.

When they finish cutting the man applies an automatic rake to the tractor and start driving up and down the field again to collect the grass. At the same time the rest of the family goes in the garage and comes out with high pressure gasoline air blowers, one per person, and start walking up and down the field driving the grass in the air. They are happy in the sun and enjoy the power of the air, i'd like to join them. The blond children play with old wooden rakes dressed up in white revival edelweiss mode. They do a lot of noise indeed, but they enjoy a lot the open air and take photos. Finally They stop for tea. Nice ! Fo me they reached a perfect balance between tradition and modernism farming age and industrial comfort. It is a perfect post-modern / neo-romantic picturesque scene.

After tea, for the second round, another machine comes out from the box. After having installed the grass packing machine the tractor start running up and down the field again. Mama helps by hand, children helps by hand. Tractor has proximity sensors for safety, they are not in danger.

After packing the tractor gets a fork to carry the grass packs to the storage and starts running up and down the field. At the storage there is an electric crane (i should say this the first electric device i see in the day) that moves the grass into the box, this is a small box but the crane is amazing: it is yellow. Built like a harbor container crane it can deliver the packed grass exactly in the desired spot of the storage. While I enjoy the sun lying in the grass and watching the Swiss clouds i start dreaming if it the storage and the crane are computer managed.

I get nostalgic at sunset and as the day fades doubts and thoughts start roaming in my mind untill, at the end of the day the the old question takes the lead again: Is this one liter of pure Swiss milk really sustainable as I imagine when i go to buy the swiss chocolate ? Is it really healthy after all this job and energy are spent to make it ?

How much energy to design this machines how many employee, (how many consumers) worked on it ? how many design company ? how many computers, how many steel factories, how many machinery factories... distributors, marketing company, computers, chemicals, gasoline ecc... ecc.... how much work to build the machines ?

And is not finished: the cow stable is masterpiece of high tech wood/concrete architecture where solar panels and every kind of “sustainable” hi-technology are integrated. It looks like a brand new design studio loft but in-fact is just a cow shelter, how much did it cost in terms of energy ? will it pay it back ?

And what do the cow eats ? Is the chemical industry involved sometime ? There are other production chains that would have to be investigated to answer how much energy is used to rise the crops to grow the cows, take the milk out send it to depuration station, packaging delivery ecc... eccc...

Finally how much energy is needed to produce the liter of milk ? And: does my body gets back the spent energy when i drink the milk ? Is it worth in therms of the whole world energy balance ?

Here is so clean Man ! but this machines are mainly made in China and in china they need energy to produce them. In August a Swiss farmer family harvest the grass in a sunny day up there in paradise and suddenly a big black smoke grows up somewhere in China and start covering the sky of a industrial city. Driven back by the trade winds the carbon cloud pollutes all of us. The swiss farmers, Me in the Italian Po valley, or a guy in the German Ruhr. I think that this is called Gaia effect. Everything on our old mother earth is connected.

Many times, In no fly days in China, i slept in the sun like i do here in switzerland. The Chinese farmer are happy like the Swiss ones. Still they use no machine, everything in the field is done by hand, in silence. I can hear them chatting and joking from far away. The cow eats the grass from the field roaming around with pigs and chickens, it has no shelter. Lying in the grass, looking up at the Yunnan skies full of white cumulus i argue that the liter of milk made here uses more or less 0 “industrial” energy.

But at sunset, when i get nostalgic, i start thinking about what would happen if all this Chinese farmers would start dreaming to collect the grass with a high pressure gasoline air blower, buy farming machines and dream to have, one day in life, maybe before retirement, a computer operated storage system for the grass ? At that point we would be all really FUCKED UP.

Swiss bank UBS is a main market mover in this world. Is one of the big ones that move the big games in the world... I recently read a report from Them: They suggest to invest in the development of industrialized agriculture development in China.

I think THAT is the end of the game. Any investment bank in the west wants a piece of that market and every western bank in this world is investing on “developing nations people getting fat”... ice creams, food chemicals, and finally medicines to cure them when they will get sick because too fat. I talk about Switzerland only because a Swiss post on facebook helped me to connect different ideas that were roaming around in disorder in my brain. Nothing against Switzerland because what i say as to be intended for all of Us: Me (consumer and private investor), Europe and the “West” all.

Blaming China is just a political game. Useless propaganda to avoid taking responsibility. Is a way of thinking that leads to self destruction. My idea is that somebody somewhere has to stop the system. And the only one that can do that is Me, in my everyday life. Others possibly will follow. Chinese are loyal brothers to me. They admire me in everything I do. I am their dreams factory, their lifestyle model. I am also the old brother that made most of the mistakes. They see the mistakes and they are working hard on sustainability. We know very little about. Like them are many of the developing nations. It is my responsibility to invent really sustainable solutions and build examples. But I am am not doing it AT ALL. The links between actions across the world and the energy balance involved in the processes has to be taken into account for decision making in everyday life. But I am totally ignorant about this, I don't have this tools and I miss Them.

I will die in November

possibly in Ferrara

Nella pioggia, nell'umido, al centro di una bassa pressione, in un pantano di rane invernali incastrate fra scirocco e maestrale. Morirò di reumatismi.

Ogni maglione che tiro fuori dall'armadio lo dovro' poi lavare piegare riporre prima di partire.

La tazza arancione, mia unica vettovaglia del furgone si è spostata in cucina con la borsa del cibo e dovrànno ritornare nel furgone quando partirò. Il furgone dopo le pulizie d'autunno non è più se stesso, un cumulo di roba pulita e inutilizzzabile per dormire.

Ogni giorno che passa lo stare crea nuovi oggetti che dovro' riporre riordinare, smaltire se mai riusciro' a ripartire. Una sempre più improbabile partenza si appesantisce ogni giorno che sto. Stare crea stanzialità. Più si sta più le mansioni dello stare si accumulano e saranno sempre più difficili da interrompere.

Il più grande peso della partenza è chiudere le attività create dallo stare, chiudere le routines, riporre gli oggetti, passare da uno stato di uso a uno stato di stand by /abbandono di ciò che lasciamo a casa. Impostare un freezing di tutto ciò che lasciamo partendo è un lavoro bestiale come è bestiale riaprire tutto al ritorno. Tutte le paure legate al cambiamento si concentrano nel pensare a quel momento. E' per questo che la maggior parte degli esseri viventi non partono. Lo stress pre partenza

Lo zaino pero' non l'ho disfatto. questa volta no. sta li , dopo l'india, con l'alpina 3 e il kolibrì pronti per ripatire.

Un sacco riposto dentro un sacco arancione, colore emergenza, in bella vista  in luogo accessibile in attesa di quel momento di rottura in cui « basta bisogna che vado o qui ci lascio le penne » avvelenato da cappuccini pastine televisione computer sedentarietà e malumore. Se avro' le ultime forze prenotero' un aereo appena in tempo per scappare dai i vermi del pantano.

 Fungimata Lake Vol Biv

photos from Geoff

What about last summer ?

Lots of comps, lots. I wanted to do it, i wanted to learn and possibly win. I like the competition feeling. But after a summer of crazy driving up and down through Europe i get not great results in comps and at the end of the day I remember nearly nothing of comp flights just some disconnected spots of memory. The human environment is awful and the daly routine is terrible: waiting for the bus waiting at take off, briefing discussions, shower and beer, a lot of stress, looks like to be at office. I'll probably give up or reduce a lot.

Nice moments were there, in Tolmin, in Spain and with friends. images are still roaming around in my mind but emotions in flight are from cross-country. Some summer 2019 flights will always remain in my memory. This year was a step forward

St andre to Chamonix in vol biv in May: a lot of mistakes a lot of hiking and finally a big flight.

Mt Blanc circuit and top in June

Castelluccio in August

This kind of things will remain in my body for years, possibly forever if i will ever get another life. they become part of me. Long ago i gave up with camera and video deciding to live just in present but some footage in some moments i really need to do. 

In October i set up the light equipment again. i think thats' the right track to go for me. 

a special thanks to Alpina best glider i ever had

Cross Country 195

INOX and SEVENTIES

Tutto l'INOX del boom economico dal dopoguera in avanti è arruginito

non era così eterno

Una primavera piovosa e mi ritiro in montagna, a casa

Avere una casa signigfica iniziare a spendere giorni e mesi a gestire oggetti. Pensare agli oggetti, curare gli oggetti. Dallo « 0 management time » della vita con lo zaino, due magliette e un pantalone, mi immmergo in un tempo interamente e unicamente dedicato agli oggetti. C'è qualcosa di religioso.

Tutto il design dei 50 60 70 se ne va inevitabilmente in ruggine

Provo a salvarli pulendoli e ungendoli ma la disintegrazione sarà inevitabile, alla faccia delle pubblicità con casalinghe stile us che predicavano l'aeternum scintillante.

Bigodini biondi, labbra rosse, stelline di brillantezza e seni smisurati. Il figlio lotta con la ruggine.

Neanche una generazione sono durati, quasi come il fango a cui gli egiziani affidavano la loro memoria costruttiva.

E dopo ? La plastica. La radio brionvega rossa dura ancora ma quella non so neanche come affrontarla.

Si disgregherà di colpo come le suole delle scarpe da montagna del secolo successivo, l'oggi, che di botto, in mezzo all'Himalaya, si sbriciolano e ti lasciano scalzo senza alcuna possibilità di mediazione. Tempo scaduto il poliuretano non va oltre.
Se guardo le cose che butto via man mano che apro scatoloni è tutta roba nuova.

E in termini energetici ? i costi di tutto questo inox ? L'economia, l'industria, le generazioni di lavoratori, le migrazioni al nord, le chiacchiere e le discussioni disperse in propsito da crocchi di csalinghe, il futuro radioso, i blabla dei politici.

Il boom economico mi presenta il conto, oggi, in una casa di montagna umida, in una primvera piovosa 
Un buco nero di risorse umane, mierarie, energetiche. 

Il ferro battuto del maniscalco è ancora lì nel cassetto umido della cucina sta lì da sempre e non molla. lo metterò come croce sulla tomba. Se ne facevano pochi costava fatica ma poi era fatta. quante energie usava ?

Bisognerebbe strutturarli meglio i calcoli dei bilanci energetici

Vanity

I got from a friend some go-pro files about me in flight

I copy bibo folder on desktop and without thinking too much click “ok” on “replace bibo ?”

“empty trash” ...

I erased my personal folder with 9 months of computer job, all my bank data, payments, competitions, flight tickets, all my job done in this months ….

on a empty desktop now I have two screenshots from a go-pro footage with a small orange glider far away

but

beauty-full orange and red glider … orange green harness … black helmet

best color matching on a wing in pokhara valley !!!

Scratching on a lee side shaded thermal I saw a house

next day was bad weather, I hiked up to have a look

searching for house is a recurrent endless activity in my life

but is just searching. I look only for impossible houses in impossible countries

and the more on I go the more I realize that stopping somewhere is becoming more and more improbable

returning home today means for me nothing more than landing in Italy jumping on the van and start roaming around the Alps.

But what a beauty full place, today was cloudy and the Himalaya was invisible but I can imagine sitting there and just looking forever at the landscape.

The same old vulture that I meet the day before is thermalling again, as every day at noon.

He flies a bit more on the lee than what I did.

 

Ladakh

The Tza Tza are finally back home. They had a long trip to Italy and spent time in different places. They look still new while here I cannot find new ones anymore, they traveled across time.

Not being religious I don't know a lot about uses. But a monk told me that they are made to be hided in caves on the mountains and not to stay in home.

Where they were stolen from I don't know. so I chose a place lost in the middle of 5000 m passes in the middle of the country, between Ladakh and Zanskar. A small, nice, and simple Gompa inhabited by few honest and quite poor monks.

I chose just by feeling refusing listening to big monks advise in b”ig money / important monasteries”. I arrived there an the two monks they told me “TzaTza ?” ...”you can put it there on top” “if you climb up you'll find a place”

Not very important staff for them indeed, and probably is looking a bit crazy to everybody that a foreigner bring such a thing back and give them a lot of importance.

But I felt it was good. Some good hearted person made them and carried them to the mountain.

Not lucky was who took them away more than 30 year ago.

....more hike than fly ...

16 kg is too much to be carried for long time i need to save at least 1 kg in the backpak. And if I grow 2 kg myself I can fly at 73.

With this idea in mind I start to build a cuben tent, i plan to buy a new tablet/hibrid computer. And ... I start to transfer to google earth all the datas that are on my old and heavily repaired paper map of Yunnan and Sichuan that is traveling with me since 2004.

Impossible.

It is incredible the amount of information contained in a paper map full of my writings and sketches, name of places, mountain peaks, and all the roads I traveled. And all this can be read in one single eyesight without zooming out and in. A paper map is a magic tool that can be oriented and shown to anybody to ask informations. No matter who, at the end he will understand. Still those things are Impossible to be done on a mobile phone.

I give up. I decide to cut it in half trowing away the Sichuan plains. But is such a pain to cut this map. She guided me in my most beautiful travels around Tibet since the first one with Giacomo. I got lost so many times and she learned with me, slowly, the roads. A long journey we did to know that area, Asking around for directions and for the names to be translated.

But a decision has to be taken. There is a sudden climate change when ones travels downhill from the Tibetan plateau to chengdu. The last chain of mountains act like a dam for the sea of fog permanently covering the sichuan plains. And this is a place where I will never travel. I am getting old and selection has to be done.

After all this thinking and cutting I saved around 30 grams.

I was in Nepal, the flying season was clearly at the end, cold was coming...

 I started searching the internet and ...

 

 

there is a new boat in my life 

 

from now on, from November to January, a fixed point in my endless samsara through seasons