Centre Excursionista de Catalunya

Historic recreation of the first ascension of the north face of El Pedraforca (a mythical mountain in Catalonia) after three failed attempts by Lluís Estasen and company, in 1928. It is a history of perseverance; of wanting to experience the stranger, and of courage;  of risk and conviction; of personal accomplishment and, also, of teamwork. It is an example of how the combination of strength and intelligence; of youth and experience; of shared and shared knowledge is the best guarantee to successfully overcome any challenge and to overcome the fear of the abyss that separates what is old from what is new.

Official film of the first Catalan expedition to Everest in 1982 by the difficult West Ridge, organized by the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (CEC). Xavier Pérez Gil and Òscar Cadiach reached a height of 8,500m, but strong winds and the technical difficulties forced them to retreat. The expedition joined two generations of Catalan climbers: the veterans who made the first ascent of Annapurna West in 1974, and the young ones who made the first Catalan ascent of Everest three years later. In 1982, the West Ridge direct route, first attempted by a French team in 1974, had only been completed once, by a Yugoslav expedition in 1979.