2023-08-25 15:38:23
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Ramón Blanco, considered by many the most emblematic mountaineer in Venezuela, died for having conquered the top of Mount Everest at the age of 60. This fact made him a Guinness record holder, as the oldest mountaineer to ascend to the highest peak on the planet, raising the Venezuelan flag there for the first time.
Blanco died in Venezuela as a result of a respiratory infection that he might not overcome. He was born in Galicia (Spain) in 1933. Ramón Blanco emigrated to our country when he was barely 17 years old and made this land his own, so generous to foreigners.
Here he worked as a luthier and established himself in the practice of mountaineering. “In 1975 he climbed Aconcagua for the first time, and in 1993, at the age of sixty, he reached the top of Everest (8,848 meters). He then became the 504th person to climb to the roof of the world. For a time he was the oldest person to have achieved it, ”details La Voz de Galicia.
Passion for the summits
His first encounter with the mountains was in 1964 when he climbed the Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico at the age of 32. He also climbed Broak Peak (8,047 m) in 1991 and Gasherbrum II (8,035 m) in 1998, both in Pakistan.
Ramón Blanco managed to scale the seven highest peaks of each continent, the first national climb to Kerepakupai Vená (Angel Falls) in 1976, as well as different marathons and national and international races.
“People have to know that they can never give up” and “live in the moment, the rest is a story”, are phrases that describe what his philosophy of life was. Passionate regarding reading and an excellent conversationalist, those who knew him extol that he seemed like an immortal man, one of those people who you think will never die.
Photo: Antonio Ben
A life at 198,577 meters high
Just four months ago, on Sunday April 30, he celebrated his 90th birthday, always maintaining his non-conformist spirit, vitality and love for the mountains.
In his name, every March, the prestigious Mifafi-La Culata race is held in Mérida, an event in which he participated on more than one occasion and which is attended annually by some 200 highly competitive athletes, mountaineers and hikers. , to cover 38 kilometers of a complex and challenging route.
Ramón Blanco’s life is measured in meters high; There are 198,577 who ascended to the highest peaks in the world. A Galician adopted by Venezuela, who lived intensely, to the limit, more than anyone.
“To go to the mountains you need physical strength, but also mental strength. Nature is so immense and one is so little up there, that there are people who annihilate themselves and cannot go up. I did a lot of hard walking in Ávila to get to Everest and with that it worked”. Ramon Blanco
Ramón Blanco in his frequent tours on the El Ávila hill, Caracas – Photo: RRSS
Another of Ramón Blanco’s talents
Photo: Pepa Losada / The Voice of Galicia
He was a renowned luthier, instrument builder for important Venezuelan musicians and groups. “His contribution to the musical culture of the country has been very relevant, by introducing new techniques and materials for the construction of wooden instruments,” reports a press release issued on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
Masters of the stature of Antonio Lauro attested to the sound quality of his guitars. He was also a pioneer in building the 17-fret concert cuatro in collaboration with Dr. Rafael Casanova, inaugurating a stage in the execution of the cuatro as a solo instrument.
There are innumerable collaborations and instruments built for Venezuelan musicians and institutions, which made Ramón a key person in Venezuelan musical culture.
Also read: Édgar Queipo: “The comfort zone is dangerous for every creator”
F Reyes
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with information from:
The Voice of Galicia / @elalvarofuentes / Museum of the Venezuelan Cuatro
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