By Chris Lanciotti
Executive Director, Creatio
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Colorado mountaineer Glenn Porzak both fell in love with the mountains at a young age. Frassati famously quoted in a note to a friend, “Every day that goes by, I fall deeply in love with the mountains; their charm attracts me” (Letter to Tonino Severi, 29 July 1923). He was also known to calculate down to the minute how much time he would need to climb a particular peak, confirming he could summit between finishing his studies on a Friday and Mass on Sunday. I know that feeling! Before his death at the young age of twenty-four, Frassati had climbed to many respected summits in the Alps, including his beloved Grivola (3,969 meters, 13,022 feet), which he nicknamed the “forbidden fruit” due to its challenge and difficulty. He completed that climb just over 100 years ago, on September 13, 1924. More about that to come.
That same magnanimous allure attracted Glenn Porzak to the mountains of Colorado. He grew up climbing mountains near Estes Park, but didn’t stop there. He completed the first winter ski traverse of Trail Ridge Road (iconic Rocky Mountain National Park road with a maximum height of 12,183 ft and distance of 48 mi) during the winter of 1968 (at 20 years old!) and summitted all of Colorado’s 14ers (the state’s highest peaks, which are over 14,000 feet) during the 1970s.
The hunger for more urged him on, and he began seeking to climb abroad. His love of mountains led him to incredible achievements in the mountaineering world: 9 Himalayan expeditions and over 30 expeditions worldwide; personally summiting four 8,000-meter (26,240 ft) peaks (Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma); being one of the first people to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the world’s 7 continents; and the list goes on. He was recognized for these achievements by being named president of the American Alpine Club (America’s national climbing organization) in 1989. He was also named president of the Colorado Mountain Club and received its highest award: the Ellingwood Medal.
On a deeper level, a profound love for God and friends unites these two mountain climbers. In 1923, Frassati founded the “Tipi Loschi” Society, or the “Shady Characters,” a sarcastically named group of friends whose only “shady” activity was to “be all things to all people” (1 Cor 9:19), to love and serve the poor, to climb “to the heights” of the mountains together, and to live their faith radically in all aspects of their life. They were committed to seeking beauty in the mountains, conversations about justice and truth, service, joy and friendship.
Similarly, Glenn mentioned to me that “in the mountains, you are never alone” and that “Christ himself went to the wild places, to the mountaintops, to cultivate his most intimate encounters with his closest friends and with God the Father.”
As an avid climber myself, I’m often asked: “Why do you go climb? Why all the fuss?” People comment that it seems excessive, or at the very least dangerous, and possibly even wasteful.
I’ll take a page from Pier Giorgio and Glenn’s book and answer that I climb to be alone–with God and with friends, but never really alone. I call mountain climbing my rebellion. It is my rebellion against a world that wants to remind me of how ugly everything is, how it’s all falling apart, how no one can get along, or how violence seems to be everywhere. In the mountains, I hear the two responses to the world’s clarion call for help: true beauty and real love. Frassati is quoted as saying, “The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.” Whether literally or figurately, I definitely agree. And I’m sure Glenn does, too.
To mark the centenary of Blessed Pier Giorgio’s passing and his impending canonization in the summer of 2025, Creatio will celebrate the saintly mountaineer’s example alongside that of Glenn Porzak on November 15, 2024. In our annual Encounter the Beauty event at Holy Name Parish in Sheridan, Porzak will share more of his inspiring story and his perspective on creation and natural beauty.
All are invited to attend the event in support of Creatio’s mission to bring about “a world that finds God in all things” as we guide all people to encounter the beauty of creation and the Creator. Through our transformative experiences in Colorado, New Mexico and around the world, we aim to restore relationships with ourselves, others, nature and God.
For more information on Creatio, Encounter the Beauty and how you can get involved, visit https://www.creatio.org/.
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