Alexander Nikolaevich Odintsov is a wall climber. Developer and organizer of the project “Russian Way. Walls of the World”, the leader of the team, which was awarded the Golden Ice Ax. His life is a story of overcoming, a story of how a person challenges circumstances and himself. He cannot imagine any other field.
From biography
Alexander Nikolaevich Odintsov was born in 1957 in Vyborg, Leningrad Region. The teenager grew up on adventure books and musical works by V. Vysotsky. In the Mining Institute he became interested in mountaineering. From 1983 to 1989 A. Odintsov participated in rock climbing championships under the guidance of coach A. V. Rusyaev.
In honor of a deceased friend
A. Odintsov conceived the idea that there are many walls in the world that have not been overcome. “The Russian way - the walls of the world” was the name of the project, and it was dedicated to the deceased Alexei Rusyaev.
These are ten "capricious" rocks, the walls of which are a vertical steep cliff. Odintsov's teams passed 9 out of 10 walls in India, Norway, Pakistan, Greenland and other countries, including Jeanne in the Himalayas, nicknamed the Peak of Horror. Its top is an ice rink, where one person can hardly accommodate. Some foreign experts have compared this victory to the American landing on the moon. For climbing Zhanna, the Russian team was awarded the international prize Piolet d'Or - Golden Ice Ax.
Overcoming yourself
Rock climbing is a test of a person's capabilities for constant cold, bad weather, heavy snow, wind, rockfalls, avalanches and much more. Climbers are on the rock almost all the time. They spend the night on the platforms that they carry with them. Many days of physical and psychological stress. You can't relax for a second. The rock seems to be getting flatter, but it doesn't. In almost every expedition A. Odintsov loses 8-10 kg. He says that in times of danger he recalls Vizbor's song: "Calm … we still have everything ahead …"
Alexander is engaged in many sports: he plays football, basketball, chess, backgammon, and runs on skis. He says that he cannot imagine himself lying on the Black Sea coast and that he wants to taste something unusual.
From personal life
It was 1975. He studied at the Mining Institute as a geologist. Once he was driving along Nevsky Prospekt by tram. Girls then wore maxi skirts. While getting off the tram, he accidentally stepped on the girl's hem. Then he offered her help and was hit on the head. So they met. The girl, it turns out, was engaged in the mountaineering section. To beg forgiveness, he had to enroll in this section. Soon their paths parted, but he did not quit his studies. Such a fateful event happened in his life.
Another girl, Natalya, became his wife. They now have three children. Son Alexey, observing his father's life, believes that he is saved by professionalism and experience. The family is used to his lifestyle. The spouse believes in her husband's luck. She never forbade him, she believes that it is very important for him. Alexander himself associates his happiness 80% with the mountains and says that he is bored to live without them, that motivation is lost.
For the prestige of Russia
The famous rock climber A. Odintsov shares his experience and explains to the public what wall climbing is. Nine “capricious” routes in the mountains are a serious contribution to the image of Russian mountaineering in the world.
