Marija and Andrej Štremfelj
A legendary sense of truth
is liberating
There is an invisible red thread of fate that connects the soulmates, says the Himalayan legend. No one can destroy this connection. Someone above us is tying a thread around the ankles of the couple, whose fate he wants to interweave. Red is the colour of attraction and desire.
In our family climbing is like breathing...
“In our family climbing is like breathing, so without it we simply can't exist,” say in one voice the co- creators of mountaineering surpluses, the legendary couple Štremfelj. 62-year-old Marija and 63- year-old Andrej, who have been to the bosoms of the most challenging mountains of the world decades ago, now enjoy in the easier, one-day escapades and as parents and grandparents they prefer to remember their legendary experiences than to repeat them. “One climb to the Everest was enough for me and Andrej climbed it twice,” says Marija, 40 years after crossing her fingers for her young husband and Nejc Zaplotnik, who at that time were the first Slovenians to climb to the highest peak in the world. Marija soon followed the path traced high up in the Himalayas by her husband Andrej. 30 years ago, they became the first married couple on the Everest, as recorded by the Guinness Book of Records, while Marija was the first Slovenian woman and 13th woman in the world to climb the Everest.
They continued their path close...
They continued their path close to the stars also as young parents, climbing to four eight-thousanders together.
Andrej, the winner of the 2018 Golden Ice Axe (Piolet d’Or), proudly and without nostalgia says: “The mountains teach you that honesty and sincerity towards yourself and others are the only things that matter in life. The truth is liberating. And this feeling is legendary." Marija is a true mountain lady, and as a very persistent, patient and flexible woman gets a crack in her voice with a touch of nostalgia, when she says: “The most beautiful things in life are the ones you achieve by persistently overcoming the difficulties. In nature, the most human things you carry within you come to the surface. No masks. And this has been connecting us for 40 years. Together we are stronger.” The man with the red thread around his ankles is small and humble, while the mountain is big and mighty. Marija and Andrej Štremfelj are small, but in their company what else is left to the big ones?
September, 2019
About the project
#NALEGENDE short film series is based on personal testimonials of legends and their inspiring life stories, which are otherwise also represented by the legendary Zlatorog brand. Laško is a legendary beer and also a loyal partner of the Slovenian sport. Every short film represents a tribute to extraordinary personalities who achieved grate things and thus became legends.
Other legends
To be a legend is to have ingenuity, strength and courage. Some of the legends have shared their also legendary thoughts with us for you. Since you have found an inspiraKon for reading their words, let them inspire you once again.
Ing. Janez Gorišek
A #legend that has been pushing boundaries in ski flying for over seven decades
