HOW DID I PREPARE FOR MOUNT MCKINLEY?
Well, as with all my routes, I tried to find the most logical route, the least dangerous, and the one I was convinced I could finish without danger. Dom Sheldon, the famous American pilot, sent me some pictures of the mountain from which I chose the way I wanted to go up, and then I did it. I did not know where the mountain was, but I knew there was a problem to be solved—how to get on top of this imminent peak left undefeated by so many Americans beforehand. By the time the airplane took us to basecamp, I had looked at the pictures so many times I had to correct Sheldon, because he landed at the wrong camp. 

YES, PRESIDENT JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY wrote a telegram to congratulate me for the [Denali] ascent. He was actually supposed to come visit me, but then the Bay of Pigs incident happened, and he had to stay. 

K2 REMAINS A NEVER-CROWNED CLIMB, because Ardito Desio, the chief expedition leader for the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano), did all he could to leave me at home—he felt threatened by my experience, even if in 1952 he took me to the Himalaya to sketch the route, organize the expedition, and [figure out] the material to bring. Before we left for Kathmandu, he sent me to do a physical in Rome, where I was told I had some cardiac problems and had to stay home while the expedition members conquered the mountain. 

THERE WERE NO SLEEPING BAGS AND GOURMET DEHYDRATED FOODS ON THE WALL—[instead], we cuddled in our jackets, put our feet in the backpack, and tied into two pitons. I could sleep anywhere at any temperature. We ate lots of chocolate, dried fruits and nuts, and carried a little stove to heat the water to make tea. And then, when we had it, we would eat some bred crumbs and bacon. 

SPORT CLIMBING IS STILL CLIMBING, but it is not the type of climbing I’m used to. Not because it is easier it is, [but] because the other one—the traditional one—is more normal for me. 

I HAVE NO FAVORITES—all the routes I opened have a certain beauty in them. I love them all. 

AFTER THE 100^th BIRTHDAY, there will be many more to come!