01 — The Story
They climb walls
no one else can.
The Alpine ibex — Capra ibex — does not know it is defying physics. It simply needs the minerals embedded in old concrete dams, and it will walk nearly vertically to get them.
"The goal was never the summit.
It was the wall itself."
Field Notes
Observed at the Cingino reservoir dam, Val d'Ossola, Piedmont, Italy. Altitude 2,300m. Wall incline approx. 80°. Duration of ascent per individual: 8–14 minutes. No fatalities recorded.
Prehistoric
Born to Climb
Capra ibex evolved over millennia in the high Alps. Their split hooves grip micro-textures invisible to the human eye — a biological precision instrument.
1992
The Dam Discovery
Wildlife photographers first documented ibex on the Cingino Dam in Piedmont, Italy. Altitude 2,300m. Wall angle: 80°. Motivation: mineral salts leaching through the concrete.
2011
Goes Viral
National Geographic publishes the photographs. The internet cannot believe what it sees. The ibex become an enduring symbol of impossible grace.
Today
A Legend Climbs On
Herds still return annually to the same walls. They bring their young. They teach them the way up. The tradition persists, indifferent to observation.