Louis Martínez

Story

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, at a young age or even before since I rarely remember. :) At six months I was already walking and wondering what was farther. So I was really interested in knowing the unknown, curiosity said my mother. At the age of six my father took me to the Guacharo cave, where I got really impressed with the limestone landscape and the rare birds, Guacharos, that live inside the cave. That was only the start, the beginning of who knows what. Ten years later I was descending the Aonda pit in the Auyán Tepui in Bolívar in Venezuela more that 320 meters deep; I was only 16 years old.

I came to Spain in 2000 from France, established my home and kept on working on the biological research for soaps and gels that do not contaminate neither in the production process nor in the use by consumer. They do not harm the humane skin and degrade biologically.

Nowadays, with the Mont Roca club in Spain I keep on exploring more mountains and caves in Venezuela (my home land), France (my mother's home land), Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Spain (my father's home land), looking for nature's wonders and of course for the entrance to the way to the center of the earth as in the Jules Verne's novel.

Mont Roca team studies the mountains and the caves as units of life for several programs of Natural Environment for our Local Administration Government. We also study amphibious and reptiles, like some rare South Spanish lizards and their behaviors. The Mont Roca club was created in 2000 by people interested in the mountains, caves and the environment, and since then we haven't stopped exploring our world around.

Why do you use Suunto ABC wristops?

The Suunto ABC, Altimeter, Barometer and Compass has become a necessary tool for outdoor activities, providing a valuable information about climate, altitude and precision bearing to follow the correct course. If you get lost or misleaded due to a changing weather, you know you have a tool on which you can count on and be able to reach a fixed place or a sure shelter, that is just a way to replace luck. In the mountains and in caves the luck is only a point of view, what you really need is a master piece able to guide and on which you have the trust, that's a Suunto. This makes you feel free and in complete liberty.

We are using the Suunto compass for topography inside caves so as the clinometer to define corridors and halls inclinations, with very nice results and precisions, that gives us an outstanding information that provides the necessary data to be able to draw the map of the cave with accuracy, showing the corresponding morphology of the underground. That is a Suunto essential ability. The altimeter inside a cave provides us with a prompt and precise information that is very useful to calculate the depth of shafts in order to explore with security. We trust Suunto.

Profile

Name: Louis Martínez
Club: Centro Excursionista Mont Roca
Sports: Mountain, speleology, climbing, kayaking and hiking
Date of Birth: 20th of April, 1967
Home Country: France, Spain and Venezuela
Blog: montrocaclub.blogspot.com

Main achievements

Only personal, since the club and I do not compete or have any mountain or speleological competitions. The mountain and the underground sport or science called speleology is more to observe and investigate what only few have the tremendous luck to appreciate.

In 1995 I was part of the crew of Venezuelans/Spanish people who were the first speleologist to explore several underground systems in Romania. Ever since no other Spanish or Venezuelans persons have been there during these years but us, till the year 2006.

In 1997 I was part of the group who discovered a new underground system in Murcia, Spain called sima de la Higuera, that gave more than 3 km of new galleries to an already 1,5 km extension cave.

Whatever mountain to climb, ice wall to climb, cave to explore, path to walk is a personal achievement. Exploring the world, the people, the land, and the animals are all personal achievements if the experience marks you.

Future goals

Accomplished our speleological expeditions in order to investigate and explore the Romanian and French underground, we shall get to Portugal or Poland or some other part of this old Europe in order to climb some mountains and to explore some new underground systems. Just for pleasure to explore and investigate the mountains and the caves.