As promised, I've asked Berni Schwaiger a few questions. Thanks for the super quick reply Berni!
Where do you find your motivation to go out there and try again and again? What pushes you?
When working on hard problems my focus has to be fully on the moves, no place for other thoughts ? a very good way to get rid of the thoughts (and problems) appearing from ?normal life? ? resulting in mental balance. In bouldering I´m still improving ? even if the steps are getting smaller ? and that´s exactly what fascinates me the most right now: Pushing further and further, not knowing where there is an end ? besides knowing there must be an end some time. As long as I can improve myself for example in doing projects that were found years ago and thought being impossible, I will be addicted to bouldering! It´s not important for me what others think about me or my actions - it´s only all about my personal challenge - I "only" want to know where my personal limit is - what´s possible for me ...
Also nature is a real inspiration: To climb on the structures which nature created for us, is the real inspiration and fascination in climbing for me.
I really love to be outside - enjoying the silence, the fresh air and so on ...

You seldom go to other areas. Is this something you wish you could do more?
The major reason for "not so much travelling" is time: Due to my fulltime profession as a teacher in a polytechnical school, which prepares pupils for their skills (http://www.pts-saalfelden.salzburg.at/), I don´t have the time to travel around in the world, which would for sure be great. Or I often don´t even have the time to go climbing when conditions and weather are good. Also short trips for instance to Switzerland when weather is bad in Austria are nearly impossible, besides the big holidays in summer ? meaning warm weather ? I really live a « normal life » with work, family and so on ? climbing is just some sort of serious hobby for me ;) ... But enough with the wailing! Life is good the way it is right now ? maybe (I´m sure!?) it´s the best solution for me!

Do you have any big goals in bouldering? Any single problem or project that you dream about?
Future plans? Hard to say, will depend on the time I have in the future ? not so easy with my profession, which I also take serious.
First of all I want to stay healthy!!! But of course there are some problems and routes I would like to try or even repeat in the future ? maybe I´ll get the possibility to do so some time!? To avoid any pressure and to keep the spirit, I won´t tell the problems and routes I´m talking about ;), but there are definitely some cool lines out there, which I´d like to try some time ? But as you might guess there are also some really futuristic projects in my home area, which I would like to first ascent, if everything works together and my health allows ;)?


There´s also a bouldering guide in progress - coming out this year, besides different spots from the alps, including some spots (+ some test pieces) from Saalachtal ... Also other guys started exploring (some easier stuff) in Saalachtal and nearby - it´s really developing and growing ...


Stay tuned for a video.