Throughout the lockdown period, we took the unprecedented step of not reporting on ascents from around the world. We felt that it sent an unclear message in a time when people needed clarity. Different countries came out of lockdown at different times - or didn't experience lockdown at all, in the case of Sweden - so climbing has been taking place. We've been keeping an eye on things and have a roundup of the top ascents below.
People have been leaving lockdown on surprisingly good form so far. All that fingerboarding and core must have been worth it....
Barbara Zangerl repeats Unleashed 8c+ and Instructor 8c+/9a in Vorarlberg
Over in Austria, Barbara Zangerl set to work on Unleashed (8c+) in Voralberg. Zangerl attempted Unleashed ground-up, describing it as 'a good learning process' and 'even more rewarding' as a result.
Next up on her list was Instructor; an 8c/9a first climbed by Jacopo Larcher last year. The line is 45m and very steep. Zangerl took around 17 attempts over 7 days to tick the line.
Zangerl has been at the top of hard sport and trad climbing for a decade now with many high 8's on her CV, as well as hard trad routes like Prinzip Hoffnung and impressive big walls such as Magic Mushroom and Zodiac on El Capitan.
Adam Ondra repeats Iceberg 8C and climbs Bohemian Rhapsody 9a+
Ondra wasted no time whatsoever when lockdown ended in the Czech Republic. Showing us his appetite for small, limestone boulder problem link ups is still as strong as ever, he set to work repeating Martin Stranik's Iceberg (Font 8C)
Shortly after, Ondra tied in and climbed another link up at Roviště. The route, as shown in the video below, climbs the hardest sections of an 8b+, 8c+ and an 8b. Ondra named the route Bohemian Rhapsody.
Matilda Söderland ticks Font 8B
Spending her first spring in Sweden for many years, Matilda Söderland has ticked Armstrong Assis, a Font 8B at Nockeby near Stockholm. The problem is Söderland's first of the grade and makes her one of the few women to have ticked 9a and Font 8B.
Armstrong Assis took her 9 sessions in total, presumably due to a lack of skin. The problem consists of a lot of crimping on crystals and on her successful attempt, she climbed it with taped up skin and splits on four fingers!
Rare ascent of Weiße Rose
At Schleierwasserfall in Austria, Jakob Schubert made the 3rd ascent of Weiße Rose, an Alex Huber 9a from 1994 that's only been repeated by Adam Ondra. Over in the Zillertal Valley, Schubert also added a new 9a which he called Walk the Line.
First Ascent spree by Jernej Kruder
Slovenian athlete Jernej Kruder has been focusing on developing a crag close to home in Celje. He made the first ascent of Peščena ura 9a, and also added 14 other new routes ranging from 7c-8c+...all in the space of a few days after Slovenia's lockdown ended.
Melissa Le Nevé ticks 8c+ in Jesuswand, Germany
Melissa Le Nevé has spent some time climbing at Jesuswand in Bavaria where she ticked the Christian Bindhammer power endurance testpiece, Bionic Commando.
Chimichanga, Coal Creek Canyon
Both Brooke Raboutou and Alex Puccio have been visiting Coal Creek Canyon near Boulder, Colorado. Raboutou ticked Chimichanga (Font 8B) and Puccio climbed the same line but from a 'super low' start, which adds four moves of Font 7B+/7C into the 8B and bumps the grade to 8B+. This was Puccio's sixth of the grade. She also added Muscle Car Light (Font 8B), Jeremiah Low (Font 8B) and Get Laid Diabolical (Font 8B) to her CV.
First Four 8c's for 18-year-old Martina Demmel
In the Frankenjura, Martina Demmel burst out of lockdown with a flurry of hard ascents. She climbed four 8cs having never ticked the grade before and managed one of them, Roof Warrior, on her second attempt. Demmel also ticked several 8b+'s and will be spending more time in the 'Jura in the coming weeks.
Comments
No trad/alpine?
Wow, looks like people have been training hard during their respective lockdowns. I've learnt to make amazing donuts, so I doubt I'll be back crushing my 4s and 5s just yet.
Would never have recognised Brooke R; strange to see her no longer a stroppy nine-year-old. I suppose that's the way it works.
jcm