The upper part had already been freed by Manuel Brunn, Kawaschuwu, 8c+, but the direct lower part, with its uninviting spaced and shallow one- and two finger pockets, had so far repelled all contenders.
Along comes Bocki.
Markus only managed the hardest single move, a big move out left to a pocket which you can, just, get two finger tips into if you hit it perfectly, once, this spring. Now...I don't know how many times he tried, but I suspect the number is considerably higher than one.
Anyway, this fall, after having waited in vain all summer for good conditions, things went better, and 4 October, on his 7th try of the day, Markus found himself hanging from the last hold. "One of the happiest moments of my climbing career", he says.
He goes on to say, The man that follows hell, has the same number of moves as Action directe, and is comparable in style as well as steepness, but that the hardest single moves are a bit harder, and suggests 9a+.
Photo: Markus Bock on The man that follows hell, by Ricarda Miller.
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