01/04/2010Austrian E9/10 Repeat

It has just come to the attention of the climbing media that towards the end of last year, 22 year-old Alex Luger from Austria repeated the trad protected Prinzip Hoffnung, graded E9/10 and 8b/+, at the Bürser Platte in Austria. Google translates the route name as Principle of Hope.

It was first climbed as a sport line in 1997 by Beat Kammerlander, when he added an extension to his friend's (Marco Wasina) established route. But the small crack running up the line for 25-metres with further trad protection possibilities above didn't go unnoticed by Beat.

After a great deal of mental and physical preparation, Beat climbed the route placing the gear with the bolts removed in Spring 2009 (more here with video and english translation).

Alex is one of the DMM climbing team and we asked him some questions about this route with an unusual history.

Is it a slab or a vertical wall?
It's a very technical blank looking 40 m vertical wall. This kind of limestone has a very unique structure which I don't know of anything to compare it with.

Is it common to take the bolts out of a sport route and then climb it trad in Austria?
Don't think it's common, but this line at the Bürser Platte is so predestined with this fingercrack to climb it clean, it's such a magic line with the possibility to use trad protection.

Beat required cold conditions when he led it on trad gear. Were cold conditions necessary for you?
Yes. Cold conditions were very important for me to send this pitch because the crux moves are on very small crimps and with sweating fingers I'd have no chance. Freezing is best.

What was it called when it was climbed with bolts?
When Beat made the first ascent of the bolted route he didn’t name it. Prinzip Hoffnung is the German name after climbing it without the fixed gear.

How did you know when you were ready to try the lead?
The final decision to go on lead was just a kind of intuition - a good feeling. I knew the placements and the critical sequences of the route, so in the end it was a decision essentially from a good feeling.

Did you worry about hitting the ground?
Immediately after the first move I lost all the strain. I was just focused on the next move and where I could place the next pro, so there wasn't any feeling of fear while climbing. The first metres of the route are very badly protected (grounder!?) but normally you shouldn't fall there.

In the middle I had good pro and I climbed with the half-rope technique so if the brass offsets I placed by the crux didn't hold my fall I would take a big one, but I don't think I would hit the ground from this point. Despite my expectations they did hold two falls.

You agreed with the technical grade?
I think it's about 8b/+.While headpointing I could climb the route well but in lead with placing all the gear you need much more power. I had some sporadic tries on it in spring 2009 but it took mainly about three weekends of effort in Autumn 2009 and on my fourth I sent it.

Is trad (placing nuts and cams) climbing growing in popularity in Austria/Germany?
I don’t really know. There are a few spots in my area where you can practice trad climbing but this scene is really small.

Do you think more sport routes will have their bolts removed and climbed trad style instead in Austria/Germany?
We will see! If there are sport climbs like Prinzip Hoffnung – then for sure!

Where did you learn to place traditional gear?
My first 'multipitch' experience I made in the Gorges du Verdon when I was 11 years old and from then on I was psyched to climb bigger walls. I remember my first trad lead very well. When I reached the belay all my placed gear had fallen out. I was just a little scared and the following pitch worked much better. From this point on I fell in love with traditional climbing.

Did Beat give you any good advice?
For me it was very important to do it by myself, to work out the moves and to check out the placements alone. Beat is a good friend but I never thought about asking him to lend me his rack or inform me about the placement situations, that’s not my style.

Have you climbed in the UK?
No but I'd like to!

More about this repeat at Planetmountain. Alex is sponsored by Adidas, La Sportiva and DMM.