New Base Line (8B+) in Magic Wood

This April I went to Magic Wood for a couple of days to work on hard boulders I couldn’t finish the last time I was there. On the very top of my tick list there was New Base Line, a boulder problem which was originally put up by grand master Bernd Zangerl as an 8C. Meanwhile it has seen several attempts by the world’s best boulderers and got downgraded to 8B+.

It is not only hard. It looks also fine. A noble crack line running from right to left with a slight rise through an overhanging wall. In the middle of the wall above the crack line there are nicely shaped crimps and side holds heading up to the top edge. It is just perfect. A dream boulder. This is probably why it is supposed to be one of the best in the world. Weiterlesen

Alps Session Nr. 1

After Fontainebleau became too hot in the beginning of May I headed over into the Alps visiting some of its best bouldering areas such as Magic Wood in Switzerland and Silvretta in Austria. I was lucky that there always was someone to record my hard ascents. In this case thanks to Michael Paulus, Georg Grubner and Ilari Kelloniemi! Here is a short video clip with three top-class problems I’ve done in May and June. I hope you like it ;-)

Cheers David

Three months of meeting inspiring climbers

Deep Throat (8B), Magic Wood - (c) Markus Ixmeier

Deep Throat (8B), Magic Wood – (c) Markus Ixmeier

From April until July I’ve been traveling from Sweden via Fontainebleau into the Alps bouldering without touching my harness and rope a single time. I’ve also been competing at boulder competitions. I even could win the German Seniors’ National Boulder Cup  in Auerbach, the German Juniors’ Championship in Friedrichshafen and the International Juniors’ EYC in L’Argentière. During these months on the road I’ve met inspiring people and had amazing climbing experiences. I’ve discovered gorgeous places and widen my horizons.
I’ve sent many hard boulders up to 8B+ (see: tick list on 8a.nu) in that time and increased my climbing level significantly. Thank You everyone I met for this unforgettable time we’ve had! Here is a “potpourri” of some  impressions I can give and some reports that have been published. There are some video clips to start with, too. Weiterlesen