Category Archives: news

Photo @ Samo Golob in Marjetica (8b+) in Mišja peč

Seems like this summer weather allows climbers to achieve their personal bests without a problem.

This weekend, only 14 years old Samo Golob sends Marjetica (8b+) in Mišja peč, his first 8b ever. Samo is a son of the first Slovenian 9a climber, Jure Golob. His father Jure is known by extreme power, non-stop laughs and of course by the first ascent of Slovenia's first 9a, Martin Krpan, in Mišja peč, back in 2001. He was also the first Slovenian male who won the international competition by winning Top Rock Challenge in Cortina D'Ampezzo, already 22 years ago. Jure is still climbing super hard, but now he has a new motivation, his son, that is climbing harder and harder. Maybe the first 9a father and son are here, behind the corner, who knows?

Photo @ Mina Markovič in Halupca 1979 (9a) in the big cave of Osp

Great news come from the big cave of Osp, where Mina Markovič did a first female ascent of Halupca 1979 (9a). This is her second 9a after La Fabela pa la Enmieda in Spanish Santa Lynia, a couple of years ago. For a successful ascent Mina needed nothing more than just 12 tries.

Halupca 1979 is in the center of the big cave in Osp and was bolted by Klemen Bečan in 2007 and next year first ascended by Matej Sova. It is composed of power endurance start followed directly with hard boulder for about 9 moves on bad pinches, underholds and extreme drop knees in full roof. After the crux you have a good rest still in full roof which is followed by endurance climbing on tufas and blobs till its anchor on around...

Photo @ The big cave of Osp

If you are strong enough, even if it is warm and the conditions for climbing aren't prime, hard routes can go down easily. Check the examples of Timotej Romšak and Mina Markovič climbing hard in Mišja peč and in the cave of Osp in the last days, right at the start of summer when the temperatures reached around 30 ˚C.

Only 15-16 years old Timotej Romšak climbed his first 8c, the mythical Talk is cheap in Mišja peč. Talk is cheap was first ascended by Uroš Perko in 1997, who grew up in the same city as Timotej, Kamnik. Maybe Perko's Sanjski par extension (9a) is the next project for young gun Timotej?

In the big cave of Osp Mina Markovič executed once more. She did first female ascents in just a couple of tries...

Photo @ the big cave of Osp

Mina Markovič climbed two 8c's in a day in the big cave of Osp. First, she did Osapska pošast and later Helikopter v pošasti which is a connection of the whole Helikopter v omaki (8b), followed by a traverse to finish in the top part of Osapska pošast (8c). Both routes are 55 meters long in full roof in a tufa paradise. For the first one she needed only three tries and for the second one two tries were already enough. Some days ago, she redpointed as well her nemesis route, short power endurance testpiece Missing link (8b+), in the right part of Mišja peč.

Also, in Mišja peč, Jaka Šprah crushed the short and powerful Missing drink (8b+) on his second go. On the left part of Mišja peč, Jernej Kruder clipped the chains of a bouldery...

Photo @ Timotej Romšak onsighting Baram Baram (8a) in the big cave of Osp

Really many hard ascents were done in Istria in the last week. Let's check out the most important ones.

In the big cave of Osp, only 15 years old Timotej Romšak onsighted short and steep Baram Baram (8a). Baram Baram starts with "easy" climbing in a roof to a sketchy boulder and a pumpy finish, funny Klemen Bečan's route. A couple of days later in the same climbing area, female World Cup winners joined up in a team. So, Mina Markovič flashed Helikopter v omaki (8b) and Martina Čufar did the same route on her second go. Helikopter v omaki was bolted by Jurij Ravnik. It involves crazy but not hard climbing on tufas until you reach the crux, where you have to unlock the sequence of some bumpy moves on tufas followed by...

Jakob Bizjak in Water world (9a) in the big cave of Osp @ photo by Klemen Bečan

The centre of hard redpoints last week was for sure the big cave of Osp. First Jernej Kruder climbed another 9a by clipping the anchor of Matej Sova’s Halupca 1979 (9a). Then Jakob Bizjak crushed his first 9a ever with climbing Klemen Bečan’s work of Water world (9a).

Now Slovenia counts already 12 climbers (10 male and 2 female) with the hardest redpoint route in the 9th grade.

1. Jure Golob

2. Uroš Perko

3. Matej Sova

4. Klemen Bečan

5. Domen Škofic

6. Jernej Kruder

7. Mina Markovič

8. Janja Garnbret

9. Gašper...