Category Archives: news

Highlights from Mišja peč

Missing drink

Photo @ Mina Markovič trying Missing drink (8b+) in Mišja peč

Mišja peč is the queen of Slovenian top level climbing. It offers more than 200 routes, out of which more than 70 are in the French 8th and 9th scale. It is also home to Slovenia’s hardest sport climbing route, Adam Ondra’s unrepeated Vicious circle (9a+/b). Logically, most of the climbing news from Istria come from Mišja peč. In October the conditions for climbing in Mišja peč got prime, that is why we have so many hard redpoints to report.

50 years old Croatian, Igor Čorko, climbed his second 8c, Strelovod in the right part of Mišja peč. The same combo route was also done by strong Jernej Kruder.

Italian Andrea Padoan redpointed another 8c, the long Corrida in the central part of Mišja peč.

Another...

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Sendtember

Ana Kosmač Wagner La Peste Nera

Ana Ogrinc Wagner in her hardest route until now, La Pesta Nera (8b+) in Baratro @ photo by her husband, Martin Wagner

Sendtember is over and with this nice weather many hard routes were climbed all over Istria.

Let's start for a change in Croatia where in super steep Pandora, Mihael Štefić redpointed his nemesis route, the classic power endurance testpiece named Avatar (8b).

In Italy, in secret crag Baratro, Ana Ogrinc Wagner finished the battle with her 4-years project, her first 8b+ ever, 55 moves long La Peste Nera.

In Slovenia, in Mišja peč, Jaka Šprah fired Konec MIRa (8c). Here you have the link to the video of his uncut ascent of this mega power endurance monster first ascended by Jure Golob in March 2001 on the day the Russian space station called MIR was deorbited in the South...

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Baratro action

Martin Wagner Baratro

photo @ Martin Wagner in FA of La Super Nera (8c) in Baratro

Seems like the secret spot above Trieste, called Baratro, is nowadays a climbing spot to be.

Mina Markovič signed up under the first repeat of Martin Wagner's combo-route La Super Nera (8c), which connects the first part of La Supercana (8b) and super resistant upper part of La Pesta Nera (8b+). Mina confirmed Martin's grade suggestion of 8c for this nice combination. Here you can find the video of Martin doing the first ascent.

Only 11 years old Andrea Chelleris did La Pesta Nera (8b+) and soon after smashed his first 8c, La Super Nera as well. Andrea is a son of Michele Chelleris, a local climber from Erto, and is also a junior skiing champion.

On the same day as a young gun Andrea did La Super Nera...

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FFA of Waterworld (9a) by Mina Markovič

Mina Markovič
Yesterday Mina Markovič did the first female ascent of Waterworld (9a) in the big cave of Osp. This is the 8th ascent of a route Klemen Bečan first ascended back in 2014. It is a 55 meters long monster route going through the full roof and having the hardest part in its first 20 meters that are connecting two cca FB7c boulders. Route then transforms into straight endurance climbing for another 30 meters in 8a-8b range. A true masterpiece! Here you have an “old” video of Klemen Bečan and Domen Škofic doing the route. Big congrats go to Mina, who in just a handful of tries succeeded in this amazing route in hot summer conditions with the temps all the time being above 30C. As we haven't reported for a while, many climbing news still came till here, also in this crazy hot and humid summer conditions. Respect, guys! Some of the are here below. For example,...
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Timotej Romšak onsighted Bitka s stalaktiti (8b)

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

Only 15 years old Timotej Romšak onsighted his first 8b, Bitka s stalaktiti in the big cave of Osp. Member of Slovenian youth climbing team has already a month ago ticked his first 8c, Talk is cheap in neighboring Mišja peč. Last year he was 3rd in lead on the European Youth Cup in France.

Bitka s stalaktiti or »battle with the stalactites« is a 55 meters long monster route in the big cave of Osp. It was bolted by Klemen Bečan and Matej Sova. The first ascent was done by Klemen Bečan back in 2006 and it was originally graded as 8c. Later on, many new holds and rest positions were found, so it was downgraded first to 8b+ and later to 8b. For sure, a must do five-star...

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14 years old Samo Golob sends Marjetica (8b+)

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...

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If you are strong enough

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...

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Mina Markovič: 2x 8c in a day in the big cave of Osp

Osp cave

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...

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First ascents around Istria

Grotta Caterina @ photo by Gabriele Sbisighin Lately our local climbers were extremely active, so they have bolted, cleaned and first ascended many of new routes all around Istria. In Val Rosandra (Glinščica), in small but very steep sector Caprette, Trieste local climber did a great job. Gabriele Gorobey aka Sbisi first cleaned all the wall after some stupid climber made artificial holds and footholds everywhere in already existing totally natural routes. Now, all the routes are back in their natural shape, which is awesome. After he repeated all the hardest routes over there and suggested significant downgrades. For the hardest route of the sector, Tonto total, he suggests downgrade from 8c to 8b and for Tetris from 8b+ to 8a+. He also bolted and first ascended Covid che non te son altro (7c+), the first route to the left of Icaro (8a) and L'esodato (8a+), which is the first route to the right of Mano di Fata...
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