Category Archives: news

Klemen Bečan making a first ascent of Napaka u systemu (8c) in HC @ photo by Anja Bečan

Let's start our week report from Istria with another first ascent made by Klemen Bečan. This time he fired short, vertical and bouldery Napaka u systemu (8c) in HC. HC or HardCore crag now counts 14 routes: 6b+ and 6c warm ups, one 7a, one 7a+, one 7b, one 7b+, one 7c and 7 routes in the 8^th grade, plus a project called Esmeralda. Almost all the routes were bolted and first climbed by restless Klemen Bečan and most of them still waits for its first repeat. Thanks, dude!

In Kompanj, local climber Filip Kurtović climbed his hardest route, the beautiful Hard sun (8b+). In the same crag Czech climber, Vojtech Trojan climbed the hardest route over there, Klemen Bečan's All in, I'm out (8c+). He needed around...

Photo @ GIWEAVAY of a brand new YAKI PORTABLE FINGERBOARD ran by Trinity.Original & Climb Istria

In Kompanj another project was freed by restless Klemen Bečan. This time he did a first ascent of a project on the right side of sector Klobasi in between Minetti contest (8a) and Sekirica na dubu (7c). The new route now has a name Bubamara madness and a proposed grade of 8c. He described the route as fully sharp and painful. It starts with easy climbing on a single tufa to a small roof where business starts. Boulder involves three hard moves on sharp edges and poor footholds followed by moving your right foot really high up using a small intermediate to an OK hold. From here on, you have another technical boulder and a beautiful easier climbing to the top.

With Hangover party (8c), this is another Kompanj's...

Climbing area HC @ photo by Anja Bečan Let us start with good news in these hard times for everybody. Projekt OSP again started rebolting action in Slovenia's best and most popular climbing areas, Osp and Mišja peč. In 2 days, 11 guys rebolted 20 anchors, 21 routes for which they have used 216 bolts. Great work, guys! If you feel the same as we do, donate some € to Projekt OSP and contribute to keeping our climbing areas safe. They have rebolted Mišja peč's classics like Hobit (7c), Tekila (8a), Nočna kronika (8b), and in Osp, in sector Babna, routes like Love story (5c), Il castigo (6b+), Sužnji vertikale (7a+), Črni biser (7c+) and many more. Besides, they have bolted also three new easy routes in the right part of Babna! Then, a sad news, Grotta Caterina is closed for climbing. As it is on private property, the owner doesn't...

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 8^th and 9^th 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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...