'Big Hammer, 9a' in Pinswang/Austria

'If you want to be successful, it's just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.'

This citation by William Rogers suits well to my latest completed project 'Big Hammer'. When I tried this route for the first time in October, I had no idea how to solve one of the very tough boulder obstacles. Only when I found out the solution that worked perfectly for my size I was able to continue the project. However, it was difficult to fall in love with the painful pocket in this crux, but it helped me to stay focused. Finally, I had to believe in me that I could climb this hard boulder passage even if I would arrive there tired.

Unlike 'Hades' in Imst, the difficulty of "Big Hammer" is not the sum of all the restless and resistant hard moves, but the route has one hard and another super hard boulder problem. I also reached them physically tired, but in this route, I had two useful resting points.

If the three things cited by William Rogers come together, as a rock climber I am also hooked on the weather conditions. Wet holds, heat and coldness are not my cup of tea. To my benefit, on Nov. 28 I was confronted with ideal conditions for me. That day I knew that I will climb this route with pleasure and I believed in me. With success! With 'Big Hammer' I’ve got my second 9a and the third repetition of this route! Yippie :-)