My experience in bolting and first ascents

Through climbing I have plenty of possibilities to live out my passion. Usually, I test my strengths in existing routes as a consumer. The first time I found the desire to develop my own line was in 2015, where I bolted some routes in Greece. Now, the urge to search for an untouched wall appeared again.

My husband Bernie regularly lives out his passion for bolting and is already quite experienced. I made the most of this knowledge and asked him to coach me in bolting my own line. We searched for a virgin wall and after some time, found a place in Tyrol. At the beginning I was worried by the bad quality of this rock there, but at the same time I loved this place. Bernie was ready to help me bolt. One line which attracted me started in the center of this wall and traversed left through an amazing roof until it went up again. Bernie fixed a rope on the top of the wall and I worked my way down from it. First, I checked out if this route would actually be climbable, searching for the holds and potential sequences. I freed the wall from loose rock and dirt and started the process of bolting.

The rock quality of the upper part was quite solid, whereas the rock in the roof turned out to be very fragile. After a while I felt quite uncomfortable and Bernie helped me to place the bolts. Several hours of bolting were needed until my vison was there: my own bolted line. After that I started to discover the climbable way in this unclimbed rock and tried to do first attempts in my route. It took me a while until I found the ideal line for me and could start real attempts to complete the line. I failed many times, but on one day I could put enough effort into the line, I found my flow and found myself overjoyed as I clipped the chains. I managed to complete my own line that I called „Schatzinsel“. In regard of the grade, it’s not my hardest route, but belongs amongst the hardest ones I have climbed. Repeaters are needed to get a consensus.