Alex Huber – New Multi Pitch 8b+´s and Grand Capucin Solo

Sep 3: Alex Huber – New Multi Pitch 8b+´s and Grand Capucin Solo by Jack Geldard – Editor – UKC “Free soloing is too forbidding for it to ever become popular. It is anactivity for those with a precise knowledge of their own ability.” says Alex Huber in a recent interview on the Alpinist website. Huber must be confident of his own ability, having recently soloed the Swiss Route on the Grand Capucin, climbing both up and down the route. The Grand Capucin is a perfect spire of golden granite, thrusting skyward from the Geant Glacier in the Mont Blanc Massif. Descent from thesummit is usually made by abseil, but after checking out various climbing possibilities, Huber decided that reversing the Swiss Route would be his best option. The Swiss Route is 280m in length and around E1 in standard with a single pitch of A0. Although Huber´s ascent is being reported as a ´free solo´ it is highly unlikely that he climbed and then down-climbed the blank A0 section free. We will confirm that point when more information is available. Huber has also been busy establishing hard, long sport climbs in the Tyrol. His latest creation Feuertaufe is seven pitches long and weighs in at a hefty F8b+. He is quoted on the Alpinist website as saying “The crux move is some 7 meters above the bolt and therefore this routecould be well [sic] the most challenging sport climb in the Alps.”He redpointed the route on the 31st of July this year, but established the line last year, bolting from the ground-up, giving “A first-class adventure on optimum rock on a continuously overhangingwall.” Sources: Alpinist.com, huberbuam.de, summitpost.org

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