[VIDEO] Triple 11 – Three times 9a in Kochel

After one decade of absence from Bavaria I am proudly presenting some first sends from the place I really learned climbing at: Kochel. Before leaving to Switzerland in 2006 the routes we climbed here where up to 20m long, mainly of resistance or bouldery style. Meanwhile Kochel has grown big.

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From Doubt to Confidence (11, 8c+/9a) from Chris Münch, that I sent back in October 2017, still is rather of the old kind, but Ralf Grabowski’s Walk the Plank (11, 9a) already demands 66 hard moves up to the top. From an 8b/8b+ into an 8c. I realized the first repetition on a dry windy day in early April this year and really regretted clipping the anchor so beautiful had been the 30min of stamina climbing up to there.

Fagus Magus (The magical beech tree, 11, 9a/9a+) finally is the direct version of Black Flag (A second pitch route, 8c) and a dedication to the impressive beech tree behind the route that reaches exactly up to the 35m high chain and just started to let peek out it first bright green leaves when I sent it on 16th of April. Whereas Black Flag describes a wide bow to the left after a 7C and a 7B+ boulder, passing by a good rest and joining the direct line again for the last 7A eliminator, Fagus Magus adds a new 8A+ crux preceded only by a moderate rest.

As 11 (or 9a) in Kochel is no kidding, I decided to first link Fagus Magus to the lower Nor-a-line (10/10+, 8b+) before proposing the first 11+ (9a+) of the Bavarian Alps.

QuellePirmin Bertle (Vimeo User)