Reclimbing the Classics : Milestones in the History of Sport Climbing
The Swiss mountain sports brand Mammut presents six 'rock classics' – the greatest milestones in the history of sport climbing. The project presents at the same time the people who climbed them for the first time, revisiting their own routes accompanied by top climbers from the Mammut Pro Team. Young meets old. Two climbing generations - divided by years, united by a common language: a shared passion for climbing. Because climbing is not just a competitive sport, it's a whole attitude to life! It is a trip into the past, back to the 1980s as the 'X' degree of difficulty was born…
The sunny south, sea and warm rocks – all necessary ingredients for a rock climbing feast. The Italian climbing area Finale Ligure near Genoa has it all - and much more! Italian climbing history has been made here for more than 30 years. Andrea Gallo’s 8b+ classic climb of “Hyaena” was repeated by Jakob Schubert last December. When the news of Mediterranean climbing areas travelled across the Alps to the north in the early 1980s, for most climbers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the days of Christmas spent in cozy living rooms and indoor bouldering sessions were over. A winter vacation in the south became mandatory - and the choice was Finale Ligure, just seven hours' drive from Munich or Zurich. Warm temperatures allowed them to fully savor their passion for climbing, without having cold fingers. They slept in tents, on the beach or in rattly VW buses, cooked their own meal - usually spaghetti with a sauce - and the only truly important topic of conversation was climbing.
One of the "resident caretakers" of the rocks of Finale was Andrea Gallo. In 1986, he was just 22 years old - a "young hot shot" in the best sense of the word! A passion for climbing had brought this young man from Turin to Finale Ligure, where he quickly earned a reputation as the best climber in the region. No wonder: he climbed every day and tirelessly opened up one route after another. When he spotted the line across a gray and seemingly impossible rocky pinnacle on "Alveare", he had no doubt: he just had to climb it! Although he didn't manage to climb a lot of the moves at the beginning,, he worked determinedly on his problem throughout the spring and, over Easter, managed to climb all the way to the last crux section. But the temperature was already too high - he couldn't hold onto the grips! It was not until the late fall, on December 2, that he finally made it all the way to the top – giving Finale a new "test piece" and, for a few years, the most difficult route.
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27 years and more than a generation later, Andrea Gallo once again found himself at the start of "Hyaena" - this time as a mentor and belay partner for Jakob Schubert from the Mammut Pro Team. The "Reclimbing the Classics" project brought two climbing generations together to climb a 'rock classic' - the ultimate milestone in Finale: "Hyaena"!
How would you describe "Hyaena"? In particular, if you compare it to today's "modern" difficult routes? Jakob Schubert: "Hyaena" is not quite as steep as the difficult routes we're familiar with from places like Spain. The route is very demanding from a technical point of view and you need a lot of strength in your fingers to grip onto the little ledges at the crux sections.
What do you think about the grading? How would the route be graded today? Jakob Schubert: I think that Andrea's original grading of 8b+ was exactly right. A few people downgraded the route later and so it's shown as 8b in the guide; but it's very hard for that level. But it's always difficult to grade this kind of technically demanding route. In contrast to a pure stamina challenge in Spain, you need to boulder out the complex moves on the route first before you can climb them. "On sight" is very, very difficult.
The climbing style required for "Hyaena" is very technical. How do you find this as a "young" climber? Jakob Schubert: Personally, I like it a lot. Routes like these are also a great training, as technically you never stop learning. It's important to take a relaxed approach to this kind of route and tackle it without any great expectations, because it generally calls for more time and attempts than a pure stamina or maximum strength route.
How was the time with Andrea? Jakob Schubert: I had a great time and I'm pleased that I had the chance to get to know Andrea. Right from the start, it felt as if we had always been the best friends. I was really impressed by his passion and enthusiasm for climbing, and his many stories about climbing in earlier days were inspiring.
How did you like the climbing in Finale? Jakob Schubert: Finale is an incredibly beautiful place. From our apartment you could see both the town and the sea, it was an amazing sight. It's definitely the perfect vacation destination for climbers because there's no shortage of rocks. I'm sure that I'll go back there again soon.
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