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This spring I started rock climbing with Rolf, a friend of mine who lives in the same residence. So far I have been out three times with Rolf and other friends, all trips have been in April or May. My first European rock climbing experience was actually back in 1996, when I went climbing with a friend in Switzerland. My German debut was this year in Ebersteinburg which is near Baden-Baden. I was there with Rolf and two french friends, Kathy and Simon. Together we are team HaDiKo: two teams, four heads, eight feet, and 39 and 2/3 fingers. Rolf had an accident in June in which he left his mark on the cliff by leaving (part of) a finger behind. The finger now occupies space in Rolf's closet, along with the rest of his climbing equipment. Here I am climbing on that first day. 
This (below) was my second route of the day. Rolf was able to provide me (us) with all of our necessary equipment: ropes, harnesses, caribines, and shoes, with the exception that he didn't have shoes in my size. Notice that in each picture I am climbing barefoot. This was fine at first but at the end of the day my feet were a little tender, to say the least. 
Here I am rappelling down after the same climb. Rolf is at the top of the cliff (on the left). 
Our second trip was also to the "Battert" near Ebersteinburg/Baden-Baden (actually the next day). On this day Kathy and I were a team. Here Kathy leads the way up a 55 m (that's over 180 feet!!) cliff. Notice that the rope doesn't continue after Kathy; she has to lay in the protections on her way up. While she climbs I am belaying at the bottom to ensure that she can't fall, at least not more than double the distance from the last secure protection she has laid (that can be as much as 5 to 10 m though!). Rolf has been climbing for three years and has yet to fall when lead-climbing. When she reaches the top I start my climb, and Kathy belays me from the top (she takes the slack out of the rope). On the way up it is my responsibility to pick up all of the "quick-draws", the clips which Kathy has laid in crevices of the rock as protections. The view from the top (only the first 25 m of the cliff are actually visible here) was absolutely mind-blowing. Since Kathy is a much more experienced climber than I am, she would always lead and I would always follow. 
Our third trip was a bit further, in the Pfalz about an hour west of Karlsruhe. The climbing in the Pfalz forest features sandstone cliffs which have great holds but are also very brittle, meaning they (the holds) might break off. There at the top of the cliff a climber can leave his/her name in a book which is kept in a steel waterproof container. Here I am climbing on this day. 
The grading system indicating the difficulty of various routes is different in Europe. The systemrates routes from 1 to 10, possibly with a + or - as well. Based on my experience here I would say that a 5-8 at home is about the same as a 5+ or a 6- here. A 5-9 would be like a 6 or a 6+. Back to the Main Page - Zur�ck zur Hauptseite |