As the year 2022 is coming to an end and the new year is ahead of us, our athletes share their throwback to their climbing season with us. Have a look at their highlights and which moments made them feel their own Vertical Freedom the most.
Daria Brylova
„When I am up on the wall and nothing apart from me and the climb exists,
When I feel every little sharpness of the rock, every hold,
When I feel my heartbeat and my shallow breath in the crux section,
When my head is released from all worries:
That´s when I feel my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Dimitry Flick
„Immersing in a sea of granite, climbing in the beautiful landscape of Norway last summer:
That´s when I felt my own #VerticalFreedom“
Picture: Dimitri Flick in Halibut, 8c+, in Flatanger
Gabriel Korbiel
„It might not be common, but my personal freedom increases the moment I tie in and limit myself to move only on the wall. The world is different up there, far away from the worries on the ground.
That´s when I feel my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Heli Kotter
„Being able to climb again after my long-term injury, on my very first outdoor climbing day, in this perfect ambience –
That was when I felt my own #VertcialFreedom again.“
Julia Leonardi
„I believe we are collections of moments that remain in our memory, defining who we are. For me, most of these moments are linked to the feeling of freedom I get when I´m on the wall. It´s just me versus the climb, and I have absolute freedom over the choices at this moment:
It can feel overwhelming and scary, or it can feel like a new chance with each move.
That´s when I feel my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Laura Rogora
„After a long competition season, I really enjoyed coming back to rock climbing. Putting my hands on a perfect rock:
That´s when I feel my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Picture: Laura Rogora in Pungitopo, 8c+/9a
Wojtek Pelka
„Being in the nature without mundane disturbance, on the route feeling free, focused and flawless, is where I charge up for the challenges of everyday life. My focus is not always on hard routes, more often it´s about the caracter of the particular movements and about being in the zone. Spending time in nature on my own,
That´s when I feel my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Lena Marie Müller
„For me, freedom means reaching the crag by bike.
Fulfilling my dream of moving to Arco for two months of #ecopointclimbing –
That´s when I felt my own #VertcialFreedom.“
Albert Segura
„To me, 2022 has been a roller coaster ride with intense ups and downs.
After a great and productive climbing trip around Spain, the events in my private life precipitated:
My mother passed away, I broke two rips and doctors diagnozed a tumor in my body.
Having climbing projects in my mind encouraged me to recover from the Chemo therapy. This process was harder than any Big Wall project I have ever climbed.
Red pointing „El Chico de Bergara“ 8b+, a 50 meters line in Tarragona, had a big significance to me. With every try, I felt as if I was climbing with my best friend Unai Peréz again -
That´s when I felt my own #VertcialFreedom again.“
Caterina Bassi
„After sending the harder pitches of „Elettroshock“ on Picco Luigi Amedeo, high up in Mello valley, we set up our portaledges for the night. Since I didn‘t sleep much, I had time to watch the billion stars and the satellites moving at high speed above us.
In that moment, I felt completely free and grateful to be there,
that´s when I felt my own #VerticalFreedom.“
Bru Busom
Congratulations to Bru Busom and Marc Toralles for recieving the FEDME Awards for the Best Mountaineering and Climbing Activities 2022 in the category Extra European Mountaineering!
„In July, we opened the new route „Ánima de Corall“ from the east side to the summit of Siula Grande in Peru. The tour is graded as 7b, A3, AI5, M6, 1100m.
Reaching the top was the moment when I archeived my dream. I felt full, everything made sense. After recovering from my injury, the time had come to savor the result of the effort and the constancy of so much time.“
We are more than happy that our athletes returned successfully from their expedition to the notoriuos Siula Grande, well-known since „Touching The Void“. We are proud of you!
Fritz Miller
„Team work makes the dream work! Even though we could not draw from our full strength after our Corona infection, the right team spirit made it possible to climb once again El Capitan.
We climbed the Route combination Triple Direct as well as the Shield three days later on. Since Michaela Schuster and I dropped our Haulbags at the Marmoth Terraces, we could climb it within one single day. Last but not least, we climbed the Westface before heading to Joshua Tree Nationalpark.“
