The German Dorothea Karalus was in Ticino in February and she climb „Santoku“ 8B in Bodio, Switzerland in Ticino. Two years ago they were already climbing „La Danse des Balrogs“ 8B in Valais. The worldwide first 8B was first ascented by the bouldering legend Fred Nicole.

Photo: (c) Simon Weißer

„This was only a good month ago but feels like an eternity. COVID-19 has turned the world upside down since then. Trying this project was a quite intense experience. It took some time and creativity to find a solution for my size, but then I climbed it pretty solid in two overlapping parts, confident that I could climb it quickly. Boy, I was wrong! The next 5 sessions I fell at a good hold at the end, I really seemed to hit a barrier with my power endurance here. Frustration creeped in, but with some time I realized how rare it is to find something where you can really test yourself: almost no condition drama, no skin issues… Just you vs. a problem. A fair fight, that’s what you want, no? On the last day (bonus day b/c I found a ride instead of taking the train) I had one last go and sent! More determined, but also free of all this pressure I put on myself. A mental progress I’ll never forget and hopefully can learn from in the future.
The past weeks made me appreciate how lucky we are to experience these intense adventures, to travel freely, to be healthy. I’m for sure more grateful than ever for this  Looking forward to more climbing experiences like this, but for now let’s figure out how to get through this together!  Staying healthy physically and mentally, being there for others (while #physicaldistancing) and maybe even getting a bit stronger with all this training going on  #livenowclimblater Black Diamond PS: Only got the pictures now, hence the late post. I climbed this on February 23rd. Italy had 62 cases and 2 deaths by then. So so crazy how it evolved from there. So many families affected, many can’t even say goodbye to their loved ones . #Stay At Home.“