He became the 3rd person in history to send Clash of the Titans
He became the 3rd person in history to send Clash of the Titans Czech climber Pepa Šindel has pushed his limits. In Nassereith, Austria, he climbed the 9b route “Clash of the Titans.” Before him, only two climbers had managed to complete it—Alex Megos and Jakob Schubert. Šindel has thus become only the third person in history to achieve this feat.
"Clash of the Titans" is one of the most challenging sport climbing routes. It is located on the Götterwandl wall in Nassereith, Austria, and was first ascended in 2017 by German climber Alex Megos. The second ascent was not achieved until five years later by Austrian Olympian Jakob Schubert.
The 9b difficulty represents the absolute world elite in sport climbing, and for Pepa Šindel, it is the greatest achievement of his career to date. The 18-year-old Czech climber first drew significant attention at the age of 15, when he climbed his first 9a+ route. By climbing Clash of the Titans, he also became only the second Czech after Adam Ondra to successfully climb a 9b route. In recent years, he has also made a name for himself with climbs in Frankenjura and first ascents of his own projects in Slovakia.
“I spent over 50 attempts on the Clash of the Titans route,” describes Pepa Šindel. “In my opinion, the biggest challenge on a route of this difficulty is the physical aspect, because if you can’t execute all the moves on the route or aren’t physically up to it, you shouldn’t even try. But the mental aspect is also very important. Toward the end of my attempts, I was under quite a lot of stress before each try.”
The first moment he believed this route might be within his reach came, paradoxically, under less-than-ideal conditions. “I first realized I could climb a route this difficult last summer. It was over thirty degrees, I was weak after a two-month climbing trip, and I tried it more for fun. But the moves on the hardest boulder seemed possible to me. I told myself that if I got stronger and came back under better conditions, it might work out,” he recalls.
For Pepa Šindel, one of the most powerful moments of the entire climb was when he got past the route’s hardest section for the first time. “The best moment while trying this route was when I made the final, hardest move and held onto the three-finger hold for the first time—a hold I’d never reached in previous attempts. When I then jumped to the last hold and held it, I realized it was going to work,” he describes.
According to him, the difficulty of the entire route is best captured by the final boulder high above the ground. “Imagine the smallest holds you can imagine, place them on an overhanging wall so far apart that you can barely reach them, and climb this entire boulder twenty meters above the ground, when you’re already tired from the previous climbing,” he describes the most difficult part of the route.
He will remember the successful attempt itself for a long time. “When I clipped the chain, I felt extreme joy and, at the same time, a huge sense of relief. It dawned on me that I had become a 9b climber, which means so much to me.”
According to Pepa Šindel, the ability to cope with failure is essential in climbing. “If you want to improve your climbing, climb every chance you get and don’t be afraid of failure, because failures and falls are the most important part of climbing. And you should also try rock climbing, because it’s a completely different world from climbing on indoor walls.”
Photos - Pepa Šindel at Clash of Titans. Source: Red Bull (Marco Zanone):
Registration
lezec.cz
Czech climber Pepa Šindel has pushed his limits. In Nassereith, Austria, he climbed the 9b route “Clash of the Titans.” Before him, only two climbers had managed to complete it—Alex Megos and Jakob Schubert. Šindel has thus become only the third person in history to achieve this feat.
