Alex Luger unwraps The Gift on Drusenfluh in Rätikon

Austria’s Alex Luger, best known possibly for his first ascent of the 8b+ trad thriller Psychogramm at Bürs, took his skills and mettle to the mountains last summer to complete The Gift, a 350m high climb on the East Face of the Drusenfluh in the Austrian part of Rätikon massif.

Following a stunning line up an obvious overhanging blue streak, the first four pitches of this climb had been established by Austrian mountain guide Pio Jutz between 2005 and 2006, but he eventually abandoned this project due to its difficulties and the fact that it is often wet.

Luger added the final 3 pitches in 2014, forging the pitches ground-up and battling hard to find suitable skyhook placements from which to hang off and drill the bolts. The resulting Gift offers very demanding climbing up to 8c on the ffith pitch, past some extremely long run-outs that tests both technique and resolve.

After his successful ascent Luger commented "It´s one of the most beautiful lines in the Rätikon and up to now my hardest first ascent in the mountains. It took me two years to gain the necessary fitness, mental resolve and find the right conditions for the first redpoint."

The Gift
Druhsenfluh Ostwand / Gelbeck / Lindauer Hütte / Rätikon / Vorarlberg / Austria
P1: 6a, P2: 6b, P3: 7b+, P4: 6b+, P5: 8c, P6: 8a+, P7: 7c+