Angelika Rainer, from drytooling D15 to 8c sports climbing

Sending my winter project in autumn opened the doors to many other opportunities and provided me with the chance to have a stress-free winter, concentrating on what would gradually transform into my spring project. From ice axes to chalk bag, from drytooling to sport climbing, from the Dolomites to Narango, this is how my climbing evolved, a crescendo of fun and hard work that provided with plenty of satisfaction.

Sending an 8c means a lot to me, even if it’s not the absolute sport climbing limit, unlike D15 for drytooling; in a certain sense I feel complete, this is what satisfies me the most, being able to give my best in disciplines that are so different from each other. So, precisely half a year after having raised my drytooling grade to D15, I’ve now managed to clip the anchors of my first 8c. That0’s why this climb is so important to me.

In the past I always rock climbed during the summer months but I never had the physical form nor the right mindset to push to my limits. This changed last year when I finally decided to look for a new hard project and try to take my climbing to another level. I found a route called "Cinque Uve" at the crag Narango close to Arco. Being very overhanging it suits my style and I immediately like the varied climbing up tufas, pinches, crimps and slopers. Highly motivated, I kept on trying. Having the chance to try it in the cool of winter was very productive, even if I had to wait for this not particularly hot and very rainy spring in order to link all the moves. And pass the sequence of 8 short, extremely intense moves that make up the crux.

Obviously, I'm completely in love with this climb, it deserved all the effort I put in and right now I feel like the happiest person in the world, ready to face my next project (no prizes for guessing!?) with some intense training at the gym!

Happy and safe climbing to all

by Angelika Rainer

Links: FB Angelika Rainer, www.angelika-rainer.com, Grivel, La Sportiva