Janja Garnbret climbs Bügeleisen 8B+ in Maltatal, Austria

Last Thursday 22-year-old Janja Garnbret repeated Bügeleisen, the iconic 8B+ block freed in 2001 by Klem Loskot in Maltatal, Austria. At the time the smooth "iron" was considered one of the most difficult boulder problems in the world, and after the coveted first repeat in 2013 Finland’s Nalle Hukkataival described it quite simply as "Bügeleisen really is one of the BEST hard boulders in the world."

Garnbret devotes almost all her time to competitions and currently boasts six World Championship titles and sport climbing’s historic first gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. On the few occasions she manages to hit the crag instead of the gym, she obviously wastes little time in leaving her mark. In 2016 she managed to flash an 8c, in 2017 she redpointed her first 9a, and last year she became the first woman in the world to onsight an 8c, Fish Eye at Oliana in Spain.

The Slovenian has now sent her hardest boulder to date, after having invested one day of effort a few years ago and one last November. Last Thursday she sent it on her second attempt and, in doing so, she made the first female ascent.

A year after his first repeat, Hukkataival returned to the Austria to add the sit start which increases the grade to 8C. Knowing Garnbret, she will almost certainly have dabbled on these moves, too.