Kilian Fischhuber repeats Des Kaisers neue Kleider 8b+

Kilian Fischhuber, best known for his domination of the international Bouldering World Cup, finished off the autumn season in unusual style by making a rare redpoint of the multi-pitch alpine testpiece Des Kaisers neue Kleider on der Wilder Kaiser in Austria.

Fischhuber had checked the route out once in 2008 up to pitch 7 and remained so impressed that he decided to it was worth gaining some serious endurance after his summer trip to South Africa's Rocklands. This autumn the 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009 bouldering emperor changed into his new clothes and over a seven day period Fischhuber got to grips with the route, sending it ground-up and without the aid of fixed ropes on 28 September.

After redpointing the route the 26 year old Austrian bouldering champ commented: "It's my debut and also my highlight as an alpine sport climber. I had dreamt about it for a while, at times I doubted whether I'd be able to do it but I always hoped I would. Even today I'm still not 100% sure how I managed to free the 8th pitch. I began getting cramps at the second quickdraws. When I passed the crux my forearms cramped up, so did my right bicep. My legs began to shake and I failed to place my feet properly. My body didn't want to continue but my mind wanted nothing of it and so I fought and shook my way to the belay. Only after a while the cramps died down and the feeling of happiness set it. And when I realise what I had done, I felt like a small emperor."

The Emperor's New Clothes was first ascended by Stefan Glowacz in 1994 (the same year as two other famous alpine testpices, End of silence on the Feuerhorn by Thomas Huber and Silbergeier in the Rätikon by Beat Kammerlander) and is infamous also for its long run-outs. The second ascent was carried out by the late Harald Berger in 2004.


Des Kaisers neue Kleider, Fleischbankpfeiler, Wilder Kaiser
Stefan Glowacz, 1994, 250m 8b+
P1) 7a, P2) 7c , P3) 8b, P4) 7b+, P5) 8b+, P6) 8a, P7) 6b, P8) 8b+, P9) 6c.