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Nalle Hukkataival repeats Bügeleisen in the Maltatal

Finnish rock climber Nalle Hukkataival has climbed Bügeleisen, the 8B+ boulder problem established in 2001 by Klem Loskot in Maltatal, Austria.

Planetmountain

April 2013

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Nalle Hukkataival climbing Bügeleisen, 8B+, established in 2001 by Klem Loskot in Maltatal, Austria.

screenshot Dominik Preis

Despite poor conditions, Finnish boulderer Nalle Hukkataival has repeated Bügeleisen, the famous 8B+ boulder problem put up by Austria's Klem Loskot in 2001 in the picturesque Austrian valley Maltatal. At the time of the first ascent this steep sheet of immaculately blank rock - hence the name Bügeleisen, iron - ranked as one of the hardest in the world and Nalle has now stated that the problem isn't only hard, it's also particularly beautiful. Not mincing with words, he stated "Bügeleisen really is one of the BEST hard boulders in the world".

Hukkataival's repeat is interesting for two reasons: firstly, his tough fight against wet holds ("Probably the most epic battle I've ever had with any boulder!") implies that if he can send 8B+ in poor conditions, who knows what he can get up to when the friction is just right! Secondly, Hukkataival sent the problem in it's original form just like Klem Loskot, from the stand start. The obvious step forward now is to add the sit start and this might bring the grade up even further. "I quickly climbed the moves of the sit start project into the stand start" Hukkataival explained to Planetmountain "but due to getting sick and the bad conditions I never actually got to try to link it." Unfortunately Hukkataival is no longer in Austria, his send came about on the last day of his climbing trip, but we're certain Bügeleisen still has some creases that need ironing out.