Free Climbing a 130ft Vertical Rock Face

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All photos courtesy of Adidas Outdoor Sports Team

Beat Kammerlander clasps his fingers into the thin crack of the 130-foot vertical rock face. He daren’t dwell on the drop. There have been months of meticulous preparation and he knows every last millimetre of the ascent – one of the toughest naturally protected climbs on the planet. The rock has the smooth texture of ingrain wallpaper. Adding to the ordeal, Kammerlander has chosen to climb using clean protection that does not damage the rock. The only drawback is, a fall could more than damage Kammerlander.

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'Prinzip Hoffnung’ or ‘Principle Hope’ is a thin crack climb in the Bürs Plate that towers over the town of the same name in Vorarlberg, Austria. “The Bürs Face has always fascinated me,” says Beat Kammerlander. “Splitting this wall there is a small crack that practically phases out. The crux is six or seven meters of blank face climbing, to where the crack shifts diagonally.” For non-climbers, the crux move is the hardest part of any climb. Make the crux move – here a portion of rock with nothing to hang on to – and you make the climb.

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“It is unique to find a crack on such a sheer and difficult face where it is possible to free climb with removable protection,” continues Kammerlander. “The climb is very particular and uses tiny edges and footholds. If you try it too often you bloody your fingers and wear through the rubber on your shoes. It’s a battle climbing up there.”

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Beat was born in Bürs’s neighbouring town Bludenz in 1959. He had his first encounter with the Bürs Face over a decade ago, in 1997, only a few months after his friend Marco Wasina succeeded with the first ascent of the face’s lower half using bolts for protection. Shortly after, Kammerlander climbed the extension of the route to the top. At that time he also used bolts for protection.

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“Interestingly enough nobody ever tried to repeat the route after I had first climbed it. About a year ago, I started to deal with this climb again. I felt the desire to remove the bolts and climb it clean, carrying the entire gear and placing all the protection from climbing stances. Climbing by fair means. To me it seemed to be the only honest way. But at the same time it seemed impossible. However, that’s what makes a project interesting, isn’t it?”

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Kammerlander trained all summer long to prepare mentally and physically for his project, ‘Principle Hope’. His biggest challenge was the protection. “It was a very long development process”, the Austrian recalls. “It took me more than nine months to be mentally prepared for a first try. The micro-stoppers that fit into the thin crack normally hold 150 to 300 kg. In case of a fall the impact is a lot higher. So you basically know beforehand that many of your placements won’t hold a big fall.”

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“In the crux for instance, the climbing is super insecure and you cannot fix any protection at all. That’s what causes the mental block. The only way to succeed is to plan your climb meticulously. I knew to the very last millimetre where each piece of protection would fit. However, the crux gave me sleepless nights. Luckily, I had the idea to use a second rope for protection. Securing this rope I positioned a close friend who had to run and reel in the rope, in case the first rope didn’t hold the fall. This approach helped me to overcome my fear.”

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In winter 2008/2009, Kammerlander finally started a first attempt. “The Bürs Face is a typical winter project,” he says. “You need temperatures between zero and ten degrees Celsius, otherwise your finger tips are too soft and rip and the rubber on your shoes won’t stick.”

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The project didn’t succeed at first go. Kammerlander fell a few times between 10 and 15 meters while on the crux. Each time he had to remove all his gear and start over again. On the day of the successful clean ascent he only had twenty minutes left before nightfall. Climbing with the intention to do just another training run he achieved the impossible.

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“During my successful climb when I reached the crux I had the feeling as if I was constantly falling,” Kammerlander remembers. “I was so surprised that I still stuck to the rock, like a drop dangling under a ceiling. I felt that I was falling but I kept going for it. The primal will that I felt in this situation, coming from deep down in my stomach, is what I remember and what carried me through. When I climb such a route I don’t feel like I am 50 years old.”

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Beat Kammerlander considers his route ‘Principle Hope’ one of the great highlights in his career as a climber. “In addition to ‘Silbergeier’ and ‘Unendliche Geschichte’ as well as free soling ‘Mordillo’, ‘Principle Hope’ has an equal significance in my personal development”, he says. “Major climbing projects demand development inside myself and that was exactly the case here.”

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