I have never imagined this, even in my wildest dreams. I am going back in time to climb what is possibly the most slabby 9a in the world, called Niobe.
Arco (Italy) is nowadays famous for the Rock Master competition and steep overhangs in Massone. But Arco's fame as a climbing area began with slab climbing, which feels like a lost art from the 80s. The era of neon leggings, shiny hoodies, cool music and elegant demanding climbing on smooth rock slabs.
Watch the new masterpiece video by Jan Šimánek on my YouTube channel, produced in collab with Mammut (thanks for the outstanding outfit), and enjoy an exceptional climbing trip into the past, present and future of slab climbing. Toward the lines that don't yet exist, towards slabs that are so difficult that no one has dared to try them yet!
Photos by Giampaolo Calza.
