The Bernese climber Dimitri Vogt At the end of April, the redpoint ascent of the 9a route Coup de Grâce in Val Bavona was successfully completed. LACRUX spoke with the 22 year old about the ascent.
The route Coup de Grâce was 2005 by the American Dave Graham first arrived and is considered since then as one of the most beautiful gneiss routes in the world. Accordingly, it is popular with strong climbers. In March this year, the Italian secured Marco Zanone the ascent of the route. A month later it was the American Sean bailey, who stopped in Ticino before the World Cup in Meiringen and scored the route. Also in April succeeded now also the Swiss Dimitri Vogt the ascent of Coup de Grâce. In the following interview, he enthuses about the beauty of the route and the Val Bavona valley and why he stepped out of the Olympic pool of the Swiss national team Nati.
Wann ill du Coup de Grâce (CdG) in the eye?
The route has been known to me for a long time. A few years ago I tried it once, but still felt too heavy. Since then, I knew that I would like to climb this route once. Last fall I started to plan the route.
How much time did you invest in the visit?
About 10 days. After falling very close last fall I had to come back four times, three times the route was wet.
Why CdG?
Because it is one of the best gneiss routes in the world. I also love that Val Bavonawhere the route is. It is totally remote and the villages there look like the time stopped a few hundred years ago.
Can you briefly characterize CdG?
You can divide the route pretty well into three parts. The first part is a boulder and contains the heaviest parts of the route. Strong shoulders and good tension are an advantage here.
The second part is a bit flatter and more technical. Here you should be fast and accurate. An Egyptian and left-right compression characterize this part. After that comes a pretty good rest position at the beginning of the roof. Here it is beneficial to keep a cool head and not to worry too much about the possible outcome of the experiment.
In the last part you climb about 15 trains through an almost horizontal roof. It is a sprint against the lactate, which is noticeable at the latest at the edge of the roof. My specialty, Hooking and Toehooken, I could fully play in this part. The roof is also the most beautiful part of the whole route. If he were lying around somewhere in Cresciano as a boulder, that would definitely be a five-star classic.
You are one of the best athletes in Switzerland and got out of the Olympic pool of Swiss Nati. Why?
I've been thinking a lot lately and I've questioned many things. Issues such as intergenerational and intragenerational justice, the environment and social boundaries, and their relationship to man-made climate change and the behavior of industrialized countries, have greatly upset and occupy me.
In order to gain a basic knowledge, I have attended courses at the university, which deal with these topics. I've come to a point where I can not and do not want to ignore facts and predictions. So I decided to make some changes to my lifestyle. Among other things, I can no longer represent traveling by plane and flying to competitions.
I also have to say that right from the beginning I have never been completely behind the goal with my heart and soul Olympia and being an Olympian never really became a big dream of mine. At the Olympiapool I especially liked the trainings and the team spirit, from which I could benefit a lot. In reduced form, however, I will continue to participate in competitions near Switzerland.
Thank you very much for the interview.
That might interest you
+ + +
Credits: Picture Anna Vogt