Almost in preparation for the ice climbing World Cup in Denver, Colorado, drove Yannick Glatthard to Vail, to climb one last time. In the area The Fang Amphitheater he managed the onsight walk on one of the hardest mixed routes in the United States: Saphira (M15-).
“I actually wanted to go ice climbing, but my friends from Denver decided to go to the amphitheater,” explains Yannick. “When I got there, I was immediately fascinated by the Saphira line.” Because he originally wanted to go ice climbing, Yannick didn't have any dry tooling shoes with him and climbed the Saphira route with mountaineering boots and mono-point crampons.
"I only had one day, so it was clear that I would give everything and put on the map" onsight. "
The route has two small overhang passages before continuing on the ice. Then you climb through the whole roof behind an ice curtain.
“The individual places are not difficult. The challenge of the route is much more about endurance. "
To the difficulty of the route wants Yannick Glatthard do not express. "For me, it was mainly about the joy of climbing and preparing for the World Cup," he told LACRUX. The Saphira route was first climbed by the Czech Lucie Hrozová in January 2016 and is considered to be one of the most difficult mixed routes in the United States.
Gold medal for Yannick at the World Cup in Denver
After editing the article on the onsight walk of Saphira, the next message reaches us. Yannick Glatthard wins the race in Denver in a spectacular final.
You may also be interested in
+ + +
Credits: Cover picture Yannick Glatthard