Sometimes the biggest challenge in rock climbing is to be able to secure a route at all. With the so -called Psychogram At the Bürser Platte in Austria, this means that only tiny micro -horners are eligible for securing in the key point. These are particularly narrow clamping wedges that can be wedged into fine cracks – so narrow that not even a little finger fits into it. There is a wire cutting on each wedge in which the safety carabiner is hung – and the rope on it. But whether this protection also holds?
This style of climbing is referred to as trading climbing-traditional climbing, in which the protection is completely laid. This is exactly what Lara Neumeier wanted to face this winter. She projected on the route for a total of seven days Psychogram (8b+) – But actually she had already worked towards it.
Already as a toddler she wore her first climbing belt. Born in the Allgäu, which she feels “still very connected”, she grew up in Steingaden, a small town in the adjacent Upper Bavaria, the 26-year-old tells in the video call. She is currently on a surf vacation in Tenerife. She had a formative experience in her home near Füssen when her father set up several well -secured routes on a children’s climbing rock. After several attempts, she succeeded in the route Karlsson from the roofa first personal success with ten years – and her enthusiasm for sport was sparked.
During Bigwall climbing, Lara Neumeier spends several days in a wall and sleeps in a wall tent
In the high school she came into contact with indoor climbing for the first time, also took part in competitions, but decided to end her competition career at the age of 17. After graduating from high school, she took a break to travel and devote herself to rock climbing. In addition to sports climbing routes up to 8c+ and demanding trades in England Hotel Supramonte (8b) and Delicate (8b). During this break, she met Babsi Zangerl – an encounter that decisively shaped her way.
The Arlberger is considered one of the strongest and most successful bigwall climbers in the world and became Neumeier’s climbing friend and mentor. Bigwall climbing is the ultimate climbing discipline, in which you spend days in a wall for days, in a portalede-a wall tent-sleeps and hundreds of meters in the vertical.
After their bachelor in business administration and a master in marketing, Lara Neumeier, together with Babsi Zangerl 2023, decided to travel to the Yosemite National Park in the USA and climb their first bigwall route on the legendary El Capitan, a light beige monolith, on which many generations have already written climbing history.
The two mastered El Corazonwith 35 rope lengths up to 8a – an experience that Neumeier fascinated and frightened equally. For the first time, she felt afraid that she did not know until then climbing. “After the project, I never really wanted to get back into a bigwall,” she says. But only a year later she dared to do it again – and this time it felt much better. Together with her climbing partner Nemuel Feurle, she committed the route El Niño Via the Pineapple Express Variation (800 meters, 8a+) on the EL Capitan in the open style.
When she visited Babsi Zangerl on the Arlberg in winter, she drove with her to the Bürser Platte, who mainly because of the route Principle hope (8b/8b+) is known worldwide. The wall looks like it was separated with a filleting knife. Due to the southern orientation, the sun also seems to be on it in winter. It is located directly in the Bürs district on the western edge of Bludenz, in the background snow -covered peaks rise. However, Neumeier’s attention was noticed Psychogram“A beautiful line”, first started by the well -known Austrian Alex Luger. In addition to the difficult security, the tour for an extreme length is known, which mainly deteres smaller climbers. Lara Neumeier, with a height of 169 and a span of 171 centimeters, felt grown.
In Bigwall and Trad climbing, women can do the same with men, mainly the mental strength counts
At the end of February, she returned in warmer conditions and tried the trains in the top veprope, i.e. with rope attached from above. Then the microcodes came into play – and she tried to make a mentally with the latent risk of falling. Because although she built several clamping wedges among each other in the key point, she did not know whether they would actually hold a fall. On the advice of experienced trad climbers, she decided to climb two ropes secured. The second rope acted as a backup and was attached to a more stable security point – but that was also not a security guarantee.
Finally, Neumeier was able to secure the entire route with its own material and climb through at the beginning of March – i.e. walk in the clean style. The fact that it was the first female inspection was only a marginal note. It considers such distinctions by gender to climb unnecessary. “For me it was just the fourth repetition of the route,” she says. When choosing your climbing projects, the challenge and beauty of the line count for you – not whether a woman or a man climbed the route beforehand. And in general: Women could draw equal to men in climbing, especially in Bigwall and Trad climbing. “The mental plays a crucial role,” she says – and is ultimately more important in long routes than pure physical strength.
This summer, Lara Neumeier is planning the inspection of the alpine trilogy – one of the most challenging climbing projects in the Alps. In doing so, she again follows the traces of her strong mentor, who has already mastered this inspection. Her next bigwall project on the El Capitan in autumn is already being planned. Then she will spend a lot of time in the wall again and experience what she fascinates on climbing: the state of complete concentration and mindfulness – if she does not think of the past or the future, but only to climb itself.
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