Angela Eiter makes short work of Frankenjura 8c

Two quick visits to Frankenjura in Germany have resulted in a series of hard ascents for Austrian climber Angela Eiter who, after the historic first female 9b at Villanueva del Rosario in Spain, has now decided to change her focus and concentrate not only one dead-hard climb but instead try to insight or send climbs as quickly as possible.

This approach has resulted in Magic Sound Wave, 8a+ at Applauswand, LA. Crash, 8a at Pornowand and Alter Ego, 8a at Kolosseum, but above all Battle Cat at Hängender Stein. The redpoint of this 8c/8c+ came about, after having warmed up on the lower half, on her second attempt. This speed indicates there could be much more in store.

Although 8c may no longer sound cutting-edge, few women have actually managed to climb this grade in the notoriously powerful cradle of German sports climbing. These include local climbers Lena Heremann and Sarah Seeger, Sweden’s Matilda Söderlund, France’s Mélissa Le Nevé and Austria's Johanna Ernst