Bat Cave, the new crag at Buzet in Croatia

After competing internationally for many years, developing my own climbs and crags is now my new love. A few years ago at Buzet in Croatia my climbing partner Bernie Ruech started drilling a virgin wall. I joined him there in 2019 and it was then that, for the first time ever, I bolted a new route, ground-up.

The line runs straight through the imposing roof. After drilling the bolts the cleaning phase began, during which I removed loose rock and dirt. I called the route Wings for life and it's now an open project for the strong, new generation of young climbers. The route is difficult and I'm excited to hear who'll get up it in the future.

We called the crag Bat Cave. It is about 20 meters high and overhangs steeply. It currently hosts 10 routes and the climbing is very athletic with a powerful mix of tufas, pockets, crimps and slopers.

Safe climbing!

by Angela Eiter

TOPO: The crag Bat Cave, Buzet, Croatia