Beat Kammerlander attempts his Kampfzone project in the Rätikon

If you think Beat Kammerlander is resting on his laurels, think again. Precisely 25 years after making the ground-breaking first ascent of Die Unendliche Geschichte in the Rätikon, this autumn the 56-year-old Austrian climber got close to freeing one his hardest multi-pitch alpine climbs of all high up in the same massif.

In 2013 Kammerlander approached the route with his hallmark ground-up style, breaching obligatory difficulties up to an astounding 8a+ which, when finally redpointed, may well make the 5-pitch outing check in at 8c.

Located at an altitude of 2800m, Kampfzone as it has been called is now dusted in snow and will be ripped out of its slumber late next season. Kammerlander certainly won’t be hibernating this winter and he told planetmountain.com that "this is something truly special, technical and athletic at the same time, up some of the best rock I’ve ever seen." Enough said.