Nicolai Užnik makes first ascent of Bügelbrett (8C+) in Maltatal

Nicolai Užnik has left his mark on one of the most famous boulders in Austria, the Bügeleisen bloc high up in the picturesque Maltatal. The 25-year-old has added an intense intro which comes in from the right to join the original version of Bügeleisen, before following it all the way to the top.

The additional 7 moves weigh in at roughly 8B and have been described as "delicate, technical, and quite different in style from the original line, which makes it challenging to link everything together." Užnik has suggested 8C+ for the entire link-up.

Klem Loskot was the first to climb the iron-smooth overhanging sheet of granite, with a standstart back in 2001 via his 8B+ Bügeleisen. The problem was first repeated in 2013 by Nalle Hukkataival who, a year later, added a sitstart that bumped the difficulties up to 8C. The sequence of razor-sharp edges was described by the Finn as "one of the BEST hard boulders in the world."

Climbing on his own, last week Užnik added his logical progression to establish the second-hardest problem in the valley. The most difficult is his 9A Mount Doom, put up in March 2025 and repeated towards the end of the year by Jakob Schubert who confirmed the difficulties.