Pidinger Klettersteig: the summit can wait

Early approach

This time I travelled with my wife and children, but the via ferrata was my part of the trip. 😉 My wife drove me to the starting point early in the morning, then returned to the hotel to get some more sleep.

At 5:30 a.m. I set off for the approach to Pidinger Klettersteig. The walk to the wall was already a decent warm-up – approximately 1.5 hours and 500 vertical metres. I entered the via ferrata at around half past seven.

A 700-metre wall

Ahead of me stood a roughly 700-metre-high wall and a serious amount of climbing.

The weather was excellent, and the higher I climbed, the more magnificent the views of the surrounding mountains became.

“Look at this splendour. Isn't the world a beautiful place?” 😄

Moments like these are exactly why we head into the mountains.

The summit can wait

After about three hours of climbing I reached the section below the summit. By then I could feel the effort behind me and my strength beginning to fade. The demanding grade D passages were still ahead.

I therefore decided to take the escape route out of the wall and not continue.

The summit can wait. In the mountains, I believe it is better to assess your strength in time than to press on at any cost.

The adventure was far from over. The descent was an experience in itself, and the return to the car park took me almost another three hours.

Naturally, the journey included a well-earned stop for a beer. 🍺 After a day like that, it really does taste different.

😳 The biggest surprise of the day

During the climb, I was overtaken by a climber without a harness or any kind of protection. He simply continued up the grade D via ferrata.

In my view, that was an enormous risk.

I did not even manage to take a photo of him. I just stared for a moment with my mouth open, wondering whether I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing. 😂

I did not complete Pidinger all the way to the summit this time. Even so, it was a brilliant day in the mountains – a long approach, a serious wall, magnificent views, fatigue and another valuable experience.

“Isn't the world a beautiful place?” ⛰️😉

Pavel Karásek · Urban Climbing Team

More information about the route: Pidinger Klettersteig – Alpský vůdce

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