Climber	Suggested Grade	Date	Notes
Nalle Hukkataival	8C/V15	1st May 2014	One of Nalle’s longest standing projects. YouTube video
Jakob Schubert	8C/V15	7th Apr 2015	Mannequin Challenge and ascent video
Stefan Scarperi	8C/V15	7th Mar 2020	YouTube video
Nicolai Užnik	8C/V15	4th Dec 2020	YouTube Video
Florian Wientjes	8C/V15	21st Nov 2021	YouTube video
Janja Garnbret	8C/V15	12th May 2024	First Female Ascent! Janja did the stand start two years prior and has now become the first female to send the sit start. Instagram Post

The Route

Since the Bügeleisen stand start was established in 2001, it became a well-known test piece for many elite climbers. The 50°, overhanging problem got its first repeat pretty quickly, with Markus Bock claiming an ascent of the stand start on the 1st March 2002.

After Bock’s repeat, however, the ascents dried up. It wasn’t until Nalle Hukkataival arrived in April 2013, over a decade later, that the boulder eventually got its third stand-start ascent.

First Ascent (Sit Start)

1st May 2014: Nalle Hukkataival

With the stand start under his belt, Nalle looked for the next obvious evolution: the sit start. It was a variation he had attempted over several years but hadn’t been able to link up. Despite being one of Nalle’s longest-standing projects, in part due to the notoriously bad condition of the region, he was clearly captivated by the line. He even labeled it as one of the ‘best hard boulders in the world.’ 

As a problem he described as one of his biggest battles to date, both physically and mentally, Nalle eventually managed to make the first ascent of the Bügeleisen sit start, a 12-15 move monster, on the 1st May 2014 awarding the problem the grade of V15/8C. The sit start variation has gone on to become a coveted gem for the world-class bouldering elite.

Second Ascent

7th April 2015: Jakob Schubert

The first repeat came at the hands of Jakob Schubert in April 2015. Jakob made light work of the problem, quickly bagging a repeat of the stand start, and creating probably one of the hardest mannequin challenges in the process. Shortly after, on the same day, Schubert later claimed the sit start variation, marking his first 8C boulder problem.

First Female Ascent

12th May 2024: Janja Garnbret

Janja Garnbret is clearly showing her strength this year as she is not only dominating the competition scene but has now also become one of the few female climbers to have sent a V15 boulder. Janja has made the first female ascent of Bügeleisen sit start after having done the stand start two years ago. In true Janja fashion, it only took her half an hour to send the boulder, which puts us all to shame really. Janja never ceases to amaze us.

Other Ascents

In 2020 Bügeleisen sit start got two more repeats. Stefan Scarperi journeyed to Austria in March and made light work of the stand start, ticking it off within 24 hours of arriving at Maltatal. He had attempted the route in 2018, although 25℃ temperatures made an ascent near impossible. Despite initially deeming the sit start link up too hard, after three days working the problem Scarperi claimed the third ascent on the 7th March 2020.

The next ascent came from Nicolai Užnik in December, who has ticked off both the sit and stand start variation. The 20-year-old had made a few trips to Maltatal throughout the year, having first claimed the stand start in March. He returned in the summer looking to link up the sit start, although the high humidity and excessive rain stalled progress. Nicolai explained that the sit start moves aren’t particularly hard (7B+), but because they add 3-4 moves on this power-intensive problem, it makes completing the rest of the problem significantly harder.

After returning in December, where the climbing conditions were significantly better, the young Austrian claimed the fourth ascent on his first day back, taking a total of four sessions to top out Bügeleisen sit start.