Markus Bendler, professional climber and two-time ice climbing world champion, runs the Rock'n'Roll Mountain Store in Kirchdorf in Tyrol. Stephan Mitter spoke to Markus Bendler to find out what the secret of his success is, how the focus is shifting and that there are parallels between sport and business.
Interview: Stephan Mitter, Text: Christina Schwann
MarkusBendler, born in 1984, grew up and still lives in Schwendt in the Tyrolean lowlands. He got into climbing almost exactly 25 years ago, which was probably no great surprise given his family history and the daily view of the north face of the Wilder Kaiser. His father's brothers were all passionate mountaineers or climbers and he and his brother went on hiking tours in the Kaiser with their father from an early age. The tours towards Stripsenjoch in particular are likely to have been the source of his fascination.
At the age of eleven, Markus Bendler joined the climbing training group at the St. Johann Alpine Club. This was followed by remarkable successes in rock climbing, particularly in the Schleierwasserfall area, where Markus Bendler, for example, became the youngest climber at the age of 15 to complete the "Big Foot Man" route at a difficulty level of 8b+/c. In ice and mixed climbing, he completed several first ascents, such as the "Eisbär GI 13" tour on the Pitztal Glacier, which is considered the most difficult ice tour in the world. In terms of competition, he not only won several World Cups in ice climbing, but also won the world championship title twice, in 2007 and 2009.
In a very personal interview with Markus Bendler, Stephan Mitter was able to find out exactly how his path to ice climbing was paved and what experience he has gained from his professional career that has helped him achieve his current success with the Rock'n'Roll Mountain Store.
Markus Bendler in "A Hoibe" (10) at the Sommerin, Loferer Alm, Photo: Michael Meisl
Stephan Mitter asks
You took up ice climbing competitively quite early on. How did that come about?
That was the trend at the time. When I was around 15 years old, that was exactly the time when competitive ice climbing really took off. We were all pretty fanatical rock climbers back then. I mean, even back then our approach was to move away from competition climbing towards rock climbing - and the next challenge in winter was ice climbing. Hias Schiestl and Guido Unterwurzacher also had access to the ice climbing competition scene, i.e. the first events on the Pitztal Glacier or the Salomonevent, which were held at that time. And we - yes, we were "in it for the long haul".
Rock and artificial wall competitions weren't on the agenda back then?
But they were. In terms of bouldering, for example, I was at the World Championships in Chamonix, but I was already 18 at the time. Sport climbing competitions and ice climbing were always held in parallel. In terms of endurance, I was less good at sport climbing - bouldering suited me better. However, it has to be said that training opportunities were limited here. The Tivoli in Innsbruck already existed, but I was starting my apprenticeship as a baker at the time and it was difficult to stay on the ball. It was different with ice climbing: I was able to create my own training opportunities and the situation was pretty much the same internationally. Ice climbing simply suited me better and there was certainly less competition compared to the masses in sport climbing.
After your apprenticeship as a baker, did you go professional?
Well, I was actually always more of a semi-professional. After my apprenticeship, I joined the army and then worked in the bakery for a year. But in the end, I wanted to try my hand at a professional career. After just one year, however, I realized that it wasn't financially viable. So I started working part-time as a freelancer for a climbing wall company - on a monthly basis: In winter I was a professional - in summer I earned my professional status.
From where you live, you have a direct view of the Kaiser. Were the Wilder Kaiser and the Steinberge also interesting for you in summer? Did you have projects or goals here?
Yes, they were. We are lucky enough to have what I consider to be the best climbing areas in Tyrol right on our doorstep - whether that's sport climbing or alpine climbing - starting with the Waidringer Steinplatte with eight kilometers of the best Verdon rock. Historically, the Wilder Kaiser is probably the most famous climbing area in Tyrol and all around, with sport climbing areas such as Schleierwasserfall and the Kufstein climbing areas, we already have quite good opportunities.
Markus Bendler on the 5th pitch (10-) of the route "Woher Kompass" on the Wieslochpfeiler on the Steinplatte, both pictures, photos: Michael Meisl
How do you see Climbers Paradise in general? When did you notice the initiative on site?
To be honest, I hardly noticed the platform at first. Only recently have I noticed the projects that Climbers Paradise helps to finance. The cooperation with the tourism associations is an extreme blessing for climbing in Tyrol. The more people are out and about, the more problems arise. What is needed here is a mediator or a lobby. This is much more likely to be behind the tourism associations and the Climbers Paradise association than behind individual climbers or groups. In this respect, Climbers Paradise offers good backing.
We business operators also benefit from the good advertising and marketing. The areas that are advertised via Climbers Paradise are more popular, are frequented more often and are also easier to access thanks to the topos. At the same time, conflicts are resolved, for example by creating parking spaces, signage, garbage bins, etc. In the past, we were the stubborn climbers who illegallydrilled hooks intosomething.In the meantime, people have realized that climbing has great tourist potential and is valuable.
All in all, I would say it has advantages and disadvantages - like everywhere else - but the benefits clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Developments cannot be stopped anyway. It is therefore sensible and important to steer them in an orderly fashion. As a climber who likes to have his peace and quiet from time to time, you have to look for other destinations that are not so heavily advertised or are simply inaccessible and difficult.
In the meantime, you've also started a family and built a house, but you haven't put on any weight. How is that possible?
Because I work a lot and don't have much time to eat. But I still travel a lot and climb "in waves", so to speak. I used to climb five days a week and hardly did anything else. Of course, I've always cultivated my other passions a little, such as going on a few ski tours in winter and cycling a little in summer. In the meantime, this has shifted: I now have phases where I'm almost exclusively on my bike - that's my second summer passion.
In winter, when the snow is good, I'd rather go on a ski tour than stand in the shade looking for ice. If the conditions are good, I also like to go ice climbing, of course, but in general I have a lot of stress in the store in winter, as this is now our peak season. The time for ice climbing has simply become much less, but I still try to stay fit. As the climbing gyms were closed all winter this year due to corona, I feel less fit than ever this year.
With the right bite: Markus Bendler on the route "A Hoibe" (10-) on the Sommerin, Loferer Alm
What is special about your business, the Rock'n'Roll Mountain Store? What direction are you taking here? What is the secret of your success?
I think the secret to success is - as it was with climbing - a bit of fanaticism and a bit of tenacity to consistently pursue goals. The attitude of not being satisfied with what is, but always looking ahead and trying to improve something is something I took with me from sport. When I go through the store today, I find things every day that I could do better.
At the moment, we have the problem that we are almost at the limit economically. We have a very successful situation in terms of square meters, but we are bursting at the seams. Fortunately, we are one of the few sectors that are growing at an above-average rate despite the pandemic. What's more, we have always been in tune with the zeitgeist since we started. We don't just sell conservative climbing, hiking and ski tours, but also look a little to the left and right. We are very successful with cycling clothing. We sell exactly what the bike stores around us don't offer, which makes us a very lucrative addition.
In the climbing sector, we also have the largest selection in Tyrol - if you ignore the really big chains. For example, we have a warehouse with over 700 climbing shoes. For years, every euro we have earned has been reinvested in the business and in the warehouse space. For this reason, we have an above-average stock situation. One of the secrets of our success is that we can deliver. Things are 95 percent in stock and ready to hand. It's similar in winter in the ski touring sector: we have every binding on the market and 14 to 15 ski companies, in other words a huge range. We also optimize the fit of our boots.
In other words, the special challenge for you is to know what's coming onto the market in the next few months so that you can have this product right away?
Yes, that's almost a passion of my own. When something comes onto the market, I want to try it. If someone asks me: "How do the skis work?", then I can tell them because I've skied them, not because I've read a test report. The same applies to belay devices. That's what customers really appreciate, in addition to the large selection.
However, this also results in a conglomerate that is not as easy to manage as it sounds. There are also nights in my business life - just as there were in my sporting career - when I don't sleep so well and have all kinds of thoughts. The bottom line is that both worlds are similar - both require passion and the right bite.
