The Silvapark is one of the most popular bouldering areas in the Alps. Climbers from all over the world travel here every year for the summer season to climb their fingers to the bone on the sharp gneiss in the idyllic Alpine panorama. And despite the many ingenious lines, the best is yet to come, as the potential for new boulders is far from exhausted. Even for regular Silvapark visitors like Bernd Zangerl, the Silvretta still has dozens of opportunities for new lines.
BerndZangerl is an institution in the climbing sport. The Tyrolean has already left his mark all over the world - on countless trips, in countless boulder fields, on countless lines, he has expressed his creativity on the rock. But it doesn't always have to be far-far-away for the Tyrolean, because one of his favorite areas is his former home territory: the Silvapark in Galtür.
KinglineIt takes Bernd just half an hour to find his kingline, cleanand climb. Bernd estimates the difficulty at 7c and we wait untilfor the first repetition to confirm the grade.
Seek and ye shall find Bernd can sleep soundly, because he knows that he will never run out of boulders in the Silvretta in this lifetime. He and his white companion Turi are already spotting the next boulders in the block field.
Every summer, an international crowd gathers here again, not only thanks to the bouldering highlights, which of course, how could it be otherwise, are largely down to Bernd, but also the idyllic Alpine panorama and the good infrastructure that has been created for climbers here.
And for the one or other sadist - this should not be left out - the sharp rock may certainly also be a reason. You can climb your fingers to the bone here.
But all this is no longer the primary motivation for our protagonist Bernd to return to the Silvretta regularly. Rather, the sheer inexhaustible potential for bouldering first ascents that the Silvapark has to offer keeps his source of passion flowing.
And so, on this day in summer, we - Martina, Melissa and photographer Michael Meisl - set off with Bernd towards Lake Vallüla. The path winds its way through the picturesque Alpine landscape, bend after bend, and it feels like after every new bend there is one of the countless snakes of rock meandering down into the valley in front of us, which could be inspected for bouldering.
Can't believe I've done that The boulder is high, the jump area is bad. In hindsight, it's easy to say: "It wasn't stressful." At the moment of climbing, the movements are not quite so relaxed. But nobody needs to know that.
(At-)tension The tension is not just written on Martina's face. But with the necessary weight shift, she reaches the top of the boulder here too.
You can see it and feel it This granite is untouched. It gets scary when it gets airy under your butt and crunches under your fingers. The motto here is: cleaning is l'art pour l'art.
Destination, a place by the lake, so unique and stunningly beautiful that it takes your breath away. The idyllic view makes you want to stop and linger, were it not for the overriding thought - at least for full-blooded boulderers:
"Let's go bouldering!"
Before we know it, the mats are already lying on the first potential lines. "Let's climb something!" and we're already hanging on the first boulder. And climb off again.
First we have to pick up the steel brush, because of course the holds are full of lichen and dirt and the rock is brittle and fragile in places. Before we get started, we say:
"Well prepared is half the climb!"
In the first easy warm-up boulder - so we think - superficial cleaning is sufficient. But our self-confidence diminishes the more it crunches under our fingers.
Mr. Big Smile Whether in India, Africa or Tyrol. Bernd Zangerl knows the world and the world knows him. "Strong as a bear" and "always in a good mood" are attributes that are attributed to him (inter)nationally.
Bernd's eyes quickly wander in search of a kingline. A rough diamond is soon found and the Tyrolean gives it its first polish. Bernd dances the lines as if he had been planning them for a long time. He sketches a concept of the solution in his mind's eye and then realizes it exactly on the rock. Not only is he delighted, but we girls also quickly find some lines that we want to climb following his example. By the end of the day, we have a nice collection of boulders that we can add to our imaginary topo.
It's clear that it won't be long before the next lines fall here. We have collected too many impressions on this day to simply forget them again. But it's best if you take a look for yourself.
LIMIT #2: Alpine climbing in Tyrol - the hot off the press issue!
In this issue, we have dedicated ourselves entirely to alpine climbing in Tyrol. On 136 pages, we present the impressive vertical diversity of Tyrol. With exciting stories from 15 climbing spots that offer a deep insight into the history of alpine climbing in Tyrol.
Topos and routes in the Silvapark Galtür All climbing opportunities in the Paznaun region All articles about climbing in the Paznaun - Ischgl region
