Happy 2024 with Pepa Šindel, Davide Picco, Alex Ventajas,…

First of all, happy and healthy 2024! We wish you lots of of fun on the rocks! New year holidays in Istria passed with mainly great weather, so many climbers came here and even more hard routes were climbed everywhere around Istria. Pepa Šindel, a talented 16-year-old climber from the Czech Republic, enjoyed a highly productive week at Mišja peč. His achievements included the successful ascent of Konec mira (8c/c+) on December 29th. Welcoming the New Year, he received the ultimate gift by redpointing Martin Krpan (9a). The following day, he conquered the strikingly beautiful Karizma (8b+). Notably, Martin Krpan marks the third 9th-grade route for young Pepa.

The Italian climbers were also rocking in Mišja peč. Davide Picco excelled by conquering Sanjski par extension (9a), Corrida (8c), and Talk is cheap (8c). Luca Bertacco achieved redpoints in Talk is cheap (8c), Lahko noč Irena (8b), Mrtvaški ples (8b), and flashed Corto (8a). Camilla Bendazzoli showcased her skills by clipping the chains of Mrtvaški ples (8b).

Spaniard living in Italy, Alex Ventajas, returned to Mišja peč and this time his ticklist involves Corrida (8c) second go, Talk is cheap (8c), Marioneta (8b), Lahko noč Irena (8b) and an onsight of Tekila (8a).

Monika Jakubcova from Slovakia explored Mišja peč and Val Rosandra. In Mišja peč, she climbed classics like Corto (8a) and Iglu (8a), while in Val Rosandra, she tackled the crimpy Donna del sud (8a) in sector Strapiombi delle Vergini.

The Austrian team ventured into the Croatian part of Istria, with Mattea Potzi leading the charge. She redpointed Es ist vollbracht (8b+), 90 days (8b), Snoop Dogg direct (8a+), Marmots at work (8a), Neytiri (8a) in the overhanging Pandora. Additionally, she ticked Lovranska droga (8a) in Medveja, and in Kompanj in sector Olymp, she has done fast ascents of Granouille (8a) and Yugo blast (8a). Miro Enzerberger flashed Total extreme (8a) in scenic Medveja, and Matthias Eisenmann achieved a redpoint of 90 days (8b) in Pandora.

While many Slovenian climbers were away for the holidays, Jakob Bizjak visited Medveja and onsighted Giber (8a), and Domen Škofic redpointed the powerful classic All in, I’m out (8c+) in the picturesque Kompanj.

Certainly, we may have missed some noteworthy ascents, but we hope to have captured the most significant ones. Congratulations to all the climbers! Let’s hope for continued favorable weather, allowing us to relish life on the rocks. See you there!