Yes we pitched everything but we didn't miss the last lift!

Always fun to climb in the backyard!

On June 15th, 2025, our mountaineering club turned 75 - and as the alpine section, we decided to celebrate it properly. Well… maybe not quite age-appropriately, but we’re still young at heart (and in spirit)!

So, 25 of us climbed the legendary Velebitaški route (6a+, 350 m) on Anića Kuk in Paklenica canyon, Croatia. The route wasn’t chosen at random though, it’s a true classic: an 11-pitch limestone line first climbed in autumn 1961 by Jakić, Mlinac & Ribarović, all members of our club. It’s also the second route in the famed Paklenica Trilogy, alongside Mosoraški and Klin; a rite of passage for many climbers in the region.

We carefully planned the event and spread the climbing teams throughout the day so everyone could reach their designated spot on the wall in time. As the sun baked the rock, each team climbed into position and by sunset, the entire route was lit up.

The sun was merciless - but we were tougher. Everyone made it up and down safely, rejoining the rest of the team in the canyon: sweaty, smiling, euphoric, and still a bit stunned that we actually pulled it off.

Some of the photos to bait you are in this post.
And here’s a bit more if you're curious:

📸 Photos & Instagram
🎥 Drone footage
📰 PlanetMountain article

Feel free to ask anything below - not all the juicy details are published!

📷 Photo by Sandi Novak

Managed to do some classics during a two week stay in the Mont Blanc-area

Hey guys, a few colleagues and me (not the smiling v-sign dude) in a Wilderness First Aid course in Peru, Huaraz. Luckily no one died. I was scared shitless.

Started 01:30 in the morning at Lucknerhaus, waited at the Erzh-Johann-Hut at 3.500m for the sunrise and the storm to calm down and went further to the summit via Glocknerleitl and Kleinglockner. First time on mixed terrain, had some challenges to overcome!

This past year, I had the opportunity to go on my first light alpinism/mountaineering trips with a very experienced friend. They were a lot of fun, and I tried to capture the adventures on camera as much as possible. Here are some of the pictures i took :)

The photos shown were taken at three locations: Mer de Glace (a glacier near Mont Blanc), Petit Clocher du Portalet (a big wall climb in the Mont Blanc Massif), and the Pigne d’Arolla in the Swiss Alps.

I also made a documentary about the last trip, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/SjbuRHWoRwY

A tragic end came to an Austrian couple’s climbing tour on Austria’s highest peak. The 33-year-old woman and her 36-year-old partner began their ascent from the Lucknerhaus parking lot (1,920 meters) at 6:45 AM on Saturday. Their planned route involved ascending via the Stüdlgrat and descending via the normal route of the 3,798-meter-high mountain.

According to the police report, the couple moved at a snail’s pace along the ridge due to technical difficulties and inadequate physical condition. They reached the so-called Frühstücksplatz at 3,550 meters by 1:30 PM. This ascent covered 1,630 meters of elevation gain over 6 hours and 45 minutes, including around 250 meters of technical climbing. They continued climbing despite stormy föhn winds with gusts reaching 80 km/h. It was midnight by the time they neared the summit. However, 50 meters below the summit cross, the woman became too exhausted to continue.

It seems they were unable to call for help from there. The man stayed with his partner for a while, but she asked him to leave her and proceed alone to seek help. The man descended the normal route alone and reached the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte at 3,440 meters at 3:40 AM, where he alerted mountain rescuers.

Due to the wind, the helicopter could only reach an altitude of about 3,200 meters, where it dropped off the rescue team, who then continued on foot toward the summit. It took six rescuers five hours to reach the woman. According to the latest reports, the woman showed faint signs of life when the helicopter initially took off.

The rescue team finally reached the woman at 10:10 AM, but by then, she had already died. According to the doctor, the cause of death was hypothermia/frostbite.

The Stüdlgrat route involves 500 meters of elevation gain with climbing difficulty rated UIAA III+/IV-. With proper fitness, experience, and moderate climbing skills, it can be an enjoyable climbing experience under summer conditions. However, in winter conditions and with stormy winds, it becomes significantly more challenging.

Frühstücksplatz is a critical point on the route, as reaching it within a specific timeframe determines whether to continue or turn back. The rule of thumb is to reach it from the Stüdlhütte (2,802 meters) within three hours. If this cannot be achieved, climbers are advised to turn back. This is considered the last opportunity for retreat on this route, and even the descent requires climbing. Making this decision is never easy. Although reports do not specify how long it took the couple to reach Frühstücksplatz from the Stüdlhütte, it is evident that they were slow, especially at higher altitudes. This can be seen from time-lapse images captured by a webcam at the Adlersruhe, which also served as an illustration in reports showing the couple’s headlamp lights.

On that day, stormy föhn winds prevailed, which were extremely exhausting at higher altitudes. The -10°C temperature felt far colder, well below -20°C. All other climbers turned back that day.

Recovering the woman’s body presented a significant challenge for the rescuers. Twelve rescuers lowered her body by rope along the normal route ridge to 3,200 meters, from where the helicopter could retrieve her.

The woman’s partner is under investigation for negligent manslaughter (a common procedure in such cases).

Sources: ORF, Bergsteigen.com, Kronen Zeitung Photo: foto-webcam.eu

Wanted to share this piece, INCANDESCENCE, lit up in alpenglow while the lower ridges are still holding onto blue hour. If you've ever been high enough to watch that transition in real time, you know it lasts about 90 seconds, and then it's gone. That's what I was chasing here: acrylic, built up in layers so the rock underneath still reads through the color shift.

I paint almost exclusively for people who've actually been up in terrain like this. I'd genuinely love to hear from anyone who's climbed Grandes Jorasses or the Mont Blanc Massif (Graian Alps, It sits directly on the boundary line between Haute-Savoie, France and the Aosta Valley, Italy, correct me if I am mistaken), something on that route. Did I get the light right? Anything about the ridge line or exposure that reads wrong to someone who's actually stood there?

Suppose it's the kind of thing you'd want to live with, a memory of a summit or a mountain that means something to you. Mostly just wanted to share it with people who'd actually recognize what that light means.