The Austrian climbing professional Jakob Schubert crowns his sensational year with the ascent of Alphane in Chironico. He is the first athlete ever to climb a 9A boulder and a 9c route - within one year.
Jakob Schubert Climbing year 2023 is a year for the history books: The 32-year-old climbing professional has not only won two world championship titles, qualified for the Olympics and completed the 9c sport climbing route B.I.G. first climbed, but also the 9A boulder shortly before the end of the year alphanes .
Jakob Schubert
By climbing Alphane I gave myself the perfect Christmas present.
Alphane: A rollercoaster of emotions
The way to climb Alphane (9A) was a real roller coaster ride, says Jakob Schubert. “It included everything from inconsistent progress and setbacks, slipping up after the hard part, waiting out bad conditions only to feel worse again on the boulder but somehow fighting through it, a story of personal perseverance.”
Jakob Schubert
I am grateful that climbing offers me such experiences.
Maximum difficulty level in bouldering and sport climbing
Jakob Schubert crowns his superlative year of climbing with the ascent of Alphane. No athlete before him has ever managed to master the highest level of difficulty in bouldering and sport climbing. For Jakob Schubert there are between the first ascents of BIG (9c) and the ascent of Alphane (9A) just three months!
His consistency across the various areas of climbing is impressive. So he could with that Double victory at the World Cup in Bern and early Olympic qualification not only achieve his competition goals, but at the same time also shine on the rock and successfully implement his most important projects. We are excited to see what will follow in 2024.
Excerpt from Jakob Schubert's climbing year 2023
- In January, Jakob boulders Trip to the moon (8B/B+), Boogalagga (8B), The Shelter (8B) and flashes Second Life (8A) and Life goes on (8A+/8B)
- In March he took second place at the Studio Bloc Masters in Darmstatt
- June: Bronze medal in lead at the home World Cup in Innsbruck
- July: Gold medal at the Lead World Cup in Villars
- At the World Championships in Bern in August, Jakob won the gold medal in Lead and in the combined Boulder&Lead format
- On September 20th he made the first ascent of B.I.G. (9c) in Flatanger
- In October he won the Austrian Lead & Combined Championships
- At the beginning of October he repeats the Tyrolean classic Qui (9a+) and shortly afterwards releases Dance of Time (8c+)
- At the beginning of December, Jakob Schubert repeats Clash of the Titans and upgrades the Megos route to 9b
- Shortly before Christmas, Jakob boulders in Chironico Alphane (9A)
That might interest you
- Jakob Schubert rates BIG 9c | formerly Project Big
- This is how Jakob Schubert climbs the ultimate deep water solo test piece Es Pontas | Video
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Credits: Cover picture ©Michael Piccolruaz