Patrick Vonbrül repeats Fred Nicole Testpiece Le Boa (8C)

The Austrian bouldering specialist Patrick Vonbrül secures one of the rare ascents of Le Boa (8C) in Ziegelbrücke. Fred Nicole's line from 2011 is considered to be one of the hardest holes that the bouldering pioneer has opened.

Patrick Vonbrül’s persistence has paid off: the strong Austrian was recently able to Le Boa (8C). He invested a good 15 sessions spread over two years in his ascent of the Fred Nicole Testpiece in Ziegelbrücke.

Video: Patrick Vonbrül bouldering Le Boa (8C)

Rock hard – and mostly wet

The most difficult thing was finding the boulder in climbable conditions, says Patrick Vonbrül, summing up the two-year project phase: "The boulder was wet most of the time." Not so on the day of the climb, when everything was dry except for the top ledge: "The weather has been really nice over the past few days. It was cool, it didn't rain - perfect conditions for climbing this boulder."

Le Boa, a long-term project from the first ascent to repeaters

Apart from the fact that the boulder is rarely found in good conditions, the difficulty of the line also contributes to the fact that it is so rarely climbed. Bouldering pioneer Fred Nicole said after the successful first ascent that it was the hardest boulder with holes that he had ever done. "It was one of those long-term projects where you never know if it will work."

Fabian Buhl had a similar experience, after a 2017-year battle the first repetition of Le Boa secured. "Working on a boulder that pushed me to my limits was frustrating at times, but I was happy about the smallest improvements I made on each move." This and the beautiful snake-like structure of the wall gave him enough motivation not to give up this 3-year-long fight.

Video: Fred Nicole in Le Boa

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Credits: Cover picture Patrick Vonbrül