The Swiss climber Dimitri Vogt seems to have recovered from his finger injury: the weekend before last he secured a repeat of the endurance challenge Inferno (9a) in Gimmelwald. A few days later he climbed the difficult multi-pitch route L'histoire sans fin (8SL, 8b+) on the Petit Clocher du Portalet.
Within a few days Dimitri Vogt celebrated two major successes on the rock. First, he succeeded in climbing Inferno (9a), a little later he doubled on the Petit Clocher du Portalet with The never-ending story (8SL, 8b+). But first things first.
Inferno (9a): Successful stress test after injury
It has only been a few weeks since Dimitri Vogt injured his fingers. The 27-year-old seems to have recovered well from this setback, however. The weekend before last he was able to score a real endurance test piece with Inferno (9a) in Gimmelwald.
The route, which connects the crux of the Jungfrau Marathon with the upper key point of the Gimmelexpress, was well suited to regaining some fitness after the injury, says Dimitri Vogt. This is because it is quite steep and therefore has relatively large holds.
A week and a half ago, he fell out at the top of the route because he didn't quite have the beta right in his head. The weekend before last, everything came together and Dimitri was able to clip the anchor despite the heat and his forearms pumping.
L'histoire sans fin: Love at first sight
Only a few days after his success in Gimmelwald, Dimitri Vogt and a colleague from Valais set off for the Petit Clocher du Portalet to climb the multi-pitch route L'histoire sans fin on its majestic cornerstone.
Ever since I first saw a topo and pictures of this multi-pitch route, I knew immediately that I definitely wanted to try this route.
Dimitri Vogt
The line, which has been gradually deciphered by Bertrand Martenet, Fabian Borter, François Mathey and Didier Berthod, among others, was free climbed for the first time by Seb Berthe in August 2021. In Dimitri Vogt's eyes, L'histoire sans fin is one of the best granite routes in the world at this level of difficulty.
The Bernese climber describes his experience of the ascent in his own words:
Tiny steps, complex sequences of movements
«After a tiring approach with a lot of luggage, we start straight into the route and begin to boulder the difficult pitches. The route starts with a perfect 40m 7c+ crack, which is pretty pumpy and is secured with friends.
This is followed by several pitches between 7c and 8b+ which are definitely tough. It quickly becomes clear that a lot of the climbing on these pitches takes place on your feet.
The pitches are relatively flat, but the footholds are tiny and the holds are mostly very poor.
Dimitri Vogt
It also seems impossible to memorize all the passages, as there seem to be an infinite number of possible footholds. Nevertheless, I try to memorize as many details as possible when bouldering.»
In the flow state for a fall-free ascent of L'Histoire sans fin
«After two days on the route, we treat ourselves to a two-day break. I need time to process what I've experienced. The difficulty of the route definitely impressed me. It seems as if there is no way to defuse unsafe sections with stronger solutions. The route requires complete trust in your feet and really good climbing.
After this break, we'll start again with the aim of just seeing how it goes. I think my chances of success are extremely slim. Several places still felt very unsafe when I was bouldering, not to mention that I was able to memorize all the grip and step sequences of the difficult sections.»
«Nevertheless, I am motivated to just give it a try. I manage the first difficult pitch, the 40m crack, straight away, attaching all mobile safety devices while climbing. I feel light and supple. Then something happens that I have only experienced on multi-pitch routes up to now.
I get into a flow and with each completed rope length my movements improve and I climb more confidently and focused.
Dimitri Vogt
Without hesitation, I climb passages that felt very difficult and unsafe when I was bouldering. With this focus and confidence, I climb one pitch after the other straight away. At the top of the last difficult pitch, I realize what I have just achieved. I have managed to climb l'histoire sans fin without falling.»
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Credits: Cover picture Gabriel Voide