Pavel Vrtík
Name: Pavel Vrtík
Nickname: Bača
Year of birth: 1976
Climbing since: 1997
Job: project director
Country: Czech Republic
What do you enjoy about climbing?
The balance of movement, sports complexity, emotional contrasts...
How did you begin with climbing?
I did not begin. I simply continue since I climbed to this world. Gradually, slowly, quietly, step by step.
The most valuable climbs?
I appreciate all mountain climbs, even those I gave up. The most valuable one is always the last one.
Your favourite climbing area?
From the Moravian Karst to the Tatras and Chamonix.
Climbing in 100 years? Your idea?
Even smaller amount of top climbers and even more spoiled climbing public because of new technologies and emphasis on safety. In 100 years they will try to repeat our first ascents in the mountains and say “wow, they were tough guys back then”. Just as we say today when climbing Cassin's routes.
The greatest experience in climbing?
Every sunrise after a tough bivouac.
Plans for the future?
To spread the vision of alpinism among the common people, get to know new directions to known and unknown mountains...
Pavel Vrtík
Articles, videos and links about Bača
- Mountaineer of the year 2012: Bača and Milan Doležal were awarded the 2nd prize for the first ascent of Alpes Angels on the northern face Aiguille Sans Nom (25 pitches, M7/A1).
- Ascent of the year 2012: also this time Bača won the Ascent of the year prize in the category of Mountains under 6,000 m with mixed and glacial character, this time with Milan Doležal for the first ascent of Alpes Angels v on the northern face Aiguille Sans Nom (M7/A1). At the same time they were awarded a certificate of merit for the first ascent of Eiger Memory on the south-east face of Lomnický peak (6+/A3).
- Alpes Angels: a video from Bača's first ascent on the northern face Aiguille Sans Nom.
- Alpes Angels: in five days (car to car), Pavel “Bača” Vrtík and Milan “Mejla” Doležal managed to climb a new route “Alpes Angels” (25 pitches, M7/A1) on the northern face of Aiguille Sans Nom.
- Eiger Memory: first ascent on the south-east face of the Lomnický peak; with the coming winter, Pavel "Bača" Vrtík and Milan "Mejla" Doležal climbed the first ascent on the 700-m tall south-east face of the Lomnický peak.
- Mountaineer of the year 2011: Dušan Stoupa Janák together with Pavel Bača Vrtík made the first free ascent of Central corner in gallery of Ganek in the High Tatras in Slovakia (8 UIAA, M8-).
- Ascent of the year 2011: Dušan "Stoupa" Janák and Pavel "Bača" again received the prize for the ascent of the year in the category High mountains under 6,000 m above sea level – mixed and glacial character for a double on Ganek in the High Tatras.
- The first free ascent of Central corner in gallery of Ganek in the High Tatras and an ascent of Velky Ganek, 8 UIAA, M8-.
- Tatranian double: Bača and Stoupa did the first free ascent of Central corner in gallery of Ganek in the High Tatras and an ascent of Velky Ganek, 8 UIAA, M8-.
- Ascent of the year 2010: Bača and Stoupa received the Ascent of the year prize in the category Mountains under 6,000 m with mixed and glacial character for climbing the route Vol de Nuit, Mont Blanc du Tacul, M8-, 450 m, OS style.
- Vol de Nuit: Bača and Stoupa climbed the route Vol de Nuit, Mont Blanc du Tacul, M8-, 450 m, OS style.
- Matrix Reloaded: an extraordinary film about pushing the boundaries of mixed climbing in the High Tatras, packed with action and lots of beer...
- Matrix: Bača and Stoupa opened up a new mixed route on the northern face of the Maly Kezmarsky peak in the High Tatras, Matrix M8/M9
- Dragon Flight Through the North Face of Les Droites, an article about the first ascent on the northeast face of Les Droites (Pavel Vrtík + Jan Straka, March 2014) + video at Vimeo.