Season 2025 of Pepa Šindel
The year 2025 brought another major shift in Pepa Šindel's career. At the age of 18, he became one of the youngest climbers to climb the iconic Action Directe (9a) route in Frankenjura. This route was first climbed by Wolfgang Güllich in 1991 and remains one of the greatest symbols of sport climbing to this day. This achievement confirmed that Pepa is no longer just a "young talent" but a true member of the world's elite. He describes his season below, and what he has achieved this year is truly remarkable. We take our hats off to him 🎩.
January 2025 – Goosfraba 8c+ (Arco - Italy)
The year started in Arco with amazing weather and conditions. The route was first climbed by Stefano Ghisolfi and consists of a brutal intro through the first four quickdraws, almost entirely on a roof, where every clip is tough… Once, while clipping the fourth draw, I even took a ground fall 😀. Then comes the crux: a very long move to a thin stalactite followed by a jump to a jug. After that, there’s a rest and a Frankenjura-style finish on pockets, which is easier but still tricky—I even messed that up once. I sent the route on my very last attempt before leaving.
February 2025 - Nid de Fadas 9a, Capricorn 8c+ (Leonidio – Greece)
I flew to Leonidio with my brother for a week, and my main goal was Capricorn 8c+. Surprisingly, I sent it on the first day, third try!
Feeling strong, I immediately started asking around for other hard routes… I was recommended Nid de Fadas 9a in the Nifada sector. From the first try, I loved it.
The start is very overhanging with long moves on jugs and pockets, then comes a kneebar that doesn’t allow much rest, but you need to focus for the next CRUX, which surprisingly is on pockets like in Frankenjura. In the middle of the boulder, there’s a bad clipping position with ground fall potential, so I had to extend the draw twice. The second half of the boulder is one hard shoulder move to a crimp and then pure endurance to the next quickdraw, where I fell on every move during attempts. Thankfully, there’s a great rest on jugs with another kneebar, and then the finish: big overhanging climbing on jugs, but you need to stay sharp because the pump is insane. The last two meters were unpleasant because the holds were wet. From what I know, this was the second repeat. The route was bolted by French climber Guillaume Lebret, who did a lot of bolting in St. Leger.
May 2025 - Classified 9a/9a+ (Frankenjura – Germany)
This line is brutal… 20 meters of highly intense climbing on small painful pockets. Located at Holzgauer Wand in Frankenjura, bolted and opened by legend Christian Bindhammer in 2003. The first ascent came 10 years later by none other than Alex Megos at age 19.
The route starts with three quickdraws of relatively easy climbing where you can move fast without stopping. Then comes an opening sequence of three moves leading to a good two-finger pocket. Here lies the hardest boulder of the route, Dess Moss 10+ (the first part of Classified), consisting of a bad backhand, grabbing a mono, and a long move to a good two-finger pocket for index and middle finger, from which you reach another mono and then a final jump to a decent rest—the last real rest. From here, Dess Moss goes left, and the final Classified boulder begins. I think it’s around 8A+, and no move is free: starting with a long pump from a mono undercling to a sloper, then a two-finger lock-off. The main three crux moves come now: a super small left two-finger pocket, a bad sloper for balance, and a long jump just below the chains to a good edge—if you hit it, you won’t fall because there’s a big victory jug just to the left.
May 2025 - Modified 9a+ (Frankenjura – Germany)
Modified is the harder right-hand variant of Classified (9a/9a+), which I climbed two weeks earlier. It shares the same starting boulder as Hänsel ohne Gretel (8b), then traverses left and joins Classified at the third quickdraw. I originally thought the difficulty would be almost the same since it only adds a bit of endurance from Hänsel. But after several failed attempts, I realized the final boulder is much harder due to the added endurance—I definitely underestimated it. It took another trip and seven more tries before I finally sent it 🙂 Another 9a+ at last!!!!
The full article and a couple of videos about these two routes can be found here.
July 2025 - Action Directe 9a (Frankenjura – Germany)
The legendary route that Wolfgang Güllich climbed in 1991, pushing the limits of human possibility. I spent nine days and about 25 attempts on Action. I thought I’d climb it much faster, but for some reason, I kept falling on the last hard move. After sending it, I tried the iconic Wallstreet and almost climbed it the same day as Action on my second try, but fell on the last move. Too bad… It would have been amazing to send both lines in one day. Anyway, I needed two more tries to finish it the next day. A great Wolfgang weekend.
July 2025 - Wallstreet 8c (Frankenjura – Germany)
A beautiful boulder through an overhanging bulge. I loved this route because of the beauty of the crux sequence: grabbing a bad two-finger pocket, cutting feet, and throwing the left foot super high under the left hand. This allows you to lock the pocket and comfortably grab a nasty edge with your right hand. The most beautiful route I climbed this summer 🙂
July 2025 - Nice freshly baked 9a, Shangri–la 8c+ (Frankenjura – Germany)
Shangri-La is one of the most beautiful routes I’ve ever tried. It’s simply amazing! An opening boulder, an endurance middle section, and a tricky finishing boulder. After Shangri-La, I tried the harder variant called Nice Freshly Baked, first climbed by Alex Megos, which adds one hard and very long uncertain move from a left mono at the top. Second Czech ascent after Adam Ondra.
August 2025 – Crise de Panique 8c+ (Bas – Valais – Switzerland)
A four-day stop in the Swiss mountains and a big change after a month in Frankenjura: 30 meters of endurance climbing on granite. After the first day, I was completely wrecked and thought I’d never send it. But after a rest day and a 20 km hike, i sent the route 😊 Super happy about that.
August 2025 – Vysoké napětí XIb – (Teplice – Czech Republic)
Two-day stop at the festival in Teplice. Besides having a slide show, I managed to climb this amazing route that I had already tried last year.
September 2025 - Procesor 9a/9a+ (Višňové – Slovakia)
A route in my home area Višňové, the right-hand variant of Proces 9a. Procesor was tough because it’s a powerful beast in a total roof with a finish on crimps.
First Ascents – Slovakia
- Pšeničný námel 8c+ -bolted by Matúš “Kuko” Kostka in 2017. A beautiful line in the Repiska sector in the Low Tatras.
- Pravý námel 8c+ - same start, but the hard jump is now done with the left hand, and the route continues more to the right.
- Harmatanec 9a – Krpcovo - interesting, mysterious, and hard bouldery route. The roof is the hardest part: nine moves on super small holds in the ceiling with the hardest span from a miserable two-finger pocket.
- Maninská Hvězda 8c+ - Manin - bolted by Peter Macúš. Climbing on beautifully exposed rock in the Posledná sector. Two technical boulders with kneebars.
October 2025 - Morpheus 8c Flash (Nassereith – Austria)
Perfect beta from my brother Venca saved me during a big fight. Venca also climbed it shortly after, and it’s his first 8c!
That was my 2025 season, and I’d say it went pretty well. If I had to pick the best achievement, it would be sending Modified 9a+. In autumn, I made three trips to the Austrian area Nassereith, where I tried Clash of Titan, graded 9b. Despite very promising attempts, the route didn’t go down yet. I’ll have to wait for next year. Anyway, the goal for the next season is clear!!!
Summary
- 1x 9a+
- 2x 9a/9a+
- 4x 9a
- 7x 8c+
Thanks for everything.
Pepa Šindel
IG:@pepasindel
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