Stefan Glowacz, b. 1965

I see rock climbing not just as sport, but a way of life. Sometimes I can just sit at the bottom of a cliff, look around and feel good. I don’t even have to climb.

Stefan Glowacz

2005

Vom Winder Verweht (Gone with the Wind) IX/IX+ A2, 27 pitches, North Face of Murallon, Patagonia, first ascent, with Robert Jasper. In 2004 the pair got to within 250 m of the summit, before storms forced them to retreat. ASCENT NOMINATED FOR PIOLET D’OR.

Book „On the Rocks: Leben an den Fingerspitzen“

2004

Letzte Ausfahrt Titlis (Last Exit Titlis) 8b, 13 pitches, 500m, Titlis, Urner Alps, first ascent, with Markus Dorfleitner

2003

Story About Dancing Dogs VI 5.13a, 21 pitches, 600m Mt. Poi,  Ndoto Mountains, Kenya, repeat, with Kurt Albert

Lost World 6b+ M8, 1100m, North Pillar of Cerro Murallon, Patagonia, first ascent, with Robert Jasper 

2001

La Conjura de Los Necios (Conspiracy of Fools) 5.13a, 23 pitches, 800 m, Basaseachic Waterfall National Park, El Gigante, Mexico, first ascent, with Kurt Albert, Hans Martin, Mariusz Hoffman. A lot of vegetation, poor rock quality, run-outs of 7-10m with no decent protection between.

End of Silence 8b+ (1 of 8a+/8b, 1 of 8a+), 11 pitches, the Berchtesgaden Alps. On August 23 he became the first to redpoint the 1994 trilogy of multi-pitch 8b’s in the Alps considered to be the hardest rock climbs in the world.

2000

Hotel Supramonte 8b (7c obl.), 11 pitches, second ascent, Gola di Gorropu, Sardinia
 
Odyssey 2000 5.12b 500m, Polar Bear Spire, Baffin Island,  first ascent, with Kurt Albert, Holger Hember and Gerd Heidorn

1999

South West Face VIII/VIII+, Cape Renard Tower, Antarctica, with Kurt Albert, Hans Martin Götz, Gerhard Heidorn, Holger Heuber and Jürgen Knappe

 Book „Hoch hinaus. Ein Verkäufer und ein Bergsteiger auf Erfolgstour“

1998

Silbergeier 8b+, 7 pitches (1 of 8b+, 1 of 8b), 200m, Rätikon. Stefan called the route the most beautiful of the whole trilogy

1997

South Face VIII, 22 pitches, 700m, Tupilak, Greenland, with Kurt Albert, Hans Martin Götz, Jürgen Knappe, Holger Heuber and Thomas Urlich. The team used mostly natural gear, though each stance was equipped with two hand-drilled bolts to facilitate rappel descent.

1996

Fitzcarraldo VIII+, 700m, North Pillar of Mount Harrison Smith, Cirque of Unclimbables, Logan Mountains, Canada. with Kurt Albert, Gred Heidorn and Loe Reitzner. The journey from the Canol Road took two weeks of continuous effort, climb offered sustained crack and face climbing, the difficulties were seldom easier than VI and the crux was a weighty VIII+. The route was climbed with 50 bolts, all placed by hand on lead.

South West Face VII+/VIII-, 20 pitches, 700m, Lotus Flower Tower, Canada, ascent, 8 hours

1994

Des Kaisers Neue Kleider 8b+, 8 pitches (2 pitches of 8b+), 300m,  the Kaiser Mountains. He made a first RP ascent of the route in the late August. The line is usually considered the hardest of the three creating “the Alpine Trilogy”. Two of Emperor’s pitches are 8b+, while the other routes have only one each.

[Working on Des Kaisers Neue Kleider] gave me so much pleasure that I said to myself […]: What actually interests me more? After I did some soul-searching, I decided that climbing as I had learned it and practiced in the early years is what I still enjoy doing the most. 

Moby Dick IX-/IX A1 (20m), 25 pitches, 1000 m, west face of Nalumasortoq, Tasermiut Fjord, Greenland, with Kurt Albert (Germany) and Ben Mastertson (GB). Climbers used a solar rechargeable electric drill to equip the climb which was often criticized afterwards.

1993

World Championships in Innsbruck, 3rd place

After the third knee operation announced his decision to retire from competition climbing

Cuir et dentelles 8a+ OS, Orgon

La belle marquise 8a+ OS, Sugitons

Public Enemy 8b OS, Cuenca

El Arte de Hacer Te 8a+ OS, Cuenca

Cazaprimeras 8a OS, Cuenca

El calvario del sicario 8c RP, Cuenca

L’Odi Social 8c RP, Siurana, second ascent

1992

Meatgrinder Arete 5.13b OS in Yosemite

Agincourt 8c RP, Buoux 

Won Rock Master in Arco

1990

La Rage de Vivre 8b+ RP, Buoux, France

Starred in a feature film of Werner Herzog “Shrei aus Stein” (“Cry of Stone”).

1989

Won Rock Master in Arco (he tied with Patrick Edlinger)

 Book “Richtig Freiklettern” published

1988

Wet Willy 8b+, Verdon, first ascent

Sceance Tenante 8a, Verdon, on-sight

Crime Passionelle 8b, Verdon, first one day ascent

 Book „Rocks Around the World“ published

1987

Ninja 8b+, Ogawayama, Japan, first ascent

Excellent Power IX+ OS, one of the hardest routes in Japan at the time

East Face of The Monkey Face 5.13d, Smith Rock, the USA

Rude Boys 5.13c, Smith Rock, the USA

Pyromania 5.13b, Needles, the USA

Salathe Wall, El Capitan, attempted a free ascent of the route, made two forays on the Salathe in an attempt to free it, both unsuccessful

It was impossible to do the route in the style we were trying. After our experiences, we decided you need to make it into expedition: clean the rock, drill more bolts, rappel down and train on the Headwall. But we weren’t really interested in that kind of project.

Rock Mater competition, Arco, Italy, 1st place, the only one men competitor to finish two routes: 8a OS and about 8b/c RP 

Simulacre 8b, Cimai, repeat

1986

Kurz und Schmerzlos VIII-, 7 pitches, Unterer Schüsselkarturm,  the Wetterstein, first ascent, with H. Hillmaier

Lord of the Rings 31, Mt. Arapiles, Australia, first ascent

Punks in the Gym 31/32, Mt. Arapiles, Australia, second ascent,

Stefan: The hardest route I’ve ever done

1985

Won the first competition ever in Bardoneccia, Italy

Wolfgang [Gullich] and I thought the event would be a good time like many of the traditional meets. We were wrong. We entered the climbers’ camp and saw the somber faces of contestants. Laughs and socializing were replaced by sidelong glances and nervous chatter. Many serious young lizards just spent their time cleaning sticky-rubber soles to a squeak.

1984

The Face X-, Frankenjura, second ascent of famous Jerry Moffatt’s route (the first route of this grade in Germany)

The Phoenix 5.13a, Yosemite

Rainbow Wall 5.13a, Eldorado Canyon

I had hard time on it, but it was a very important ascent for me.

1983

Mosaik 9, Frankenjura,  first ascent of direct finish to Jerry Moffatt’s New Wave which ended at the prominent bolt above the crux in the middle of the wall

Enrduss Flip Direct IX+, Frankenjura, first ascent

1982

Locker vom Hocker VIII, Schusselkarspitzem, first free ascent o Albert – Güllich route, with P. Gschwendtner

Heisse Nummer VIII-, Oberreintalturm, the Wetterstein, second overall and first fall-free ascent, with  Bernhard Schmid 

Sommernachstraum (A Minsummer Night’s Dream) VII/VII+, Oberreintalturm, the Wetterstein, first ascent, with Bernhard Schmid

1981

Henke/Panrerfall, Oberreintal Turm, the Wetterstein, first free ascent

Stefan Glowacz is sponsored by: