Choosing five Great Lines from the thousands of climbing routes in Tirol is no easy task. Our six expert judges, most of whom are themselves active or retired professional climbers, took on the challenge and identified five outstanding climbs rated 6 or 7 on the Austrian difficulty scale. The criteria used were nature, route and rock quality as well as the physical and mental challenge.
The Judges
Barbara Bacher
Barbara Bacher hails from the Ötztal Valley and has been climbing since the age of 10. In 2003 she finished 5th overall in the World Cup as part of the Austrian Climbing Team. Together with Hansjörg Auer she completed a first ascent in Cochamo Valley, Chile, in 2008, followed by a redpoint ascent of "Schwarzer Schwan"…
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Barbara Zangerl
Born and raised in Strengen am Arlberg, Barbara Zangerl became the first woman to climb the Alpine Trilogy including the famous route The Emperor's New Clothes in the Wilder Kaiser Mountains. Climbing magazines refer to her as an allrounder, meaning she excels in all climbing disciplines.
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Martina Harnisch
Martina Harnisch is a qualified physicist and former competitive climber who lives in Innsbruck. Considered one of Austria's best sports climbers, she has completed several 8a+ routes on sight.
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Kilian Fischhuber
Kilian Fischhuber is the first male athlete to win the overall classification of the Boulder World Cup five times. His achievements also include gold at the 2013 European Boulder Championships. In 2014 he retired from competitive climbing and has since dedicated himself to his personal climbing projects.
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Markus Schwaiger
Responsible for sport climbing at the Austrian Alpine Club, Markus Schwaiger also runs training courses for sports climbing teachers and instructors in Tirol. He has completed many first ascents on routes rated up to 8c.
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Michael Meisl
Over the last 15 years professional photographer Michael Meisl has captured some of the world's best climbers in action. His photos have been published in climbing magazines around the world. He is also the publisher of the popular guidebook "Tirol - Sportklettern in Nordtirol".
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