Hotel Supramonte

The story about Hotel Supramonte began several years ago. It's not rock star like and it's not cool. It was just fucking hard work!

I was comfortably on vacation in Sardinia. My girlfriend at the time was a solid 6a climber. And at some point in the middle of our vacation, I needed a little adventure. My girlfriend was supposed to belay me at Hotel Supramonte, which was an even bigger adventure for her. Since the route is extremely steep and goes back and forth quite a bit, belaying had spectacular swinging into the yawning void as a consequence!

The obligatory key passage to be climbed in the third pitch demanded everything from me and was difficult! During my many attempts, I once almost managed to hook the next hook. Unfortunately, my foot then slipped away and I ended up once again in the rope almost back at the belaystation! So I didn't manage to crack the crux of the key pitch. However, since that intense experience, I was definitely inspired by the route.

Three years later, after a longer stay in Oliana, where I could climb my first 8c, I had the idea to test my new high form in the twelve pitches of Hotel Supramonte. Spontaneously I could motivate the Polish world class climber Alexandra Taistra, who could already realize more and harder routes than I, to try together Hotel Supramonte again.

Alexandra had little experience with long adventurous routes. Since we had only five days left from the birth of the idea to the date I had to be back home, it became a chaotic action. Late in the evening we finally booked the ferry. We drove off, through the night, so as not to miss the ferry early the next morning in Savona. After quite a few Red Bulls and, as it turned out later, speeding tickets, we missed our ferry by only 10 minutes. We thought. When some clarity and calm arrived at the counter of the ferry port, we luckily missed the wrong ferry! Our booked ferry would not have gone to Olbia, but to Bastia, Corsica! In any case, I will never again confuse Olbia and Bastia.

Never before have I been with a more motivated climber! We were at the entrance of Hotel Supramonte the next day. And the next remaining three days we set everything to win a red point from this route.
On the third day we also came amazingly close to our goal. Only the fifth pitch made us stop. Alexandra already had an open bleeding finger after her two attempts. Without batting an eyelash, she quickly glued her bleeding finger shut with instant glue. A fat tape over it and she started again. Unfortunately, without success. At the key point Alexandra came flying towards me for the third time. I also gave my all again for the last time and crashed after the key section with a long pendulum fall. The result was an open bloody chin and a badly sprained wrist, which caused me pain for several months. After a trip to Yosemite, Alexandra called me again super motivated: "Roger, come on, let`s try again!" This time we booked the right ferry. However, climbing hard in Sardinia at the end of June with super warm temperatures was a stupid idea. We didn`t make it. Had to blame it on the temperatures or lack of strength. Ate as a consolation, however, much gelati, fish and also a bottle of good Cannonau wine.

2017: Again I was allowed to spend a weile in Oliana. Also this season I managed to climb a new highlight. Mind Control with 8c/+ my current hardest sport climbing route. And everything happened by chance that I found with Jonas Schild a super strong and young climbing partner, who traveled with me again to Sardinia.
I picked Jonas up in Bern in the middle of May. He just managed to get into my car. He had had diarrhea and vomiting all night. Tired and unfit, we arrived in Sardinia after a long night on the ferry. So the decision was easy: The first day we will lay down on the beach in Cala Gonone.

On the two following days, however, we really stepped on the gas and Jonas managed to climb all the difficult lengths, if not in the first, then in the second attempt. Which is super strong! After a rest day, Jonas climbed confidently through the entire 12 pitches of Hotel Supramonte. It was inspiring to see with what skill and looseness Jonas mastered the whole thing. A big compliment!

After another day of rest, I climbed the first five difficult pitches again and memorized the key sections as well as I could. The next day, friend and cameraman Daniel Bleuer arrived. The plan was that Daniel would make some recordings of our climbing. We had two full climbing days left from this point until we left. I put all my eggs in one basket and decided to belay only Jonas on the first pitches the following day, so that Daniel could take some spectacular shots of his success.
The next, and at the same time last day woke up mercilessly in windless and under midsummer temperatures. I sat there at the entrance of the route and prayed that as soon as possible the blistering hot sun would disappear from the wall and a wind would blow through the canyon. I start but without wind, even after the sun was out of the wall. I also knew that I actually only had a chance to freely climb the route if there were halfway good conditions, and the one I just encountered there was anything but. It was only on the third attempt that I reached the first belaystation without falling! In the first pitch it has washed away an old stuck tree trunk, over which one could climb earlier relaxed to the first hook. Since this is now gone, it is to start a tricky entry loulder on washed out slippery limestone to overcome. Uffff, there are only eleven more.
Also in the third, which is also the hardest pitch, I had to start twice. I could feel it, it was going to be a fight. Tooth for tooth, eye for eye. In the following two 8a+ pitches, I fought my way somehow and mostly with the 3M method ( Murks Machts Möglich ) to the respective saving belaystation. Inwardly I hoped that Jonas would say: "Let's just rappel and make some good film shots. Today the conditions are too bad and I want to put you out of your misery." Jonas, however, let me continue to struggle in silence.

I fell. Jonas lowered me to the stand once more. I was exhausted. Knowing that I had just failed on the last crux of all twelve pitches and that I might not be able to do this boulder move today. First, we had only half an hour of daylight left and my skin and strength were completely at the end. Once again I started into the 11th pitch. My feet were already hurting me so much that I could hardly stand up properly. After 30 meters I was back at the beginning of the boulder pitch, from which I am supported half an hour ago.deep breaths I again and started for this short, but hard boulder pitch. Right underhand grip, left far up, on a painful small intermediate grip, and again with left pull further and precisely on a small sharp hole, which I had just missed. Eyes closed and BAM! I hit it and get stuck.

I reached the second last belaystation and a HUGE stone falls from my heart. Jonas cheers with me and thanks to his motivating shouts I managed in the last light of the day to finally climb Hotel Supramonte redpoint and end the long story!