More than a Route: What Sprengstoff Taught Me About Growth

Apr 8

This was more than just a send. It was a journey that reflects a lot of change behind the scenes. A testament to the growth I went through over the last few years.

When I first started trying this route, I was in a very different place in life. At the time, Sprengstoff was an exciting line—still an open project—and one of the last hard sport routes in my home region I hadn’t stood on top of. Not long after, Jacopo Larcher claimed the first ascent, and now there was this 9a I really wanted to climb.

In the beginning, it was fun. I was surprised by how quickly I made progress, dialling in the moves. But that momentum faded. Moving to Innsbruck made it harder to regularly get to the crag, and slowly the process became more difficult. Enjoying my time on the route turned into a struggle. It wasn’t just the climbing that challenged me, but performing under pressure and dealing with my own expectations.

That led me down a spiral of negative thoughts, low self-esteem, and overburdening myself. That got to a point where I didn’t feel like myself anymore—and couldn’t act like myself either.

Thankfully, I reached a turning point. I made big changes: moving back home, pausing my studies, and starting to rebuild my foundation. I felt like I had hit rock bottom, but at least I realized it—and that awareness was the start of moving forward again.

None of it would’ve been possible without the people around me. I’m incredibly grateful to my family, the Olympic Center in Dornbirn with Philipp Konnerth, my new coach Max Lommel, my new sport psychology coach Carina Junglut, and my sponsor Samina. A big cornerstone was the regular sport psychology sessions with Carina, which especially during the more difficult times, you could simply call therapy.

I’m proud of the progress I’ve made—especially in self-confidence, reconnecting with my emotions, and being able to tap into my actual performance in comps again. I wasn’t physically at my strongest in 2024, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was reaching a place where I could feel proud of my efforts again. So many small steps brought me to where I am now: a version of myself that’s mentally stronger than ever.

That’s what this journey on Sprengstoff represents. Failing again and again. Picking myself up. Slowly rebuilding. This March, when I started trying it again, the whole process felt different. It wasn’t frustrating or draining anymore—I just loved being outside and trying hard. Something I had missed.

Every small bit of progress felt like a win. Instead of focusing on the fact that I hadn’t finished it yet, I was just enjoying making progress. I wasn’t asking myself whether this was my limit anymore. For the first time, I was confident that I could climb even harder routes.

But knowing I was capable didn’t make things easier. On the contrary—it made each attempt feel heavier, knowing it could be the one. That’s a lot of pressure. Still, I was determined to not give up before temperatures made it unrealistic to keep trying.

The day I finally sent it, I had made peace with the idea that it might not happen this season. I told myself I had one more session and then I’d switch back to comp prep and return in the fall.

And then it happened.

It wasn’t a perfect go—I had some close calls—but I stayed patient and believed in myself. In hindsight, it was the perfect representation of this whole journey. A send that wasn’t about perfection, but persistence.

I’m proud to say I didn’t have the mindset to climb this route when I first started it—but now I do. That’s what I’m most thankful for. The character it built. The growth it brought. And the deep emotions it allowed me to feel.

This was so much more than just a route. It was a defining chapter of my life.