20 Questions
Describe your climbing background:
I started to go to the mountains with my family at the age of four. With my Dad I climbed several 4000m peaks together in Switzerland. At the age of 14, I discovered bouldering and later sport climbing. From that moment I was a climbing-junkie—I dreamed, thought and lived climbing every day (bouldering, sport and even alpine). In the following years I collected hard sport routes all over Europe, made first ascents and ticked off some of the important limestone alpine routes on the northern rim of the Alps.

Was there a big breakthrough or defining moment for you?
After a short competition career on the German National Team, I started travelling around the globe in 1992. This one-year trip (and many following climbing journeys) changed my attitude for climbing. Numbers and placements were not important anymore, only the experience of adventure and nature and the challenge of exploring my personal limits.

Describe a memorable climbing experience:
In 1990 my first sport climbing highlight was the first ascent of “Baby Basher” (5.14a). Besides that, it was redpointing “Die Welle”, my hardest sport climb so far, which took me 4 years to realize as well as climbing a new multi pitch project “Rock the Casbah” 5.14a/b (bolted in lead) and every deep water soloing experience.

What are you up to when you’re not climbing?
Being a punk-singer or travelling in Canada, U.S., Australia, Himalaya and Africa, to name just a few. From 1992 to 1998 I studied the teaching of handicapped children (psychology for mentally and socially disabled children) at the LMU in Munich, where I finished with a degree for teaching. In 1999 I released my first book “Climbing With Mentally Retarded People.” With the rest of my time, I spend it singing in the two bands “Analstahl” (Old School Punk) and “G. Rag y Los Hermanos Patchekos” (Cuban-Folk-Music).

Any training advice or suggestions?
Anything that is good for motivation helps!!! Same as anything that makes it fun.

Who or what inspires you?
Adventure climbing, expeditions and long-standing projects— climbing doesn’t get boring for me no matter if I’m bolting on lead, crack climbing, bouldering or deep water soloing. And anyone who is doing it with passion and without being jealous is inspiring to me.

How do you see climbing evolving in the next five years?
Bouldering, deep water soloing and a lot of other freaky facets of our sport will become more and more popular.

What do you think about the 5.15 grade?
Climbing will never stop, just look at the 13-year old kiddies cruising up 5.14s. In a few years there will be hard 5.15s and even 5.16, for sure.

Care to comment on: pre-clipping more than one draw on sport routes, pre-placed gear on trad routes, chipping/comfortizing holds or glue vs. no glue?
Pre-clipping more than one draw on sport routes is ok, if the route could be very dangerous. In the future I think you’ll see more hard routes done in this style though.
Pre-placed gear on trad routes is not a very honest style, especially when someone downgrades a climb afterwards.
Chipping/comfortizing holds is bullshit (even if I have done it in the past).
Glue vs. no glue: glue should be used only on very, very bad rock and definitely not on existing routes!!!

What are your future plans or goals in climbing?
My targets for the future besides good health and my personal development are to still focus on travelling with friends, chasing my personal limits in all the climbing disciplines and having fun on the rocks with the help of the companies I’m supported by.