I have long been captivated by Saxony and Bohemian sandstone, it has all the ingredients that ignite and inspire my personal climbing goals.

As a UK trad climber and crack addict, I first discovered Elbsandstein in the 90s, drawn by the multitude of stunning features in its magical landscape, I became totally obsessed.

Not only does these areas offer the most aesthetic lines but its unique ethics add another dimension, a tangable connection with the past, in a world of ever changing technology the climbing experience here takes you back to its primal basics, you and the rock, the mixture of technique and commitment with a sprinkling of fear; The ground up approach leaves the challange untainted, meaning you get both a physical and a mental workout.

I have spent close to 40 years traveling far and wide in search of inspiring climbing objectives, and for me, there is no better place; it now feels like my spiritual home.

Initial inspiration came from the likes of Bernd Arnold and Herbert Richter, and the gauntlet thrown down by the earlier pioneers and standards achieved for the time never fail to amaze me.

Wide cracks are my pleasure of choice, hand, fist, offwidth, and squeeze. For many years I felt like an outcast, struggling to find a regular climbing partner with staying power, who enjoyed the creative brutality of the style, Then about 6 years ago I was fortunate to find an equal in the form of Dutch offwidth climber Kris Schrijvers (aka The Dutch crusher), Kris had served his offwidth apprenticeship in the USA with local sandstone gurus Pamela Shanti Pack and Devin Finn. We quickly became friends and formed a strong climbing connection.

This June I took a break from the sea cliffs of Cornwall to meet up with Kris in the Legendary sandstone mecca of Adrspach and have our skills put to the test.

Having done battle with many of the area’s mega cracks in the past;

“Udolni” Hlaska (Teplice)
“Big wall” The President (Elbe Valley),
“Ostrisse” Dreifingerturm (Schrammsteine),
“Schiefer Tod” Einsiedler (Pfaffenstein)
“Talseite” Schwager (Schrammsteine)

to name a small selection.

We arrived with a list of potential test pieces in our style of choice,

Kris had one in particular that sparked our interest, it was an awesome line, first climbed in 1961 by the legendary sandstone master Herbert Richter.

It was also Richter’s 90th birthday this year, so an ascent felt a fitting tribute.

STARA CESTA (OLD ROUTE), VIIIa (6a+), SKŘÍŇ TOWER

The Stara Cesta on the Skrin tower follows an impressive line carving a steep crack from bottom to top.

Thankfully it is situated on the North East face, which was perfect for the high temperatures and humidity we were experiencing.

It starts with a diagonal hand/fist crack through a series of small overhangs, before turning offwidth and soaring vertically up the headwall to an awkward overhanging finish.

The first pitch proved to be both technical and strenuous, requiring sketchy powerful moves off flared undercut jams, with little in the way of footholds except friable sandy smears, I won’t give away the details of the crux, but needless to say, it made me work; After my initial attempt I down climbed with a flash pump to lick my wounds… Kris’s attempt ended with the same result!

15 minutes later I was back at my high point and after testing the knot I dug deep for some commitment, and with a surge of adrenaline managed to find the right combination of jams to unlock the sequence then make the sketchy moves across and up to belay under the roof.

Kris pulled powerfully out over the roof in a flurry of sandstone dust to gain the offwidth on the 2nd pitch then disappeared from view; The rope steadily moved up through my belay device whilst a combination of guttural sounds and whoops of joy drifted back down, clearly he was in his element having a good time bypassing the next ring and linking the whole headwall crack to the stance.

A while later I followed, throwing in a wide variety of offwidth techniques, arm bars, Chicken wings, and gastons in the lower half, then switching to Leavittation with butterfly stacks, knee locks, and heel toes in the upper half, grinning to myself at Kris’s stamina and drive to keep going!

My arrival at the belay was met with much laughter and back slapping in celebration of a joint effort.

The last pitch proved to be a sting in the tail and a fitting finale to a superb route offering an awkward overhanging continuation to the lower offwidth which is devoid of protection and focuses the mind.

At the summit we sat a while, immersed in the magic of the surrounding landscape, enjoying the warmth of the sun, listening to the breeze through the trees, and the distant call of soaring falcons.

We sign our names in the book, tip our hats in respect of the talented Mr Richter, then with big fat grins of satisfaction, descend in search of a cold pivo.

At the end of another trip, it was “Stara cesta” on the Skrin, along with an ascent of the superb offwidth “Zalomena Spara” on the Tarzan tower that stood out and left an indelible mark.

“Musi Spara” and “Heavy Shackles” remain on our list!

I guess we’ll be back soon.

Dekuji, Adrspach!