Travel, climbing, passion: trip reports by three athletes. EP1: Klemen Bečan

The Petzl RocTrip 2014 took to the road in September and October looking to explore the cliffs and crags throughout Eastern Europe, to enjoy a wide variety climbing types and styles. Through trip reports by Klemen Bečan, Philippe Ribière, and Mümin Karabaş, discover how these athletes from Team Petzl turn their passion into a genuine voyage.

Klemen Bečan, route development upside down!

"Reverence" 8c+, Citibi, Turkey

Klemen joined Team Petzl in 2013. He traveled with the 2014 Petzl RocTrip from Bulgaria all the Way to Turkey, and took advantage of the opportunity to hit the road beforehand and to continue the voyage after the festivities. In total, he climbed through twelve Eastern European countries with his wife, Anja, developing several new routes along the way. Klemen talks about his journey, the Petzl RocTrip, the climbing areas he discovered, and his projects.

You started your trip before the beginning of The Petzl RocTrip, how long were you on the road?
I just came back home a few days ago, November 14, after 3 months of travel. Not long enough of course, but still, three months.

How many countries did you travel to?
We traveled to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey; 12 in all.

Could you describe your itinerary?
When I first heard about the cool idea for a RocTrip "on the road," my hope was to be able to extend the trip to visit even more countries. I added a few before the event to avoid having to drive all the way to Romania in one day. In any case, I had plans for quite some time to travel to Eastern Europe.

Our first stop was in Split (Croatia), where we climbed in Markezinene Greda. Then, Daniel Piccini took us deep water soloing (DWS) one day to Ciovo Island. Afterwards, we slowly made our way south, stopping in a few other spots along the way until we reached Drašnice. In Drašnice I wanted to bolt a new 220m high line, a superb overhanging route with huge tufas. I needed four days to clean and bolt it, and now it's ready to be climbed. The goal was to climb the route on our way back home but the weather ruined our plans. In Drašnice we also picked up the third member of our team, Marwan Maayta from Jordan, who traveled with us all the way to Bulgaria.

Drašnice, Croatia

Ciovo, Croatia

Markezina Greda, Croatia

While driving through Bosnia on our way to Montenegro, we saw several amazing walls at a beautiful mountain pass in the Durmitor Mountains. I was tired of driving, so we stopped next to some limestone boulders and started bouldering: perfect rock, perfect views, and perfect temps for a perfect break. My guess is that nobody had ever climbed on these boulders before, and it's highly likely that nobody ever will again, but if possible I would like I to go back there someday and climb some more.
After the Durmitor Mountains, on our drive to Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro), we stopped every 500 meters to scope out one amazing blank cliff after another. Routeless wonders, even though the rock looked incredible. At the end of the canyon (5 minutes from Podgorica) we finally found an area with existing routes. We started climbing and quickly observed just how good of the rock was. After 2 days of climbing I ran out of existing routes to climb, so I had to pull out my Bosch power drill to establish a new one. "Unfortunately" I sent the route on my first attempt; rated 8b, "Rotor and Wings," became the hardest route in the country. This did not last long, since the following day I bolted a new and even harder line right next to it. It took me a few more tries to send, so I rated it 8b+. I named the route "Neverovatni Dinosauri" (unbelivable dinosaurs) since the tufas reminded me of these prehistoric creatures. We then drove to another canyon not too far away, and all I can say is that it's just not fair that they have so much good quality rock with no routes and almost no climbers. For me the area would be the perfect place to live, bolt, and climb.

The road then took us to Albania and Macedonia. We visited the newly developed area, Mavrovo, which has a lot of potential for new routes. As with before, I soon ran out of routes to climb, so I bolted a new one. This time around the route proved too hard, and I'll have to go back for the send. It's a long, 50-meter, overhanging monster of a route with just enough holds for me to get to the top from one bolt to another; super hard but definitely doable.
One month flew by, and we had to make our way to Romania. We spotted several good places to climb along the way and will visit of them several again. In a way it's a good thing that there are so few routes at the moment since I like to set new ones, search for new lines, and develop new areas. For those who just want to climb, I suggest waiting a year or two before heading there.

When you went to Montenegro, you talked about bolting and climbing hard routes (8b). Could you describe your routes?
There are a multitude of possibilities for new hard routes in Smokovac, but I wanted to set one just a little bit harder than the other routes already there. I wanted to establish a new route that would not just be climbed by me and then gather dust for 10 years. This way the locals have something to try or project. The line was also the best looking line, with just enough holds and a 10-meter long tufa at the end. I spotted the second line, "Neverovatni Dinosauri," while I was bolting "Rotor and Wings". I could tell that it would be just a little bit harder, but not too hard and with really cool moves. If you ask me now which route is better I would say the first one looks better, and the second one has better moves on it. But both are super cool!

"Neverovatni Dinosauri," 8b+, Smokovac, Montenegro

Why did you choose these routes? And how long did you work on both new routes?
First, I just look at the wall and try to imagine where be the most logical line is to get to the top. I do this all the time at every area where I climb, even if I don't have a plan to develop a new route. I just try to envision the most natural line. When I find it I rappel down the line, try some moves, look for bolt placements, look at the line again, and drill the bolts, which ends up being the easiest part. Cleaning usually takes some time, but here in Smokovac I was lucky. It only took a little bit of brushing and the new route was ready to climb. .

"Rotor and wings," 8b, Smokovac, Montenegro

In general, how do you choose your routes?
I choose them for their beauty. They have to look appealing, logical, and have that extra special something. I don't like combinations or routes that are too close together, but sometimes this is how it works out. I just want to make the best possible line with the rock I see.

Could you discuss the projects you sent during the Petzl RocTrip?
My main goal on the trip was to climb as much as possible and as many routes as I could. I like to onsight, so this is what I did most of the time. I onsighted up to 8b . I had one project in Citibi that I bolted last year. Here the route prevailed, and I have to train a bit more and come back stronger if I hope to send it. The moves were just too hard to link together this time. However, I sent a route near Citibi called "Reverence," rated 8c+, on my second try, and it was much easier than my project.

What was the hardest project for you and why?
The hardest that I bolted are the routes in Maurovo (Macedonia) and Over Limit (Datca, Turkey), both harder than 9a but I have yet to climb them. The hardest route that I sent is "Reverence". In any case for me, actually sending the route is not so important in the end, what I enjoy is the process, working on it, cleaning it, trying the moves, and figuring out the beta. Clipping the chains is just the extra bonus for the hard/fun work.

What was your favorite project and why?
"Over limit," 9?, in Datca, Turkey. It is a 60m overhanging monster of a route that not many people try since it looks so intimidating. The first pitch is 8a. The second is at least 9a that I named "Limit of Explosion," with a crazy dyno from two small crimps and other moves that are also super cool with amazing tufas and complex beta. The chain is roughly 45 meters up, with a big no-hands rest. As a bonus, you can climb a third pitch, 20 meters long, which by itself is probably 9a. Both middle chains are in logical spots, with a big rests. The route gets much harder just after, but the whole line has the merit of going all the way to the top of this amazing wall. I hope to be able to send it one day, or that at least someone else will.

"Reverence," 8c+, Citibi, Turkey

7a+, Baile Herculane, Roumania

What are your current projects?
I'm planning to go to Spain. I'll climb a bit in Catalonia and then head to areas around Valencia. I'll mostly onsight, but also work some harder routes. Of course, if I see a cool line I will bolt and clean it.

How do you prefer to travel?
I like traveling in my VW T4 Multivan. I have everything I need in it, and can sleep anywhere I want. During the trip people invited me to stay at their house, to sleep in a normal bed, but in the end we still chose to stay in our fancy car that really feels like home. What could be better than waking up, drinking some coffee, and stepping outside right beneath the wall or your project?

How do you manage your equipment when you travel?
We developed a so-called system for packing the car, but it doesn't really work well, and we have to search a lot to find what we're looking for. Sure, it's a small car but we still manage to lose things in it!

Had you heard of the climbing areas before you left?
I searched a lot on the Internet and tried to contact local climbers for the info about where the best places to climb are and when. Also I wanted to discuss with them about developing new routes to make sure that they wouldn't have any problems with the locals because of me. Everyone provided me with great information and also recommended other spots that I ended up visiting or I will visit in my next trip (or both like Datca).

What kind of climbing are you in to?
I like any type of climbing where I can simply get off the ground: bouldering, climbing routes, multi-pitch climbing, ice climbing, tree climbing, searching for new climbs, and even jugging lines. I don't know why but I like it all.

"Morning warmup," Bafa Lake, Turkey

"Out of Energy," 8c+, Datça, Turkey

"Tufa Bazar," 8a+, Citibi, Turkey

What was your favorite climbing area during the trip?
Datca, I think. Prilep was also really good and I enjoyed Meteora. Bafa would be better with temps a bit lower, but I had good time there anyway. Citibi is one of the best places in the world, and Mavrovo has the potential to become a great spot as well. I enjoyed bolting the wall in Drašnice where I was able to hang around and develop new routes to try next time. The the wall was always the best place to be during the trip.

High Ball 6A, Bafa Lake, Turkey