Some stories are endless, not because they never end, but because they last forever. Nine years after his first attempt, Nemu returned to the “Infinite Story”. One of the most legendary multi-pitch routes in the Rätikon. What began as a climbing project turned into an adventure filled with tough moves, sleepless nights in a portaledge, and unforgettable moments. Because sometimes it’s precisely these moments that make a story truly endless.
For a story to be infinite, it needs experiences that evoke a sense of infinity in time. Nine years ago, together with my coach at the time, Mark, I attempted the notorious multi-pitch route “The Neverending Story.” Beat Kammerlander made the first ascent in 1990, followed by the redpoint the next year. With a length of 400 meters and a difficulty rating of 8b+, it was considered one of the most difficult multi-pitch routes in the world at the time.
I can still remember exactly how Mark managed to top-rope both key pitches on our fifth day on the route. Ever since that day, I’d wanted to go back, and so it happened that Lea came to visit me from Vienna and we took a trip to the Rätikon. Lea was also excited by the idea of bringing the portaledge and spending a night on the wall—she’d never done anything like that before. My plan to boulder the route over two days and then attempt a top-out attempt in the near future turned out a little differently, and so on Monday I managed to climb the first six pitches, including both 8b pitches. It was shortly after seven; for a moment, I considered “pushing through” the last five pitches with my headlamp, but the lure of the warm sleeping bag and the thought of spending a cozy evening on the portaledge was just too strong.
With sparkling eyes and a grin from ear to ear, Nemu arrived at the portaledge next to me after topping out on the second 8b pitch. “Awesome", as Nemu likes to say, was all I could think at that moment. I knew that this was exactly why we’d come here, but experiencing it firsthand, and so quickly, at that, was different from what I’d imagined. But these are exactly the moments I climb for: for the joy after a successful ascent, for the time spent together, and for the fire that drives you to do more.
To the sounds of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” we enjoyed our dinner and celebrated the successful day together. Tired and snuggled up in our sleeping bags, sleep overtook us, except that climbing those two difficult pitches wasn’t just a dream of Nemuel’s, but had become a reality that very day.
According to Nemu, it was 5:30 a.m. when he woke me up, full of energy, with that same song. Still groggy and tired from the day before, I didn’t want to leave my warm sleeping bag at first. But my climbing partner’s motivation was contagious, so we set out to tackle the remaining pitches.
Unfortunately, by around 2:20 p.m., a 24-hour ascent was no longer possible. But what can I say, the view from the top was breathtaking, and the fact that Nemu had climbed the entire multi-pitch route on top-rope made it all the more wonderful.
And so, this “never-ending” story also comes to an end.
