Radoslav Groh is best known for his many Himalayan first ascents, but the Czechian climber also has some interesting ambitions for new winter routes in the Alps. Last week, he teamed up with Juraj Koren, a partner from past Himalayan expeditions, for a cool new line on the south face of Grossglockner, the highest peak in the Austrian Alps.
Their mixed route, Kaiser Direct, includes difficulties up to M7. The climb also had a factor that rarely appears in climbing reports: the joy of two old friends coming together again after some time, and who enjoyed every minute of the climb.
Koren, left, and Groh on the summit of Grossglockner. Photo: Jurej Koren
“I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a long time,” Koren told ExplorersWeb afterward.
Details of the route
Koren shared some details about the climb:
“The route is relatively balanced with the crux at the third pitch…a beautiful overhanging corner with a good crevice but weaker footholds,” Koren wrote. That section reminded him of the Pirana route in the Slavkov Towers of Slovakia’s High Tatras, where he learned mixed climbing.
After the crux, the route continued on easier pitches and traversed a snow field toward a pillar that led directly to the Kleine Glockner, a subpeak of Grossglockner.
“We climbed several slab and crag sections from M4+ to M6,” Koren explained. “You need to use undercling holds and step on tiny (only a few millimeters) footholds. Finally, the route gets to the snowfields below the summit.” From there, they did the last bit via the normal route.
For future climbers, the pair noted that they left one piton in the belay station at the end of the seventh pitch.
Groh and Koren have taken part in several expeditions around the world. In 2022, Koren was to have joined Groh and Zdenek Hak for the first ascent of Nepal’s Chumbu (6,859m), but he caught dengue fever in Kathmandu and had to return home for treatment.
