This Speed Solo Climb on the Piz Badile Will Make Your Palms Sweat

If you were not aware, the Piz Badile is totally mega. The only thing that rivals it? Apparently, climber Filip Babicz.


This article was originally published on GearJunkie.


The peak pierces the Swiss/Italian border in the Bregaglia range and rises to an altitude of 3,308m — most of it in sheer granite.

There’s one ridgeline that affords more or less express access to the top. If you’re in pursuit of a speed ascent, that’s where you’re going. Make no mistake, it is not a walk. Just ask rock climber Filip Babicz, who captured the speed record on the mountain September 10.

Babicz alternately scampers up horrifically exposed slabs, trots across broken granite knife blades, and edges along narrow ramps on his way to the summit.

When he got there, the watch read 42 minutes, 52 seconds. Watch til the end; you won’t want to miss the aftermath, which focuses on a clearly delirious Babicz at the summit marker. Seeing him collapsed and panting below the monolith, it’s hard to believe he didn’t miss a step along the way — and pay the price.

Sam Anderson

Sam Anderson spent his 20s as an adventure rock climber, scampering throughout the western U.S., Mexico, and Thailand to scope out prime stone and great stories. Life on the road gradually transformed into a seat behind the keyboard, where he acted as a founding writer of the AllGear Digital Newsroom and earned 1,500+ bylines in four years on topics from pro rock climbing to slingshots and scientific breakthroughs.