Way to the Glory [Max Verstappen]

Chapter 11 - Chilling

TW: Falling from highs, injuries
Before the Flashback, a little bit of new knowledge for every non-climber, it is better if you read this, because it probably will help you do unterstand this down here. If you aren't interested then skip to the beginning of the flashback.

Basically there are now scenes, where she is doing trad climbing, not sport climbing. The diffrence is quite easy.

When sport climbing the leader clips their rope, via quickdraws, into pre-existing bolts. On a bolted route, it is generally safe to fall at any time. [Having this high level of safety allows the leader to focus on the physical aspect of climbing up the rock.]

When someone is trad climbing the leader must place their own gear in the rock. To be safe when trad climbing, the leader must focus on finding gear placements and then select the right piece of gear to fit. This adds a technical and mental aspect to the route.

You can google up cams and nut (which are used in trad climbing) and bolt (sport climbing) if you want to imagine something with that.

Flashback (4 years ago [age 19] 18.10.2018 one day before her 20th birthday)

The day has come, I'm going to try 'Tribe' in Cadarese, Italy. No one has ever completley send it, it is considered as the hardest trad climb in the world. I have already tried it about probably 30 times, but fell everytime, but now I feel ready to stick all the parts together. My climbing buddy and belayer today will be Adam Ondra, I know the famous Adam Ondra, one of the world's best climbers. The one who climbed the hardest sport route in the world, but I know him now for a some time now. The first time we talked, were at my first worldcup 2015 and since that, we are often going climbing together. Pushing each other to the limits and breaking records together. He also got a good friend of mine and so we are here now and I'm trying to break another record. Even RedBull have send a cameraman, because they are going to make a Reel Rock episode out of this route and me climbing it. But little did they know what was going to happen.
In fact Adam was the one told me I'm ready for it and RedBull already asked for filming this. You have to know RedBull is also one of my sponsors and they knew I'm trying to climb this route. But yeah, now I'm placing all the gear on my harness and made the figure eight knot. Just a partner check and then I began climbing. Oh have I already mentioned, all of my biggest supporter also joined me. Means my three brothers, Pierre, Anthonie and my younger cousin Olivia. Mom and dad would also have come, but mom can't watch me trad climbing, she is always too scared, as if something would happen and so dad stayed at home with her.

[This is the route she climbs]

Back to the reality and focusing on the important now, everything is easy right now. The moves I make right now, I already made so often. Then it was time to place the first gear, a nut. I double checked if it is going to hold me before letting out a breath of relief, the first step is done. So I continued, feeling like I'm flying, the motion almost feeling automatic and before I realized, I placed the second gear, a cam. Then there came an "easy" part which I mastered without any incidents and so I placed the third gear a small nut. There now came the first place, which got a bit more overhang, this was the first place I struggled for a long time. I fell there often and now fully concentrated, my breath was still steady and I heard nothing but the birds chirping in the woods. Everything went fine and so I came to the point which was in my opinion the hardest.