'The most special thing I've done': Two world-class climbers scale the tallest chimney in Europe
Soaring 360 meters into the sky, the Trbovlje Power Station in Slovenia is home to Europe's tallest chimney.
Just the mere sight of it is enough to make most tremble at the knees but two Slovenian climbers saw it as a chance of a lifetime.
In October 2020, Janja Garnbret and Domen Škofic became the first people to free climb the chimney's new route which is now the tallest artificial multi-pitch route in the world.
The pair, who had just a rope to catch them if they fell, were successful on their second attempt after over seven hours of climbing.
"It's definitely the most special thing I've done in my climbing career. It is climbing, but it's a combination of just about everything I experienced before, just combined in one thing," Škofic told CNN Sport.
Both climbers are world-class in their own right.
Škofic, 26, was a climbing prodigy and won the Lead Climbing World Cup title in 2016; Garnbret is quite simply one of the most talented sport climbers on the planet.
The 21-year-old has won multiple world championships and World Cup titles and is one of the favorites to win gold when climbing eventually makes its debut at the Tokyo Olympics.
Despite their expertize, the challenge was still way out of their comfort zone, with both more accustomed to indoor climbing where the wall is usually no more than 30 meters high.
This route, however, contained 13 pitches (or sections) and involved rope techniques that are very different from what they are normally used to.
The chimney itself was built in 1976 and used to emit emissions out of the valley where it's situated. It's been nonoperational since 2014.
'Not in my comfort zone'
But the new route, specifically designed over the course of five years, provided a real endurance test for the two climbers.
"It definitely helps you grow as a person," Garnbret told CNN Sport. "You get a new perspective on climbing and you just get a different feeling, like something I've never done before.
"It really helps because I'm a person who is always looking for a challenge, who always wants to do something new, to do something better.
"So this is definitely a cool project and it was not in my comfort zone. I had to step out and just enjoy the whole process."
Their first attempt took nearly 12 hours and both climbers fell on a number of pitches. Carrying heavy backpacks left them physically exhausted and they realized they hadn't brought sufficient food and drinks to sustain them.
Undeterred, the pair regrouped and went again four days later, successfully scaling the chimney in seven hours and 32 minutes.
Reaching the top after such a grueling climb is a feeling that neither will forget in a hurry.
"When I think back now, I remember how uncomfortable it felt, how it was hot, it was cold, it was windy, it was everything," Garnbret added.
"I also said one time that I never want to go again, that this was my last try and I never want to go again. But it was a super amazing experience and yeah, I was really happy when I came on the top."
'I was more scared looking up'
Although heights come with the territory for climbers, neither had ever experienced such a vertical before.
Škofic still remembers the stomach-churning feeling of standing at the foot of the chimney, looking up as the top disappeared into the clouds.
"I was more scared looking up, watching the chimney. I mean, I had huge respect," he said.
"But when I was on the wall, I kind of fell into the climbing so much that I basically forgot about the heights."
In addition to being an exhausting physical challenge, both agreed that it tested their mental capacity just as much.
Their very safety was dependent on maintaining focus for hours on end and every mistake counts when you're dangling on a climb like this.
Garnbret, who was also comfortable with the dizzying heights, initially struggled with the technique of falling off such a surface.
Indoor walls tend to have a slight overhang which prevents climbers from smashing into the wall when they fall off but the chimney didn't provide such luxury.
"The chimney had the same angle for three hundred and sixty meters. It was almost vertical," she said.
"So when you fell, you fell hard into the wall. So it's something different [...] I had to get used to the falling to just keep this out of my mind. Like to not be scared to fall."
After reflecting on the achievement, neither has ruled out tackling a similar challenge in the future.
Until then, both are excited about the possibility of climbing competitions returning after the pandemic and Garnbret has her eyes firmly focused on the Olympics.
“我做过的最特别的事情”：两名世界级登山者攀登欧洲最高的烟囱
斯洛文尼亚的特尔博夫列发电站高出 360 米，是欧洲最高烟囱的所在地。
仅仅看到它就足以让大多数人在膝盖上颤抖，但两名斯洛文尼亚登山者认为这是一生的机会。
2020 年 10 月，Janja Garnbret 和 Domen Škofic 成为第一批自由攀登烟囱新路线的人，这条新路线现在是世界上最高的人工多节距路线。
如果他们跌倒，这对只有一根绳子可以抓住他们，经过七个多小时的攀登，他们在第二次尝试中取得了成功。
“这绝对是我在攀岩生涯中所做的最特别的事情。它是攀岩，但它结合了我之前经历的几乎所有事情，结合了一件事情，”Škofic 告诉 CNN Sport。
两位登山者本身都是世界一流的。
26 岁的 Škofic 是一位攀岩神童，曾在 2016 年获得过攀岩世界杯冠军； Garnbret 是地球上最有才华的运动登山者之一。
这位 21 岁的年轻人赢得了多项世界冠军和世界杯冠军，并且是攀登最终在东京奥运会上首次亮相时夺得金牌的热门人选之一。
尽管他们很专业，但挑战仍然超出了他们的舒适区，两人都更习惯于室内攀岩，那里的墙壁通常不超过 30 米高。
然而，这条路线包含 13 个绳距（或路段），并且涉及与通常使用的绳索技术截然不同的绳索技术。
烟囱本身建于 1976 年，用于将排放物排放到其所在的山谷之外。自 2014 年以来，它一直处于非运营状态。
'不在我的舒适区'
但是，经过五年专门设计的新路线为两位登山者提供了真正的耐力测试。
“这绝对可以帮助你成长为一个人，”加恩布雷特告诉 CNN Sport。 “你对攀岩有了新的认识，你会得到一种不同的感觉，就像我以前从未做过的事情。
“这真的很有帮助，因为我是一个总是在寻找挑战的人，他总是想做一些新的事情，做一些更好的事情。
“所以这绝对是一个很酷的项目，它不在我的舒适区。我不得不走出去，享受整个过程。”
他们的第一次尝试用了将近 12 个小时，两名登山者都在多个绳距上摔倒。背着沉重的背包让他们筋疲力尽，他们意识到自己没有带来足够的食物和饮料来维持他们的生活。
没有被吓倒，两人重新集结并在四天后再次出发，在 7 小时 32 分钟内成功攀登了烟囱。
在如此艰苦的攀登之后到达顶峰是一种双方都不会匆忙忘记的感觉。
“现在回想起来，我记得当时的感觉是多么不舒服，多么热、多么冷、有风，一切都是如此，”加恩布雷特补充道。
“我还说过一次，我再也不想去，这是我的最后一次尝试，我再也不想去了。但这是一次非常棒的经历，是的，当我登上榜首时，我真的很高兴。”
'我更害怕抬头'
虽然高度是登山者的领地，但他们之前都没有经历过这样的垂直。
Škofic 仍然记得站在烟囱脚下，抬头仰望烟囱顶端消失在云层中时那种反胃的感觉。
“我更害怕抬头看烟囱。我的意思是，我非常尊重，”他说。
“但是当我在墙上时，我有点沉迷于攀登，以至于我基本上忘记了高度。”
除了是一项令人筋疲力尽的身体挑战之外，两人都同意这同样考验了他们的心智能力。
他们的安全性取决于连续几个小时保持专注，当你像这样在攀登中晃来晃去时，每一个错误都很重要。
Garnbret 对令人眼花缭乱的高度也感到很舒服，最初他对从这样的表面上掉下来的技巧感到挣扎。
室内墙壁往往有一个轻微的悬垂，这可以防止登山者在掉落时撞到墙壁，但烟囱并没有提供这样的奢华。
“烟囱的角度相同，长达三百六十米。几乎是垂直的，”她说。
“所以当你跌倒时，你会重重地撞到墙上。所以这是不同的 [...] 我不得不习惯跌倒，才把这件事抛在脑后。就像不要害怕跌倒一样。”
在反思了这一成就后，双方都没有排除在未来应对类似挑战的可能性。
在那之前，两人都对大流行后恢复攀岩比赛的可能性感到兴奋，而加恩布雷特则将目光坚定地集中在奥运会上。
