WHAT IT TAKES TO CLIMB V15—BD AMBASSADOR SHARES HER EXPERIENCE

For BD Ambassador Kaddi Lehmann, climbing a V15 boulder problem all started with fixing the gears on her old mountain bike. This is her story.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020

For BD Ambassador Kaddi Lehmann, climbing a V15 boulder problem all started with fixing the gears on her old mountain bike. But those accumulated miles she pedaled uphill to Kryptos—an aesthetic limestone seam in the Swiss Jura—pale in comparison to the internal journey she endured to reach the top of that boulder. On that intrepid internal voyage, Lehmann discovered that success didn’t hinge on physical power, but on motivation, belief and happiness. This is her story.

Video and story: Kaddi Lehmann Photos: Michael Steimle

“IF THERE’S SOMETHING YOU REALLY WISH TO DO, DON’T BE SCARED, JUST DO IT."

Daniel Jung, a friend, once said this in a movie.

I like word games and take sayings like the one by Daniel quite seriously—not only in climbing, but in life.

For me Kryptos was a boulder that I really wanted to try after I saw it. It's just a beautiful line.

In middle of May 2018 I was able to climb Kryptos.

I'm very happy that I could do this boulder. It didn't feel easy and I think it is the hardest boulder that I have done.

MOTIVATION, BELIEF AND HAPPINESS WAS KEY AND I LEARNED A LOT IN THIS PROCESS.

The first time I saw Kryptos was in March 2017 when I checked out the area with Micha Steimle and my brother—BD EU Marketing guru Christian Lehmann. It was already dark when they showed me the boulder. I didn't think about the difficulty much and was just motivated to try this beautiful line a bit. I couldn't do much on it—just hold some of the positions and get a sense that some moves were maybe possible. I remember that the first move felt very big, and that I couldn't leave the ground using the holds on the slopey seam.

SINCE THAT FIRST NIGHT, THE BOULDER WAS STUCK IN MY HEAD, AND A WEEK LATER, I WENT BACK TO TRY IT.

It was already summer by this time. I decided to drive there the night before so I could try Kryptos early in the morning. Already at 10 a.m. it was hopeless—it was just too warm to hang on any of those frictionless limestone slopers. So, I left the boulder in the heat.

In autumn of 2017 I tried Kryptos again, but I didn't feel ready for this boulder yet. I was more motivated to spend a lot of time in Fontainebleau.

One good thing was that the boulder isn't high. In 2015 I had an injury in my lower back, a herniated vertebral disc in the spine that had forced me to rest for a long time. I have to avoid certain moves and jumping down from high up is still painful.

At the end of 2017 I had the idea of making Kryptos a big goal and seeing all other climbs as smaller goals—just like small steps on a long way.

And I thought: if not now then maybe never.

Every other boulder besides Kryptos or any move I tried anywhere else—I saw it as a chance to get stronger and as preparation for this bigger goal. It was a very positive and helpful mindset.

IT ALL STARTED WITH FIXING MY BIKE.

The drive to the area takes about 1.5 hours by car from where I live. From the parking you walk uphill on a long trail through the nice forest. Alone with 2 pads it is quite a hike and it takes some time.

I thought it would be fun to take a bike in the car and ride to the area. So, I fixed the gears and brakes of my old mountain bike, put it in the car, drove to Balsthal and cycled up to the boulders. It was faster to get there and much more fun on the way down. It kind of felt like a triathlon with the drive straight after work if I could finish work early enough and when temperatures were still cooler. I’d cycle up, run up the last part of the steep trail, rest, cool down, brush the holds, warm up, try the moves, train on the boulder, run down and sometimes a bit scared and alone in the dark, cycle down to the car, drive back ... I was falling into bed super tired but with a smile on my face after a nice day out.

Climbing-wise, in the beginning of 2018 after the seemingly never-ending winter, as a smaller training goal for Kryptos, I focused on a boulder in Basler Jura. It was a project and a possible link-up of two existing boulders: 'Tod' (Death) 8a and 'Ernst' (Serious) 7b+. After a trip to Fontainebleau over Easter, I was very motivated. I managed to link the project 'Todernst' after Fontainebleau and did two short trips to Ticino where I climbed with Nalle and Giuliano Cameroni. It really helped me a lot to climb with them and to share the experience of seeing new places.

I was feeling stronger than ever before and I had this huge inner motivation. And now it seemed like a logical time to go back to Kryptos and really focus on it. It was already the beginning of April 2018.

MOST SESSIONS I WENT TO THE BOULDER ALONE.

I started to film my tries so I could analyze the moves and see what I could improve.

At the end of April 2018, I still didn't know if it would work. The first move took me a very long time to do it. It is a big move and I couldn't leave the right foot on the foot hold for support. The hardest for me was a big powerful move to a very slopey hold that you have to hit perfectly as a gaston and then move from there again. You have to stand on very small footholds with a lot of body tension.

All in all, it took me a long time to find out if and how I could do the moves. The way that Franz Widmer, Fred Nicole or Kevin Heininger did the boulder just didn't work for me. I'm 5’2” tall and have a negative arm span. The so-called Saddam hold they used, I can hold it well, but it didn't help me to get further on the boulder.

Slowly I noticed some progress.

I remember I had a bad day just not feeling so strong when I tried the moves, but this day was a breakthrough because I tried different options again.

Just a little change made it all possible. I had found a way to really link it all. Crazy!

When I started to realize that this could really work out, the problem was that inner pressure started to build up. It felt like I could run out of time and it would get too warm as it was already the middle of April.