Ida Schwenk ticks Mondo Frizzante (8A+)

Ida Schwenk, a 30-year-old Italian teacher with two 8A ascents to her name, has successfully climbed Mondo Frizzante (8A+) at Monte Amiata.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
The line was first climbed by Paolo Vangi and is a variation of Mondo Bastardo, a beautiful and famous 8b, with which it shares the first part of the boulder. Even if this area is quite close, I had never tried to approach this line because I always thought it was too hard for me. About a month ago I went with a friend who wanted to try Mondo Bastardo and so, a bit for fun, I also tried the first moves. Immediately I felt it doable, even if very hard... but the next day, as often happens with hard boulders, I could not do even one move! Two weeks later I decided to try the boulder again and in the space of three tries I found myself on top of the rock. Saying that it was unexpected is an understatement!

Can you describe your climbing background?
I started climbing when I was 10, in Venice, not exactly a city famous for its mountains! After trying different sports I immediately understood that climbing was the right thing for me and over time it became much more than a simple sport. Initially I took part in many youth competitions, even entering the Italian youth national team for several years. I had a lot of fun and after moving to Florence for university I tried again to take part in some senior Italian boulder cups. In the meantime I started working as a teacher in primary school, which takes up a lot of my time and doesn't always allow me to climb as much as I would like. In recent years I have totally dedicated myself to rockclimbing, I have realized that it is the thing that makes me feel better and that makes me happy! I try to climb as much as I can and to visit as many places as possible, appreciating every boulder regardless of the grade. If the line is beautiful, I want to climb it!