Lovro Črep completes Martin Krpan (9a)

Lovro Črep, an IFSC competition climber with two 8c+’, from 2022, under his belt, has done Martin Krpan (9a) in Mišja Peč.

Can you tell us more about your ascent?
So psyched to join the 9a club with this legendary route, the first Slovenian 9a, FA by Jure Golob. I still can’t believe that one of my childhood dreams has finally come true! On the last day of last year’s season, I was really close to send it, but got completely pumped near the top. Then came the off-season and after that, I either couldn’t find the right time or my endurance wasn’t where it needed to be to give it proper tries.

After this year’s comp season, I finally had more time for rock and I already knew what the goal was. Two weeks ago, I gave it my first few goes and quickly realized I wasn’t in my best shape for it. That fired me up even more to train hard in the gym. Each session I felt stronger and more confident, so I knew the send was coming soon.

Yesterday was the day, after nine tries over the past two weeks. When I got to the crag, I wasn’t really sure if it was going to be the send day or if I still needed a bit more training. After my second “warm-up” route, which was actually an 8c to get properly activated for the project, I felt surprisingly good and started thinking, hmm, maybe today’s the day.

Once I started climbing, I felt solid on every move. Even the last bad rest before the big crux, where I had fallen on most of my previous tries, felt much better this time, so I got super psyched for the rest of the route. Since I could recover more there, the crux felt totally under control, and I still had enough in the tank to push through to the top with endurance and consistent movement.

What is your climbing background?
I started climbing when I was seven, inspired by my dad who introduced me to the sport. Soon after, I began competing. First at regional events, then also at national and international competitions.

I was part of the Slovenian youth national team for several years and achieved some solid results at European Cups and World Championships. The last two years, I’m also a member of the senior Slovenian national team, although I haven’t had any standout results yet.

I’ve always loved climbing on rock and whenever time allows, I love heading outdoors to different crags and working on new projects.! Psyched for more to come 😈