Michał Korban repeats Action Directe (9a)

Michał Korban, with one 8c+ under his belt, has completed Action Directe (9a) in Frankenjura. It was put up in 1991 by Wolfgang Güllich as the first 9a in the world and has been repeated some 30 times. (c) Frank Kretschmann

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
The route took me around 16 sessions, making it my longest project ever. The first time I tried Action Directe was last June (I dedicated only one day to see how the moves looked), and I immediately knew I would come back to it. Between May and June of this year, I spent three weeks on the route, but unfortunately, I didn’t get lucky with the weather (the route was wet for half the trip), so I ran out of time. I decided to rest and heal my injuries—first a torn pulley, then a sprained ankle—so I was ready for the next trip at the beginning of September. The first week was quite hot (25-27°C), but surprisingly, I felt pretty good. Unfortunately, when the rain came, I had to give up again.

I set off for the next trip as soon as the conditions improved. Right away, I felt surprisingly good, and from the second day of this trip, I was approaching the Waldkopf with the intention of sending the route.

At this point, I knew that physically I was capable of doing the route, but I wasn’t sending it. I think I was putting too much pressure on myself. Up to that point, I hadn’t even reached the final sequence (the traverse to the left), but I felt the most confident on the finishing moves. Significant progress happened on the fourth day of this trip. I approached the crag after a full day of rain, thinking there was a high chance the route would be wet and I would have to retreat. I guess that’s exactly what I needed. During this session, I fell off the last move twice. The attempts that should have been the best turned out to be the worst. I still need to work on my mental game. By the fifth attempt, I knew I was already tired, so the pressure was off, and that was key. During that try, I definitely didn’t feel my best, but I managed to send it anyway.

Which sequence did you opt for at the crux?
I decided to do this section with a heel hook. At first, it felt like a bit of a lottery, but once I got used to the move, it felt right. Going straight from the crimp also wasn’t a bad beta for me, but I felt it cost me too much energy. The toe hook felt almost impossible.

Why was 8b was your hardest route the last year prior to sending AD?
This year, I mainly focused on training at the climbing gym and got into progressing with exercises on the hangboard and campus board. Additionally, I took my final exams this year and graduated from highschool, so I had less time for trips. I aimed to climb quick redpoints and onsights. For quite some time, I’ve wanted to do my first 9a, but I was saving that achievement specifically for Action Directe.