Staša Gejo does One Piece (8C)

Staša Gejo, with twelve IFSC senior podiums under her belt, has done One Piece (8c) in Frankenjura. In 2017, she claimed victory at both the European Championship and the World Games, with her most recent podium finishes occurring in 2023. In the years between, the 27-year-old also secured two bronze medals at the World Championship.

Can you tell us more about the ascent and your climbing life?
I'm good, trying to balance full time work, training and going outside, but so far it seems that my adapted routine also works well.

The route consists of two intense cruxes. I do the lower one a bit dynamically to avoid pulling on a mono. The upper part requires insane precision in body positioning and getting the holds perfectly. It took me two sessions (spread apart by 2 months) to figure out the moves and details. I could send it just after warmup on the third session.

I was lucky with the crisp and sunny weather, not too cold for the rope sends and I simply had to use the opportunity to go out and climb nice routes ☺️ The sector itself (Teufelsrissmassiv in Schlaraffenland) is very interesting with unevenly shaped holds and a slight touch of blue and pink rock.

What are your winter plans and what about comps in 2025?
I am moving from Munich to Nürnberg for work in January, which will also allow me to be more often in Frankenjura. There are some great gyms and passionate climbers to train with here. With comps I can't say much yet, but from what I know and feel, I will be more often on the rock then on the mats next year.

What is your new job, and what is your educational background?
HVDC control and protection engineer. This is high voltage DC power transmission across great distances, which are inefficient for the classical 3 phase AC transmission. I'm an electrical power engineer.