Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Become a Member

Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more.

Already have an account? Sign In

Brands

News

Barbara Zangerl Sends the Spicy Trad Pitch Prinzip Hoffnung (5.14a)

Barbara "Babsi" Zangerl has made an impressive third ascent of the tenuous trad route Prinzip Hoffnung (5.14a) in Bürser Platte, Austria.

Lock Icon

Unlock this article and more benefits with 50% off.

Already have an Outside Account? Sign in

Outside+ Logo

40% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $2.99/month*

Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.


  • Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
  • Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
  • Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
  • Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
Join Outside+

*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details

Barbara Zangerl falling near the end of <em>Prinzip Hoffnung</em> (5.14a). Photo by Richard Felderer” />Barbara “Babsi” Zangerl has made an impressive third ascent of the tenuous trad route <em>Prinzip Hoffnung</em> (5.14a) in Bürser Platte, Austria. The 25-year-old Zangerl, who lives just a 15-minute walk from the base of the route, often worked on the climb after her shift at the local hospital. </p>
<p>“I started trying it on toprope at the end of January and the initial sensations were immediately very good,” Zangerl told Planet Mountain in an interview. “I even got really close to sending it on my first ground-up attempt a couple of weeks ago. But then I started to fall off the same section, again and again …”</p>
<p>Falling off of <em>Prinzip Hoffnung</em> is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, Zangerl opted to climb the first 25 feet of the route without any pro because she says “the only nuts you can place are so small they probably wouldn’t hold a fall.”  <em>Prinzip Hoffnung</em>, which was first climbed in 2009 by the legendary Austrian Beat Kammerlander and then repeated by Italian Jacopo Larcher last month, consists of an extremely technical slab that joins two small cracks. The cracks are protected with small wires, which Zangerl had little previous experience with.</p>
<p><img src=she became the first woman to complete the formidable Alpine Trilogy, which consists of climbing Des Kaisers neue Kleider (5.14a) (The Emperor’s New Clothes) in the Austrian Alps, Silbergeier (5.14a) in the Ratikon range of Switzerland and The End of Silence (5.14a) near Reiter Alm in Berchtesgaden, German.