There is lots of different playgrounds in climbing, and every playground requires not only different skills but also a different attitude towards it. First of all there are high walls, walls where you can´t just rappel in a single turn, walls to feed the little adventurer in you. Further there is bouldering, the purest and most simple way to challenge yourself on a piece of rock. Then the ordinary crag climbing for the sporty spice in you. These walls can be the opposite of ordinary, when you discover them for the first time and every route is new and exciting to you. Further you have the option of cleaning, brushing, bolting, checking out, trying and sending an unclimbed route which will feed the Christopher Columbus in you. Actually there are way more variations of how you can play the climbing game, but these 4 playgrounds were those I played in the last months. So let´s beginn a little bit more chronolgic: After sending „Eiserner Vorhang“and „no 3rd thing“ (both 8c+) in my home areas around Vienna it was time to spend the easter holidays in Bulgaria, in the massive cave of Karlukovo. [caption id="attachment_8478" align="alignnone" width="715"] foto: Bernhard Fiedler[/caption] The cave and its routes were amazing, even in catalunia this cave will be outstanding. The only problem was, that when we arrived, due to the heavy rainfall before, we barely found a dry route to climb on. The situation did not really improve, since it rained the first 5 days of our trip, then it rained a couple of days more and then it kept on raining... The whole cave was soaked and we had to fly back home to spend some nice and sticky days in maltatal, carinthia. Those days turned out to be a fairytale to me: There is this boulder called „Power of Goodbye“8b, an early Klem Loskot boulder, which for me always was and always will be THE boulder. [caption id="attachment_8480" align="alignleft" width="717"] berni in power of goodbye 8b maltatal[/caption] I wanted to climb it since I bought my first, (let´s call it) „crashpad“ about twelve years ago. Supersteep, nothing to hold on and with a desperate looking doubledyno in the end. I loved this boulder and tried it since the beginning of time. I projected it on and off at least three times every year for more than a decade. Actually most of the time I was far away from sending, but never the less, there was always the hope, that one day there will be a miracle... And that day turned out to be during my easter vacation 2014. It is probably not the hardest boulder or the most beautyful boulder I have ever climbed, but for sure the one, I worked the longest for. Whatch the video. https://vimeo.com/93250350 I could do another beautyful 8a Boulder called „Imperator“ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0ra-owgYQM ) and an 8bish route first ascent at a hidden wall in the maltatal. Good times [caption id="attachment_8481" align="alignleft" width="682"] berni fiedler first ascent 8b maltatal fotocredit: julia schwaiger[/caption]   In Vienna I participated in the finals of the two month long bouldering competition called „bloc gfraster“ and finished in second place. [caption id="attachment_8482" align="alignleft" width="717"] 2nd place in the bloc-gfrasta finals[/caption] Further in June I could surprisingly do the first ascent of „Algorythmus“ 8c+, a bouldery route in Niemandsland/lower austria, that follows an obvious overhanging prow about 20m off the ground. I found the „Algorythmus“ superhard to grade, because right before the ascent I could barely do the single moves of the crux, while in a not-so-serious go, everything ran perfectly together and the anchor was mine.   Last but not least my dear friend Florian „Redford“ Scheimpflug and me could finally free all pitches of our alpine multi pitch route „city slickers“ (8b; 7c obl.;7pitches; 280m) We bolted the line from the ground. Here is flo`s handwritten topo: [caption id="attachment_8483" align="alignleft" width="614"] handwritten topo of "city slicker" 8b, 7 pitches; drawn by flo scheimpflug himself[/caption] We seriously hope, that this route will find a lot of repititions! The hike is only 30 minutes, the scenery next to the south face of the Dachstein is breathtaking and the route offers you a nice mix of thrill and pleasure. [caption id="attachment_8484" align="alignleft" width="768"] pic by my phone... florian scheimpflug in the 7th pitch of "city slicker" 8b[/caption] [caption id="attachment_8485" align="alignleft" width="768"] after a scary day while bolting it ground up city slickers 8b/7pitches[/caption]   cheers from the rocklands -berni