Open Air

History

First ascent

In the mid-1990s, the Schleierfall climbing area became a focal point for German rock climber Alexander Huber, whose university studies at LMU Munich kept him in the Munich area. At the time, few routes of grade 9a (5.14d) (UIAA grade XI) existed worldwide, and none at Schleierfall area. Huber targeted the development of new lines at the upper XI grade on the steeply overhanging rock dome, which he later described as featuring "surreal lines" of unprecedented dimensions.

In 1994, after completing the first free ascent of Weisse Rose at 8c+ (5.14c), Huber bolted Open Air. In 1995, his focus temporarily shifted to big wall climbing expeditions in Yosemite Valley and the Karakoram. Returning to the Schleierfall project in 1996, Huber spent six weeks working on the route before making the first redpoint on 12 June. Huber named it Open Air to reflect the idea that, like an open-air concert, the experience is defined by its unique setting rather than the activity alone. He stated that the overall experience was shaped by the natural beauty of the Schleierfall area and a positive social atmosphere shared with friends.

Huber proposed a grade of 9a (5.14d), which at the time was then the limit of sport climbing grades. He considered Open Air to be the hardest line of his career, saying: "It was truly a difficult birth, at the very edge of my abilities, but that was also why it was so brilliant". His proposed grading followed English climber Ben Moon's guideline that Wolfgang Güllich's famous route Action Directe served as the era's "benchmark" for the grade of 8c+ (5.14c).

Following his ascent of Open Air, which would be the peak of Huber's achievements in sport climbing, he shifted his focus on big wall climbing where he would set numerous grade milestones, transitioning into a career as a full time professional climber in 1997.

First repetition and upgrade

It took 12 years until the first repeat of Open Air when Czech climber Adam Ondra turned his attention to the Schleierfall climbing area in late 2008. In September of that year, the 15-year-old Ondra made the second ascent of Weisse Rose, and then shifted his focus to Open Air. It took him five days and nine attempts to work out the sequences. During these attempts, Ondra chose to skip an easily reachable bolt before the main crux as clipping it would have created debilitating rope drag, feeling like an additional 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of weight pulling down during the hardest move. Skipping this bolt resulted in long falls around 15 metres (49 ft). He finally perfected the sequence and redpointed the route on 17 November 2008.

Upon reaching the top of the route, Ondra noted that his ascent was aided by "good conditions and rock friction", remarking that climbing the route in summer would be "something very different". Climbing journalist Björn Pohl noted that this seasonal shift likely explained the variance with Chris Sharma's earlier assessment on the route. After a brief summer attempt on Open Air, Sharma had suspected a hold broke after the first ascent—a difference Pohl attributed to the contrast between summer heat and late-November friction.

Ondra described Open Air as the most difficult route he had climbed. He proposed upgrading the rating from 9a (5.14d) to 9a+ (5.15a), comparing it to historical benchmarks in his post-climb commentary, writing: "A bit harder than Weisse rose, so 9a+ should be appropriate I hope, when Alex Huber did it, Action Directe considered as 8c+, then 9a for this one was OK. Now when AD is 9a, this should be 9a+."

Route

General overview

Open Air starts at the base of the south-facing Schleierfall cliff, located at an elevation of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). Due to the local microclimate, extreme climbing routes are typically attempted within narrow windows in early spring and late autumn, which offers the cold and dry conditions ideal for optimal friction. Guido Unterwurzacher notes that the ideal temperature range for these conditions is between. 10 to 12 °C (50 to 54 °F) Open Air traces a path through the right side of the Main Sector (Hauptsektor) of the climbing area, which presents as an imposing, steeply overhanging rock dome featuring a massive horizontal roof. The route runs through yellow, rough rock at its start, before traversing a distinct break line along the roof. The upper section is defined by a wall of water-smoothed, grey limestone that leads directly to the anchors.

Section breakdown

In 1996, Huber described Open Air as a 55-metre (180 ft) line divided into two distinct sections: an initial 35-metre (115 ft) stretch of sustained, powerful climbing rated around 8b (5.13d), which was followed by the definitive crux—an 8B (V13) graded boulder problem on "microscopic holds, requiring highly complex and insecure body movements".

In 2008, Ondra described the route as "pretty boulder-heavy" and gave a breakdown of its sections. The ascent begins with a 25-metre (82 ft) bouldery start rated up to 8a+ (5.13c), which leads to the first shake-out, and which is then followed by a 15-metre (49 ft) roof section, also rated 8a+ (5.13c), which ends at a jug. From there, a boulder passage rated at approximately 7B (V8) leads to a rest. The critical test of the route is at a height of 40 metres (130 ft), and described as a "brutal boulder problem" by Ondra who gave it a boulder grade of around 8A+ (V12). Discussing this crux, Huber described the movement as a deadpoint or dyno into a "pocket that only accommodates two fingertips", while emphasising the crux's "extraordinary exposure" after traversing a 25-metre (82 ft) overhang. The route finishes with vertical, technical movement leading to the anchors. Ondra graded the sections at 8a+ (5.13c), 8a+ (5.13c), 7B (V8), 8A+ (V12), followed by an "easy finish" and a "nice view of Kitzbühel".

Writing for the alpine journal bergundsteigen in 2009, Heli Kotter characterised the route as a combination of power endurance on the lower 30 metres (98 ft) that is followed by maximum-strength bouldering movements up to 8A+ (V12) near the top.

Legacy

When Huber ascended Open Air in 1996 and proposed a grade 9a (5.14d), it was the highest grade being used in the world at that time. Huber based his assessment on a logical progression from his 1994 ascent of Weisse Rose which he had graded at 8c+ (5.14c), noting that Open Air was notably more challenging. His evaluation was rooted in the guidelines of Ben Moon, that any 9a (5.14d) route had to be significantly harder than Wolfgang Güllich's famous Action Directe, which was then rated 8c+ (5.14c). Huber later criticised what he described as a post-1995 "softening" of the old-school grading system. Huber argued that while Action Directe was eventually upgraded to become the true "benchmark" for 9a (5.14d), many modern high-end routes were graded too leniently and failed to maintain a connection to this strict historical standard. In 2018, Chris Sharma supported this view regarding the route's exceptional demands, stating that Open Air was "certainly the most difficult line in the world at the time".

Twelve years later, in November 2008, Ondra made only the second ascent of Open Air, having already redpointed eleven other routes of grade 9a (5.14d) or above. Ondra's conclusion that the route was significantly harder than other consensus 9a (5.14d) graded routes led to an upgrade to 9a+ (5.15a). With this retroactive change, the historical milestone for the world's first-ever 9a+ (5.15a) ascent shifted away from Sharma's 2001 redpoint of Realization to Huber's 1996 ascent of Open Air. Ondra concluded that Huber had to be "super strong when he sent it in 1996", and noted his "unbelievable endurance and stubbornness in trying it at the time".

In 2022, the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club highlighted Open Air as "one of the hardest rock climbs in the world". Reflecting on this achievement in 2026, Brandon Pullan wrote in Canada's Gripped Magazine that while Open Air was "[o]riginally considered extremely difficult", it was "later confirmed as one of the earliest true 5.15a climbs in history", concluding that the ascent was "years ahead of its time".

As of May 2026, Open Air has received no further confirmed ascents.

Ascents

1st. Alexander Huber on 12 June 1996

2nd. Adam Ondra on 17 November 2008