BURSTNicolai Užnik made the first ascent of Mount Doom in Maltatal, Austria, suggesting V17 (9A), back in spring. It was the first of the grade for the Austrian climber. He just dropped the uncut footage of his first ascent, watch below.
Mount Doom is a low start to Hide and Sick V14, which had been an open project for years. Hide and Sick is a crimpy and shouldery boulder established by Slovenian climber Jernej Kruder in 2016. Paul Robinson made the second ascent the following year, and since then it’s been sent by a few other top climbers including Martin Stráník, Kim Marschner, and Janja Garnbret. Užnik topped the problem in 2020.
Užnik projected Mount Doom on and off since 2021. “…Over the years, I never felt like it was possible – until last fall, when I managed to do all the moves and made some promising links,” he said. “In January, it was the first time I thought I had an actual chance of sending it and started giving good attempts.” He continued projecting the line through February, but ended up twisting his ankle from a fall, forcing him to take a break. It appears this time off was exactly what he needed to finally get the send.
Before Mount Doom, Užnik’s hardest boulder to date was making the first post-break ascent of Emotional Landscapes in Maltatal. A V15 before the breakage, Užnik graded the problem V16. Since Mount Doom, he’s made the first ascents of Carinthian Trademark V14, Stairway to Heaven V15, and repeated The Smile V15 in two sessions.
Mount Doom V17 FA
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