BURSTOn April 2, Nicolai Užnik made the first ascent of Bügelbrett V16 (8C+) in Maltatal, Austria. The new line is a low-start variation of Bügeleisen V14. This marks Užnik’s third V16. He climbed his first V17 last March.
“I’ve spent a lot of time at this boulder over the years – first with Bügeleisen, then the Sit, and over the past months working on this extension,” said Užnik on Instagram. “Bügelbrett starts on the very bottom right and adds around 7 moves into Bügeleisen, with the intro itself being around [V13]. The climbing is delicate, technical, and quite different in style from the original line, which makes it challenging to link everything together.
“Instead of fully committing, I took a different approach, just 1-2 sessions whenever I was home, staying patient and waiting for the right moment. That moment came unexpectedly. On the way down from Innsbruck, I stopped by for a solo session. With a good feeling from the start, things quickly came together. After passing my previous high point and dealing with numb fingers in the cold wind, I managed to somehow stick the final move and top out after an insane fight!”
Bügeleisen was established by Klem Loskot in 2001. The problem is crimpy, and its severely overhanging flat face resembles the object after which it was named, an iron. Bügeleisen has seen repeats from many top climbers, including Nalle Hukkataival, Paul Robinson, Yannick Flohé, and Katie Lamb. In 2022, Janja Garnbret made the first female ascent of the problem. Hukkataival established Bügeleisen Sit in 2014. Užnik kept with the theme, calling his new V16 “Bügelbrett”, which translates to “ironing board”.
Užnik now has three V16s on his resume, including his FA of Bügelbrett. In January 2026, he made another V16 FA with his ascent of Full Gem in Ticino, Switzerland. In March 2023, he made the first post-break ascent of Emotional Landscapes in Maltatal, Austria. He proposed V16, but subsequent ascensionists, including Adam Ondra who recently flashed it, agree the boulder is V15. Užnik climbed Bosi’s Brain Rot V16 in November 2025. While Užnik said it was likely V15, he still took the grade but dubbed it soft.
In March last year, Užnik climbed his first V17 when he made the first ascent of Mount Doom V17 in Maltatal, Austria. A low start to the popular Hide and Sick V14, his ascent of Mount Doom made him one of eight climbers to join the V17 club in 2025. Jakob Schubert made the second ascent of Mount Doom in November 2025, confirming the grade. Užnik is currently on a trip to Finland, where he is making links on Burden of Dreams V17.
Nicolai Užnik’s First Ascent of Bügelbrett V16
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