By our reporter Li Ying
Rock climbing, often referred to as ballet on cliffs. Recently, according to the UK’s Daily Mail, 23-year-old Austrian Mike Kamber completed a jaw-dropping “high-altitude ballet” – scaling a 152-meter-high cliff in France’s Vercors National Park without any safety ropes, using just his hands and feet, becoming the first person in the world to achieve this feat.
Kamber became a star in the extreme sports world not because of rock climbing, but tightrope walking. Last year alone, he accomplished three bold and daring challenges. In August, Kamber walked across a 160-meter-high wire rope in Styria, Austria, breaking a world record; ten days later, he tackled Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner (the second highest in the Alps), walking across a roughly 46-meter-long rope at about 792 meters above the ground; at the end of November, Kamber carried out his third heart-stopping challenge in Yosemite National Park, California, USA: walking across a 25-meter wire with a diameter of just 2.54 cm at 914 meters above the ground, and all without any safety protection. With these three challenges, Kamber earned the nickname “Austria’s Tightrope Superhero.”
Free solo climbing without any safety ropes became the next goal for the “Tightrope Superhero.” After performing his first urban tightrope show in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in March this year, Kamber began planning his climbing project.
“I searched the world for the right climbing spot – one that was challenging yet achievable. The cliff in Vercors National Park is 152 meters high and no one had ever attempted to climb it without aids before, so I thought I’d give it a try.” Before this adventure, Kamber underwent two months of systematic training. Both tightrope walking and rock climbing are high-altitude, high-risk activities, but they are fundamentally different – the former mainly relies on balance, while the latter depends largely on arm strength and body coordination. “If you do things the right way, you won’t be in danger – I believe I’m that kind of person.”
The 152-meter cliff in Vercors National Park had almost no natural handholds or footholds. Thephotographerwho accompanied Kamber captured the entire thrilling challenge. “To any ordinary person, every meter Kamber climbed upwards seemed unbelievable. His arms were incredibly strong. When he reached halfway up, I knew he would make it. He was like a gecko, or rather, Spider-Man.”
Many rock climbing enthusiasts, after seeing photos of Kamber’s climb,photosremarked, “Not everyone can become like Kamber even with training. For most people, rock climbing is just a fitnessactivity– it’s not something everyone should treat as an extreme sport.”