We asked our Mountime mountain guides to tell us about a trip they took this year during their holidays – to the Czech Republic. Here is Alessabro Beber with his account of the trip that some of them decided to embark on… “It must be about 15 years since Jiri Leskovjan first told me about the breathtaking sandstone towers of the Czech Republic, making me dream of visiting them one day. In September 2023, that day finally arrived and we set off for Adrspach, led by Mr Lesky himself. After a 10-hour drive, we found ourselves transported into an enchanted forest, where thousands of rock towers and mushrooms of the strangest shapes seemed to spring up from the undergrowth. As soon as we touched the rock, we began to familiarise ourselves with the sandstone and, above all, with the very strict local code of conduct.
Here, all routes are strictly climbed from the bottom up; there are few bolts on the wall and they are spaced far apart, and protection can only be provided using fabric or rubber gear (so as not to damage the rock, which is rather soft), such as tied-in knots or the more modern UFO rings.
I hadn’t expected such a beautiful and rewarding climb, although the mental challenge posed by the long run-outs suggests you should allow a bit of a margin when tackling the grade. The third round proved even more demanding, when the climbers flock to the bar to release the built-up tension, washing it away with rivers of beer!
After four days spent between Adrspach and Teplice, we moved on to Dolní Zleb, on the border with eastern Germany, where long stretches of rock overlook the River Elbe. Here, the rock is even more beautiful, richly coloured and sculpted by erosion, and a little more to our liking as we’re used to limestone. The real ace up our sleeve was, of course, Jirka, who started climbing these crags back in the second half of the 1980s and knows every sector – not to mention every pitch – by heart.
After a week, having to go home was a real blow, but we’ll do our best to return in the future! A huge thank you and all my respect go to Jiri Laskovjan, the real ‘deus ex machina’ who made this trip possible.”
Happy adventuring from the Mountime guides!
