Journal

Thursday, March 8, 2012

VIDEO: BD athlete Markus Bendler training, mixed climbing and ice climbing video series

Black Diamond athlete Markus Bendler is one of the top competitors in ice climbing, with numerous World Cup wins to his credit. What does it take to reach that level of expertise? Check out the video below of Markus hammering through his World Cup training regime and you'll witness the shocking levels of hard work he puts in on a small, steep indoor wall. Dry-tool circuits in ice boots, campusing, one-arms and front levers with tools... over and over and over again. Impressive, to say the least—and definitely the world speed record for Bachar Laddering!


 

The video is only the first in a 10-part (yes, 10-part!) video series featuring Markus that has been incrementally released over the past month. Parts 2 and 3, both embedded below, show Markus mixed climbing in Austria for some outdoor training and escaping a ridiculously close call in Japan (with fellow BD athlete Albert Leichtfried) when a huge chunk of the ice curtain he's climbing collapses. The videos are expertly filmed and edited (gotta love that rock star intro), and we'll post more of them here in the Journal as they are released.

 

Photos