Swiss Review 3/2019

Swiss Review / May 2019 / No.3 14 Sport MIREILLE GUGGENBÜHLER “Allez! Allez!” – Go! Go! Petra Klingler has heard her coach shout at her once or twice already this morning. She has reached that tricky spot again on the boulderwall. Klingler holds on to one of the grips with one hand, then pushes off with her legs. The elite climber pulls herself up and dangles there for a few seconds... then lets herself fall, breathing heavily. This time her pulse was racing. “It doesn’t always,” she says, laughing. With the first Bouldering World Cup event of 2019 round the corner, the purpose of this morning’s training session at the Swiss Climbing national performance centre Far from the mountains Sport climbing will feature at the next Olympics. This has understandably raised hopes in Switzerland, the alpine country par excellence. What we are also seeing is the rise of an ultra-hip indoor sport – with notable side effects for its original outdoor equivalent. Scaling the heights with Tokyo on her mind – Petra Klingler at the SAC’s utili­ tarian training facility in Biel Photo: Danielle Liniger