Born in 1986 in Merano, South Tyrol, Angelika is a three-time Ice Climbing World Champion and two-time Vice-Champion. Her love for the mountains started early: as a child, she enjoyed hiking with her mother in the local mountains and climbing trees in her garden. At age 10, she completed her first Via Ferrata and instantly fell in love with climbing. Two years later, the opening of a climbing gym in her hometown gave Angelika the opportunity to fully immerse herself in her passion.

In 2008, Angelika’s childhood dream became reality when she won her first Ice Climbing World Cup competition in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. She went on to claim the overall World Cup ranking in 2012 and 2015. Her accolades also include two victories at the prestigious International Mixed Climbing Competition in Ouray, Colorado, as well as a win at Red Bull White Cliffs in 2015.

But Angelika’s ambition extends beyond competitions. During winter, she has repeated some of the most challenging ice, mixed, and drytooling routes in the world. In November 2017, she became the first woman to climb D15, conquering ‘A Line Above the Sky’. On rock, she has climbed routes up to grade 9a and achieved the first female ascent of the multipitch route ‘Italia 61’ (8a) on Piz Ciavaces in the Dolomites in 2008.

Angelika’s connection to nature extends beyond climbing. In 2008, she earned a B.A. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Bolzano and worked for several years at the Agricultural Research Centre Laimburg before deciding to dedicate herself entirely to climbing.

“The journey that took me to climb ‘Esclatamasters’, my first 9a, lasted for almost 25 years, since that first lesson in the gym that got me hooked on climbing.

The road wasn’t flat, and it wasn’t straight either; there were ups and downs, and I took many crossroads as I wanted to challenge myself in various climbing disciplines. But at a certain point, I felt the need to come back to my first love – rock climbing. 

For most of those 25 years, I didn’t even imagine I could ever reach this magical number. But at a certain point, the crazy idea made it into my mind. And as Walt Disney used to say: “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

After admitting to myself a dream this big, the journey started. I always thought that if you work hard, you can reach your goals, and so I committed to training.

After more than 25 years of climbing, I am still totally in love with it and have many dreamlines in my mind that I want to try. After a couple of injuries, I know that I have to be careful with my body, but I am also sure that I haven’t reached my limits yet. I really look forward to working with Lattice Training – their knowledge and experience are huge!”

Photo: © Michael Maili