Friday Feat: Paraclimber Angelino Zeller Campus-Leads a 5.12b
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Angelino Zeller, 24, was in a paragliding accident in November 2017, leaving him a wheelchair user. Determined to remain active, he took up climbing the following year. He’s since won Austria’s National Championships twice for his category, and he was the 2018 World Champion.
“The challenge is often to find the right walls and routes,” he said. “For me as a wheelchair user, it is important to climb on overhanging walls because otherwise I rub with my legs upwards. And the route should be technically climbable only with the hands.” Goals aside, Zeller notes “the most important thing in climbing is to have fun.”
In this video, Zeller campuses a 5.12b at Ki Kletterzentrum Innsbruck climbing center. He is training in hopes of defending his world title in the next World Championships, Covid-permitting. He has a few outdoor projects in mind for the year, too.
When Zeller isn’t climbing he works as an auditor at an industrial climbing company. He adds that the most important part of his day is “taking a moment just for myself and being thankful how well I am doing.”
Happy Friday!
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