Jebel Misht, Wer Wir Waren and Mitten ins Herz

Oman
Author: Jens Richter. Climb Year: 2017. Publication Year: 2017.

In January and February of 2017, Philip Flämig and I climbed some big new lines on the beautiful and impressive limestone of the Western Hajar mountains. First we climbed Wer Wir Waren (460m climbing distance, 8 pitches, F6b) on one of the untouched Organ Pipes on the east side of Jebel Misht. [This route climbs an obvious pillar between the Doc Bulle Pillar (Brachmeyer-Oelz-Precht, 2001) and Jilted (Barlow-Hornby, 1999)]. Halfway up, we got caught in a huge thunderstorm and got washed off the wall. We might be the first climbing party that has ever experienced this at Jebel Misht—it had not rained for the previous eight months! Next day we recovered our gear and finished the climb, and we were treated to some spectacular mist and clouds in the steaming wadis. We left nothing on the wall.

Three days later, at 3 a.m., we started climbing up the fall line of the huge, heart-shaped depression in the middle of the massive south face of Jebel Misht. The steep and demanding, 60m crux pitch (UIAA 8-) gets a special place in my book of great climbing memories. Our line moved right and followed the left side of a pillar, 300’ west of the route Paradies der Fakire. After a cold bivouac and a long descent, we were back at our tents by the afternoon of the next day. We left four pitons fixed. We called the new route Mitten ins Herz (“Straight to the Heart,” 1,450m climbing distance, UIAA 8-/F6c+). [Mitten ins Herz takes a line to the left of Paradies der Fakire (Jochler- Oberhauser, 2003) and right of Curry Power (Miskovis and friends, 2009)].

– Jens Richter, Germany



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