#02 Franzi Dietz

​Franzi Dietz, originally from Landshut, moved to the Frankenjura in 2015. For the famous limestone crags? Nope. Back then, she didn't even know you could climb in the area, let alone it being the hotspot of the German climbing scene.

Out of the three universities she got accepted for, Franzi chose Bayreuth. A great decision as it turned out - but it wasn't until two years after her arrival in the city that she found out just how great. She was introduced to climbing by a friend in 2017, who took her to Freudenhaus, explained how to belay and had her make her first ever moves on rock.

Franzi remains forever grateful to that friend and the Frankenjura keeps a special place in her heart as a place where this journey of passion began.

She has called this region home ever since. Now back in Bayreuth doing an additional apprenticeship, she has been lucky enough to move house across this (big!) area over the years, changing the bunch of nearby crags and getting the chance to explore different faces of Franken.

​Among her favourite crags, Franzi mentions Obere Gößweinsteiner Wände, Luisenwand and Rotenstein, all three of which hold many classic routes. She feels particularly connected with the two latter spots. During the time when she lived in Heiligenstadt, she would jog to these rock walls on a rest day, enjoying some alone time in the lush forest. Plankenstein is one of Franzi's favourites for the summer.

​Excellent results started coming very soon after the beginning of her climbing journey. 1,5 years into climbing, Franzi found a project of a grade she'd never tried before - in fact, she'd never climbed a grade below that one, either. She buddied up with Chiara Hanke (also a 50RP climber!) for climbing at Luisenwand, where they both had goals at the time. Franzi was trying Fiese Luise, a Markus Bock classic. She completed it exactly on her dad's birthday, which to her has a special meaning. This was her very first 8b - and has become one of her most cherished ascents.

​She has very warm (literally!) memories from another route at Luisenwand as well: Kaum Zeit zum Atmen, a line with such a rich history that Franzi had always wanted to climb it. When she did, it was the middle of a hot summer, and she managed it in over 30 degrees heat. Nice one!

A little behind the scenes insight: the photos above are some early poster tests. Click here to view the 50RP Posters.

And finally, there's Headcrash, Franzi's first 8c, and one of Franken's most majestic lines (as well as her 50RP route of course).

​She thinks this route is one of a kind, and it's hard to disagree if you but stood under Wasserstein.

The name of the crag is rather suggestive (literal meaning: water rock) and rightly so as it tends to stay wet for long periods of time. That combined with Franken's changing and somewhat unforeseeable conditions meant for Franzi that she got to try the route in pretty much all possible conditions: hot, humid, frosty cold...

​When she got very close to the send, she injured her finger on a sidepull in the upper part of the route, which meant 6 months off from hard pulling - so frustrating!
​Finger healed, another 6 months of mixed conditions, wintry weather and getting back in shape passed before the send. 

On THE day, Franzi had just come back from a little trip to Austria where she celebrated her uncle's birthday. Her aunt and cousin were in the car with her, coming over to visit for a few days, when she asked them if they'd mind stopping at the crag for just one single go. They agreed and soon Franzi found herself on the wall, warming up move by move. The atmosphere at the crag was so nice with her cousin and Bindu the dog (her much-loved companion) playing together in the forest - what an enjoyable start of this short session. She felt confident.
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Back on the ground, Franzi pulled the rope and tied in again. She knew the sequence, she'd managed all moves... Now she went through them again, executed each one - including her nemesis move at the very top - and clipped the chains. What a ride it's been.

​Thank you, Franzi, for being a part of 50RP!

We got to know Franzi as such a kind human being, next to being a badass strong climber of course. She came with her four legged companion Bindu, with whom she has a beautiful relationship. Don't scroll too quickly by the photos of them two together.