The story starts with the Hofmann family’s relocation to Nürnberg, at which time Andi was about 11 or 12. His parents wanted to help him find his feet in the new place so they started looking for an activity that he could take up as a hobby. Since they’d have always found him climb on things, they went for the German Alpine Club. Young Andi went on his first climbing course “and was likely very fascinated”. He liked everything about it: the people were cool, getting up rocks was also cool, just as doing something outdoors - and day trips at that.
RIGHT: Andi's notes on ticked routes. Credit: Andi Hofmann The way it was back then there were no climbing gyms. For a young teenager from the city it meant a lot of hopeful waiting for the DAV days out, which happened less often than you’d like to. In the meantime, one could dream - and why not have aid in that. Andi still remembers going to the climbing shop that belonged to THE Norbert Bätz and, shaking from the tip of his head all the way down to his toes, asking if the newest Boulder magazine was already out… Thus passed the first years of his climbing. Then he did Kurt Albert’s Gelbfieber, just a year after the first ascent, his first full 9. The obsessive training that followed taught him a lot about climbing and about himself. All this mixed together led to a series of hard ascents and a life of climbing.
Lines that hold the most meaning to Andi aren’t always the hard ones; they range from easier climbs that he did in beautiful circumstances to some of the hardest routes he’s clipped the chains of.
Powerplay and Ghettoblaster both hold meaning as hard classics; on the bucket list of anyone who climbed hard enough in Franken at the time. Andi did both of them in really bad conditions; ironically, he needed the poor weather to shake off the performance pressure he was putting on himself.
Andi moved to a Franconian village about 1990 and he’s been enjoying the life here ever since. He appreciates the luxury of having the access to thousands of routes without the need for a long drive, and to walk with Ayla the dog through the woods without hearing the noise of traffic.
His attachment to the Gössis reaches further back. It is the crag where he climbed his first 7 as well as his first 9th grade route (both UIAA) and where he saw Wenzel Vodicka during a bold attempt on Schleimspur. Andi was still a kid back then and Schleimspur - top level at the time. As he watched Wenzel struggle with pump on the final runout and shakingly pull onto some grassy rock, Andi was shaking just as hard - on the ground. Wenzel’s feat left him fascinated and the memory still brings a smile today.
Despite a long Franken career, there aren’t many first ascents to Andi’s name. The reason is simple: he doesn’t feel the need to leave his mark in this manner. The routes he did open were never a big fuss; he saw a line he liked, so he bolted and climbed it, end of story. One route that stands out for him is Nebenbuhler at Burggruber Block. Andi is known for his boulder first ascents, like the monster traverse of Klagemauer: Pumpgun. Bouldering entered his life around 1994, more by necessity than choice. It was the year of his uni exams, and with less time on his hands, bouldering was the natural way of squeezing the maximum number of hard moves into a short session. Basing on the lessons from this period, he went on to write a book with movement, tactics and training tips for bouldering, Besser Bouldern.
It could be his talent to connect with people that made Andi a great coach. It started when he accepted an offer to take the Franken climbers under his wing and then steadily progressed to being responsible for the whole country. Andi had been a competition climber himself for a time, but it didn’t make him happy. He’s been able to find much more fulfilment in moving on rock, in nature. He’s been doing it for about 45 years and there are still climbs that make his heart beat faster, “there’s apparently something in it that really pulls me in”.
His definition of training has been evolving over the years; from the old weight rooms and endless campusing, through a structured approach and professional coaching to a set of practices to maintain enjoyment in climbing. What motivates him today is when climbing hard sequences still feels like “just climbing” and what he describes as maintenance of physical stability. The climbing-obsessed youngster has grown to being a complex, passionate man of intelligence and a warm laugh. Next to his passion for climbing, he has one for music, too. Barely an evening passes in his home or van without bass practice. Thank you, Andi, for being a part of 50RP - and for the meaningful conversations.
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