Canadian Ben Pettersson Sends Nine Month Swedish Project

Ben Pettersson is a Canadian climber studying for a masters in fresh water toxicology at the University of Uppsala, an hour north of Stockholm, and has recently sent a nine month project.

By Ben Pettersson

I love living in Stockholm because the sport climbing is defined by short lines with powerful moves on slightly overhanging granite. It feels like the best kind of training for me right now. I am learning to be precise with my movements. Climbing granite requires one to retain body tension like a steel blade, but at the same time be able to move delicately to the next hold. It’s real ninja climbing. I have an amazing girlfriend who was born here and she already crushed two 5.13s, after less than two years of climbing.

The story of my first 5.13b in Sweden starts with Johan Luhr, a local climber who has bolted the majority of lines at Örnberget (Eagle mountain), including Sator 5.13b 13 metres.  The 56-year-old still climbs 5.14a. Sator was bolted and climbed in 1992 by Luhr and it is the definition of a chipped route. It is characterized by having a few perfectly shaped holds, combined with classic granite holds, which are all far apart from one another. It has a move involving a mono-pocket that feels as though you’re hanging with your index finger in a sling.

The general consensus among climbers today is no chipping holds, which I am all for. We should all climb with the least impact as we can. Although Sator is chipped, it is still an epic line and I am happy he made it. The only all-natural route harder than an easy 5.13 is Alex Megos’ route The King of Everything 5.14b. So, for someone who wants to climb a mid-5.13, you have to focus on chipped routes.

I have only climbed one other 5.13b and it was in British Columbia, which I did in 10 tries. Sator took far more attempts and that’s why the send means more to me. Two reasons why Sator is harder than the B.C. 5.13b. First, it’s granite – so you have to have precise foot work. Second, Sator feels like bouldering on a rope with no knee bar rest or other sport climbing “trickery.”

I first tried Sator in June 2014 and I was able to do all the moves, but I wasn’t able to link much. I spent the summer climbing in Siurana and Margalef in Spain with my girlfriend. That got me super psycked to try it again. Unfortunately, the weather shat out. Most of August was rainy and super humid. I was also suffering from a finger sprain.

I decided to rest for August and throw myself at the problem in September and November. I then began linking big sections of it. I even had my good friend Elise Sethna from Canmore come out and try it. She was studying a business degree at the same university as me at that time: the University of Uppsala.

Sethna is very strong and motivating, which motivated me even more. She could have easily climbed it if she had more than two days. Climbing in November in Sweden is too cold. Fast forward three months of total darkness, due to the northern latitude of Stockholm, and I began working it again.

I worked it for the last two weeks this April, almost every day, getting anyone to give me a catch. After a lot of tries and different beta, I finally sent it on Sunday May 3.  Hence, I have completed a nine month project. I feel like after climbing Sator, I joined some kind of club where I can start tearing stuff up.

– Ben Pettersson spoke with Gripped’s editor Brandon Pullan shortly after his send of Sator.