Schweiger was only 21 years old
German climbing top talent dies in a car accident
04/12/2023, 1:19 p.m
The climbing scene is mourning: the German talent Christoph Schweiger died in a traffic accident. The sport climber, who specialized in bouldering, was 21 years old. Schweiger has been part of the national squad since 2016.
Sport climber Christoph Schweiger died in a traffic accident at the weekend. This was confirmed by the German Alpine Club (DAV), citing the family. Schweiger, one of four climbing brothers, lived to be 21. “His death shocked us very much, our heartfelt sympathy goes to his family and his circle of friends,” wrote the DAV.
Schweiger has been a member of the DAV national squad since 2016, and in 2018 he joined the German World Cup team. Born in Ingolstadt, he was part of the German team at the World Youth Championships, which he took part in three times between 2017 and 2019. Bouldering was his specialty – and his passion. The portal mantle-climbing.de he once said: “I’ve been climbing indoors or on rock since I was five years old and it never gets boring because every boulder or tour is different from the one you climbed before.”
He competed in his last international competition last October at the World Cup in Morioka, Japan. Previously, Schweiger surprisingly made it to the semi-finals at the European Championships in Munich, where he finished eighth. Schweiger still had big plans for his life. In the long term, he wanted to “visit a wide variety of climbing areas around the world.” And in the short term: “To start many World Cups and to achieve the best possible results. On the rock, an 8C boulder (Editor’s note: one of the most difficult routes in the world) to climb.”
The World Climbing Association IFSC also reacted dismayed to the news. “It is heartbreaking that someone so young should lose their life in this way,” President Marco Scolaris wrote in a statement. “My thoughts and those of all IFSC members are with Christoph’s family, his friends, the German Alpine Club and the entire climbing community.”