"FUČI"
Mária was born in 1991 in Martin, Slovakia, where she still lives today. She is passionate about climbing, ski touring, and running.
Her parents introduced her to hiking and nature. At the end of high school, she decided to start running to improve her health. She first encountered a climbing harness at a scout camp when she was nine years old. That was the moment she fell in love with climbing gear and ropes and knew she wanted to become a climber. However, her parents were strictly against it!
It wasn’t until her first year at university in Plzeň, 800 km away from her parents' influence, that she made an important decision: "I’m going to start climbing."
Over time, skiing in the mountains was added to her activities, as a way to spend as much time as possible in the mountains during winter. Even though her father had been a ski mountaineer his whole life, it was only after her persistent urging that he finally took her on her first ski touring trip. However, she claims that she only really learned to ski well in the past few years.
Mária's hobbies are pretty obvious: besides climbing, especially in the mountains, she enjoys ski mountaineering and running. Other sports that highlight her versatility include swimming and cycling. For her, the best and most beautiful way to relax after an active day is bivouacking on a summit under the stars.
Her greatest achievement, which she is most proud of, is not giving up on her dream of climbing despite the immense pressure from her parents. In terms of climbing achievements, she values most her ascent of the Bonatti-Oggioni 6a route on Pilier Rouge de Brouillard, followed by a ridge climb to the summit of Mont Blanc. Another notable achievement was her solo attempt at traversing the main ridge of the High Tatras, where she successfully climbed from Kopské sedlo to Batizovský štít in two and a half days. As for her success on the rocks, she considers reaching a 7a (8 UIAA) difficulty level a great accomplishment.
What she says about Direct Alpine: "Direct Alpine is a brand I’ve admired since I was a student, but I could never afford those famous Cascade pants I dreamed of. That’s why I was so thrilled when they approached me for collaboration. One of the key reasons 'why Direct' is that most of their production is based in Europe, which supports the local market and gives them better oversight of what they produce. Also, they offer repair and refurbishing services for their models, which, as someone who hates waste, is a huge benefit I’m very grateful for."
Achievements:
- 2023 – "S ridge" 5c 1500m+, Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, Courmayeur
- 2023 – "Salluard route" 6a+, Pointe Adolphe Rey, Chamonix
- 2022 – "Singe bleu" 6b, Plateau de Jardin, Chamonix
- 2022 – "Vent du Dragon" M5, Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix
- 2021 – "Bonatti-Oggioni" 6a, Pilier Rouge de Brouillard, followed by a ridge climb to the summit of Mont Blanc, Chamonix – honorable mention from the Slovak Mountaineering Association James
- 2021 – "Rebuffat" 6a+, Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix
- 2020 – Winter ascent of "Stanislawski" V., +600m, Vysoká, High Tatras
- 2019 – "Koršvoldov tanec" VII., Žeruchy, High Tatras
- 2018 – "Přímá cesta" V. Brána (OS) – Hrubá skála
- 2018 – Ascent of "Titanova pasca" on Rohový ridge, IV/5+ to 6, WI 90°
- 2017 – 11th place, Ultra Fatra, 56 km +3650m