Domen
Škofic
Slovenia
·
Climbing
Date of birth | 11 April 1994 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Ljubljana |
Age | 32 |
Nationality | Slovenia |
Career start | 1999 |
Disciplines | Climbing Lead |
Raised in Ljubljana but now living in Vrbnje near Radovljica, Domen Škofic demonstrated from a very young age that he had a real aptitude for sports. The question was which sport he would pursue professionally.
Inspired by a friend, Škofic tried climbing in his first year of primary school. In 2004, he entered his first competition, and within a year, he had become a two-time national champion in Lead and Bouldering. Five years later, he won the European Youth Championship and finished runner-up at the World Youth Championships.
At the age of 15, he successfully climbed a 9a route and became one of the youngest climbers to achieve this feat. He also took part in the Climbing World Championship and finished 14th. Since those early days, his skill as a climber has gone from strength to strength.
He believes he’s creative in the way he moves and imagines routes. "I always moved differently to everyone else when I climbed. I also imagine things a little bit differently, and from a creative point of view, you can create new moves in the gym or on a rock."
In 2011, he became the World Youth Champion in Austria and, just three years later, signalled his intent to the top echelons of the lead climbing world when he took three podiums at the IFSC Climbing World Cup events.
2015 was another year of marked improvement, but it was 2016 when he really made good on his promise, winning the overall IFSC Lead Climbing World Cup – the first Slovenian to do so.
In Guangzhou, China, Škofic won the 2018 International Climbing Series. He placed second at the IFSC Climbing World Cup in Briançon, France, in 2020. That same year, he climbed the longest artificial multi-pitch route at Trbovlje Power Station in Slovenia. In 2022, he took third at the IFSC Europe Continental Cup in Arco, Italy.
The pressure to adapt to new formats in competition climbing have brought new challenges and motivation.
"Climbing is evolving at great speed and Bouldering’s the discipline evolving the fastest, so it’s hard to stay in the event. I’ve improved in the last five years compared to before, I'm improving every year with this complex movement, too, but the kids are coming up behind and it's hard to keep up with them."
Away from sport climbing, Škofic has set his sights on climbing the hardest routes possible.
"In my sports career I want to climb the hardest possible route out there. At the moment, the hardest rock climb is 9c and my hardest climb is currently a 9b."
For Škofic, climbing isn’t just a lifestyle or a competition – it’s his joy, his relaxation and his life! He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
"It's super exciting when you're basically grabbing onto nothing and it's working... this feeling is amazing."
Climbing pro Domen Škofic
© Mirja Geh/Red Bull Content Pool
Domen Škofic scales Red Bull Blanix glider from wing to wing
© Mirja Geh/Red Bull Content Pool
"Climbing is all about falling," says Škofic
© Mirja Geh/Red Bull Content Pool
Domen Škofic climbing the Solkan Bridge in Slovenia
© Stanko Gruden/Red Bull Content Pool