High expectations, high demands

Conquering the wall

The dam’s concrete presents a formidable challenge in its own right. After 60 years of curing, it has hardened 2.4 times its original strength. Interspersed within are blocks of gneiss rock: Their hardness surpasses that of concrete and is comparable to steel. This means that powerful tools and drill bits are needed to prepare the climbing route in such extreme conditions. With our all-new Hilti 22 Volt Nuron cordless battery system, the installation crew can work flexibly, with advanced safety features and reduced need to replace batteries.

When drilling into the hard concrete, TE 6-22 rotary hammer drill with our TE-CX drill bits delivers fast execution speed and high power without compromising on compact, comfortable weight. Active Vibration Reduction and Active Torque Control brings safer application and less fatigue for the installation crew when drilling the high amount of holes. With Hilti’s long battery reach, we also allow for less battery exchanges throughout the application.

Overcoming limitations

Anything that saves time and weight is extremely helpful when you are hanging in an awkward position on a 220-meter wall, exposed to the heat. One thing that saves a lot of time is the Hilti SafeSet system: it eliminates time consuming yet critical for the performance steps during anchor installation for a faster, simpler and safer anchor installation such as cleaning the borehole, torquing the expansion anchor, injecting the appropriate volume of chemistry.

This year, the crew used our latest innovation HUS4 MAX Hybrid for anchoring: Drilling the holes, inserting the capsule and driving the screw in with SIW6 – and it’s done.

A strong anchor for the climbers

Another big advantage: The installation crew can save time and tools. The HUS4-H Screw Anchor combined with the HUS4-MAX pre-dosed chemical capsule is a game-changer in fastening technology combining the best of mechanical and chemical properties.

HUS4-H is a mechanical anchor that is very easy and fast to install compared to traditional wedge anchors. No cleaning, no torquing, no hammering, easy to remove – making it ideal for this event specifically, where the fastenings are temporary.

Combined with the HUS4-MAX the Hybrid anchor takes all the speed and easiness of installation: while getting the performance of a chemical injection mortar, you are gaining installation time up to 4 times faster than traditional injection mortar. It is the only chemical anchor solution that doesn’t need cleaning nor curing and that is fully removable after the competition.