Career
He first started climbing on the Sandstone-rocks of the "Südpfalz". Soon he became one of the best climbers in this region and made the first free ascent of "Jubiläumsriss VII-" at the age of 16. He travelled to the Elbsandsteingebirge, and to the Shawangunks and Yosemite Valley, United States, where he could climb most of the top routes of each area, including a 2nd ascent of Grand Illusion, 5.13b/c (FA by Toni Yaniro).
Later he moved to the Frankenjura and created a great number of hard climbing routes such as:
Kanal im Rücken, X- 8b (513d) (1984), first 8b (513d) in history
Punks in the Gym, X 8b+ (514a) (1985, Mount Arapiles, Australia), first 8b+ (514a) in history
Amadeus Schwarzenegger, X (1986)
Wallstreet, XI-, 8c (514b) (1987), first 8c (514b) in history
Action Directe XI, 9a (514d) (1991), first 9a (514d) in history, still considered one of the hardest routes worldwide
Thus Güllich added several grades to the grading system.
In fact, with the exception of Ben Moon"s Hubble (the world"s first 8c+), Wolfgang was responsible for 4 consecutive step-ups with the world"s first 8b (Kanal Im Rücken, 1984), 8b+ (Punks In The Gym, April 1985), 8c (Wall street, 1987), and 9a (Action Directe, August 1991). Güllich also invented the modern training technique of campus boarding in order to climb Action Directe.
He was also responsible for first ascents of routes like Eternal Flame (IXA2) in the Karakoram and Riders on the Storm (IX A3) in Patagonia. The boldness of these routes showed that he excelled at difficult mountain routes as well as one-pitch sports climbs.
He broke his back falling off the Master"s Edge at Millstone Quarry in Derbyshire, England but when he recovered climbed Separate Reality in Yosemite National Park, United States of America (1986).
Climbing without a rope, he negotiated a twenty foot horizontal crack in an overhanging roof. He was a climbing double for Sylvester Stallone in the 1993 movie Cliffhanger. On August 29, 1992 Wolfgang"s car veered off the Autobahn between Munich and Nuremberg.
Two days later he died in a hospital in Ingolstadt, never having regained consciousness.
"A man doesn"t go to drink coffee after climbing, coffee is integral part of the climbing."
"If climbing is an art, then creativity is its main component.".