Exactly 4.5 years to the day after the fatal twenty-metre fall on El Capitan, the young mountain guide climbs his most difficult trad route with „La Voyage“ (8b+ trad ). This is only the fifth repeat of the James Pearson testpiece in Annot.

„I had never tried anything really challenging since 2017 that also challenged me mentally. The crux was on the limit for me climbing-wise, but the placements underneath were good.“

„When I saw the video of Babsi Zangerl’s ascent for the first time in March this year, it was clear to me that I wanted to try this route one day. Spontaneously, I decided to make a stop in Annot on the way to the Verdon Gorge.

The climbing at „Le Voyage“ is brilliant and extremely varied, from cracks to holes to a hard boulder section. After three days of bouldering, I was able to climb the route in my second lead attempt. For me it was one of the most beautiful routes ever. An absolutely brilliant climbing experience!“

After a long „resting phase“, the 38-metre route now got its fourth ascent this year (5th ascent in total).  The first 15 metres are a nice 7a crack. Then the route moves left into the compact face and follows a fine crack, which can be secured in places with mobile belay devices. Probably the most difficult trad route in France, it was first climbed by none other than James Pearson in 2017 in Chambre du Roi-Annot.

Video: Simon Wahli during his ascent