La Rambla (climb)
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''La Rambla'' is a sport climb at the
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
El Pati crag in Siurana,
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
in Spain. Originally bolted and climbed by
Alexander Huber Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968) is a German rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early 1990s as the world's strongest sport c ...
in 1994 as a route, the bolting was later extended by to a route, which was eventually climbed by
Ramón Julián Puigblanque Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramón (footballer, born 1950), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1983), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1988), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Br ...
in 2003. While there has been debate about ''La Ramblas grade, there is now consensus that it meets the threshold. It is an important and historic route in climbing, and is part of the coveted "9a+ trilogy" with '' Realization'' and ''Papichulo''.


History

While a route was first bolted by Huber in 1993, a hold broke at the upper section and Huber was only able to climb to an intermediate anchor at , and not to his final anchor that was also the final anchor for Huber's neighboring route, ''La Reina Mora'' . Huber climbed his route in 1994, and called it ''La Rambla'', and graded it as . Huber explained in a 2008 interview that he felt his 35-metre route was no more difficult than
Wolfgang Güllich Wolfgang Güllich (24 October 1960 – 31 August 1992) was a German rock climber, who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. Güllich dominated sport climbing after his 1984 ascent of ''Kan ...
's 1991 ascent of '' Action Directe'' that was then graded . ''Action Directe'' was later re-graded to , and is considered a "benchmark" for a "hard" 9a. Huber later said his 35-metre route should be graded . After Huber's 1994 ascent, Spanish climber linked Huber's 35-metre route to the final anchor of ''La Reina Mora'' – Huber's original intention – by bolting a short traverse to the right that started from the last hold of Huber's route, a 3-finger pocket just below the intermediate anchor. Andrada's extended route was still long, and became known for a period as ''La Rambla Extension'', or ''La Rambla Direct'', and even ''La Rambla Original'' (as Andrada wanted to keep as much as possible Huber's original 41-metre route), however, as Huber's anchor at 35-metres is now gone, Andrada's 41-metre route is known as ''La Rambla''. Andrada himself was not able to free his new 41-metre bolted route. Instead, it was later freed on 8 March 2003 by Spanish climber
Ramón Julián Puigblanque Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramón (footballer, born 1950), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1983), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1988), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Br ...
, who redpointed the 35-metre route five times, and only completed Andrada's 6-metre extension after forty failed attempts. Puigblanque re-graded the entire route to , and believed that this grade applied not only to the 6-metre extension but also to the original 35-metre Huber route as well. If this was correct, then Huber's original 35-metre ''La Rambla'' was the first 9a+, seven years before
Chris Sharma Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of '' Real ...
's 2001 ascent of '' Realization/Biographie''. In a 2008 interview, Huber said that the 6-metre extension added little difficulty to his original route, and that his original 8c+ route would be graded 9a by contemporary standards, but no more, as ultimately it was not harder than ''Action Directe'', the benchmark 9a route. A second grading debate developed over the use of a big flake (or
jug A jug is a type of container commonly used to hold and serve liquids, but not normally to drink from directly. It has an opening, sometimes narrow, from which to pour or drink, and has a handle, and usually a pouring lip. Jugs throughout histor ...
) one metre further to the right of the extension's traverse for resting. Puigblanque said that he had not used this flake on his first ascent and that using the flake made the climb a half grade easier, to which
Adam Ondra Adam Ondra (; born February 5, 1993) is a Czech professional rock climber, specializing in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing. In 2013, ''Rock & Ice'' described Ondra as a prodigy and the leading climber of his generation. Ondr ...
(who also did not use the flake on his 2008 ascent) agreed with, but caveated saying: "although it is nonsense to consider it he flakeas prohibited". It took three years until ''La Rambla'' was repeated by and Chris Sharma, on successive days in 2006. ''La Rambla'' has since become one of the most repeated routes in the sport, and is now widely considered a consensus . In March 2013, German climber
Alexander Megos Alexander "Alex" Megos (born 12 August 1993) is a German rock climber specializing in sport climbing, bouldering and competition climbing. In 2013, he became the first-ever climber to onsight a graded route. He has made the first free ascen ...
came closest to flashing ''La Rambla'', falling on his first attempt near the top, but succeeding on his immediate second attempt. On 26 February 2017, American climber
Margo Hayes Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. In 2016, she won both the competition bouldering and the competition lead climbing events at the IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in Guan ...
became the first-ever female climber in history to climb a route on ''La Rambla''; Hayes also went on to make the
first female free ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...
of ''Realization/Biography'' a few months later in September 2017.


Route

''La Rambla'' is described as having a diverse range of " cracks,
pockets A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag or ...
, crimps, side pulls, and underclings", but is also "sustained", and "continually overhanging". Several climbers have described it as being two climbs, the first circa 30-metres being essentially 5.14 climbing, via a 5.13c crack, a traverse to the left, which adds up to 5.14a, and then 5.14b as it moves right until a rest. At this stage, the climber is approaching the location of Huber's original anchor (since removed), and the climbing becomes even more overhanging "with violent moves on small holds and crimps". The crux is at 35-metres where, as
Ramón Julián Puigblanqué Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name *Ramón (footballer, born 1950), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1983), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), B ...
describes, "You have to make the two-finger pocket. If you get the pocket with your right hand you can clip Huber’s intermediate belay and you’ve done he 35-metreLa Rambla. If you are going for La Rambla Direct he 41-metre version you have to take the pocket with your left hand – this is the key move. I made it to this point four or five times". Ondra graded this crux a boulder move.


Legacy

''La Rambla'' is variously described as legendary, historic, and famous in the climbing media, and even two decades on from the various first ascents, repeat ascents of the route are reported on and chronicled by the climbing media. The sustained difficulty and length of the climb made it an important technical and physical test piece for the leading sport climbers, and it has become one of the most repeated routes, alongside Realization/Biographie, at the climbing grade of . ''PlanetMountain'' said in 2017, "Seeped in history, La Rambla is a symbol for sport climbing, one of the world’s most sought-after climbs", and listed ''La Rambla'' on its list of important climbs in the evolution of free climbing. When French climber
Sébastien Bouin Sébastien Bouin (born 7 April 1993) is a French rock climber born in Draguignan. By 2022, Bouin is regarded as one of the strongest sport climbers in the world, being only the second-ever climber to establish a route graded , with ' in 2022, ...
made the 20th ascent in December 2017, he said, "This route is a piece of climbing history". ''La Rambla'' has also been reassessed as part of German climber Alexander Huber's sport climbing legacy, and it has become apparent to contemporary extreme sport climbers that Huber was climbing consistently at the grade of 9a/9a+ in the early to mid-1990s, as evidenced by ''La Rambla'' and his other test-pieces of ''Open Air'' in 1996 (proposed for re-grading by Adam Ondra to 9a+ in 2008, and therefore potentially the first 9a+ as it was climbed before ''Realization/Biographie''), and ''Weisse Rose'' in 1994 (also proposed for re-grading by Adam Ondra to at least a "hard 9a"). The ascent of ''La Rambla'' at Siurana, ''Realization/Biographie'' at
Céüse Céüse () is a limestone mountain in the Hautes-Alpes ''département in France, département'' of France near Gap, Hautes-Alpes, Gap and Sigoyer, Hautes-Alpes, Sigoyer. The "Pic de Céüse" is at an elevation of , and the whole massif is include ...
, and ''Papichulo'' at
Oliana Oliana () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Urgell in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Segre valley immediately below the Oliana reservoir. There is a factory of domestic electrical appliances in the town, and the presence ...
, have been referred to as the "9a+ trilogy", being long, sustained, and consensus graded 9a+ sport climbing routes, that aspiring extreme sport climbers seek to test themselves on.


Ascents

''La Rambla'' (being the 41m version post-1994) has been ascended by: *1st (35m version)
Alexander Huber Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968) is a German rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early 1990s as the world's strongest sport c ...
in 1994 *1st (41m version)
Ramón Julián Ramón Julián Puigblanque (also known as Ramonet, which means ''little Ramon'' in Catalan language; born November 9, 1981, in Vic) is a professional Spanish rock climber specializing in competition lead climbing and sport climbing. He won two Wo ...
on 8 March 2003. *2nd. in December 2006 *3rd.
Chris Sharma Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of '' Real ...
in December 2006 *4th. in 2007 *5th.
Patxi Usobiaga Patxi Usobiaga Lakunza (born September 7, 1980), best known as Patxi Usobiaga, is a Basques, Basque Spanish professional rock climbing, rock climber, sport climbing, sports climber and bouldering, boulderer. He is known for winning two IFSC Climb ...
in 2007 *6th.
Adam Ondra Adam Ondra (; born February 5, 1993) is a Czech professional rock climber, specializing in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing. In 2013, ''Rock & Ice'' described Ondra as a prodigy and the leading climber of his generation. Ondr ...
in February 2008 *7th. in 2011 *8th.
Sachi Amma Sachi Amma (born September 23, 1989) is a Japanese professional rock climber and sport climber. He won the IFSC Climbing World Cup twice, in 2012 and 2013. Biography In 2006 he started competing at the World Cup, in the Lead climbing disciplin ...
in 2012 *9th.
Felix Neumärker Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, ...
in 2013 *10th. in 2013. *11th.
Alex Megos Alexander "Alex" Megos (born 12 August 1993) is a German rock climber specializing in sport climbing, bouldering and competition climbing. In 2013, he became the first-ever climber to onsight a graded route. He has made the first free ascen ...
in March 2013 *12th. Daniel Jung in 2014 *13th. Jonathan Siegrist in 2015 *14th. in February 2017 *15th. Matty Hong in February 2017 *16th.
Margo Hayes Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. In 2016, she won both the competition bouldering and the competition lead climbing events at the IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in Guan ...
in February 2017; first-ever female 9a+ *17th.
Stefano Ghisolfi Stefano Ghisolfi (born February 18, 1993) is an Italian professional rock climber, who specializes in competition climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering. In competition climbing, he completes in competition lead climbing, competition boulderin ...
in March 2017 *18th. Jacopo Larcher in March 2017 *19th. in 2017 *20th.
Sébastien Bouin Sébastien Bouin (born 7 April 1993) is a French rock climber born in Draguignan. By 2022, Bouin is regarded as one of the strongest sport climbers in the world, being only the second-ever climber to establish a route graded , with ' in 2022, ...
in December 2017 *21st. Tomás Ravanal in 2018 *22nd. Gerard Rull in 2018 *23rd. Jon Cardwell in 2018 *24th. Dave Graham in 2019 *25th. Piotr Schab in 2019 *26th. Gonzalo Larrocha in 2019 *27th. in 2019 *28th. Chaehyun Seo in November 2022 *29th.
Michaela Kiersch Michaela Kiersch (born 1994) is an American rock climber recognized for her outdoor ascents in both sport climbing and bouldering. She is known for being the first woman to climb both 5.15a (9a+) and V15 (8C). Early life Kiersch was born and r ...
in January 2023 *30th. Seb Berthe in January 2023 *31st. in February 2024. First female free ascents (
FFFA In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...
): *1st.
Margo Hayes Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. In 2016, she won both the competition bouldering and the competition lead climbing events at the IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships in Guan ...
in February 2017; first-ever female to climb a *2nd. Chaehyun Seo in November 2022 *3rd.
Michaela Kiersch Michaela Kiersch (born 1994) is an American rock climber recognized for her outdoor ascents in both sport climbing and bouldering. She is known for being the first woman to climb both 5.15a (9a+) and V15 (8C). Early life Kiersch was born and r ...
in January 2023


Filmography

* Margo Hayes' first female and 16th ascent:


See also

*
History of rock climbing In the history of rock climbing, the three main sub-disciplines – bouldering, Pitch (climbing), single-pitch climbing, and big wall climbing, big wall (and multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch) climbing – can trace their origins to late 19th-ce ...
*
List of first ascents (sport climbing) In rock-climbing, a first free ascent (FFA) is the first redpoint (climbing), redpoint, onsight or flash (climbing), flash of a pitch (ascent/descent), single-pitch, multi-pitch climbing, multi-pitch or bouldering, bouldering climbing route that ...
*''
Silence Silence is the absence of ambient hearing, audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low sound intensity, intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be exten ...
'', first climb in the world with a potential grade of *''
La Dura Dura ''La Dura Dura'' is a sport climbing route on the multi-coloured limestone cliffs known as the Contrafort de Rumbau, which are part of the mountain, that lies in Oliana, Spain. The route was bolted and developed by American climber Chris Sharma ...
'', second climb in the world with a confirmed grade of *''
Jumbo Love ''Jumbo Love'' is a very long sport climbing route, on remote limestone cliffs on Clark Mountain in the Mojave Desert. Bolted by American climber Randy Leavitt in the 1990s, he invited Chris Sharma to attempt it in 2007. When Sharma completed ...
'', first climb in the world with a confirmed grade of *'' Realization/Biographie'', first climb in the world with a confirmed grade of *'' Action Directe'', first climb in the world with a confirmed grade of


References


External links


La Rambla
''Hard Climbs'' (2023)
VINTAGE VIDEO: Dani Andrada on La Rambla (5.15a)
''
Rock & Ice ''Rock & Ice'' is a magazine published by Outside focusing on rock and ice climbing. The first issue came out in March 1984. The first publisher was Neal Kaptain. George Bracksieck worked for him, beginning in January 1984, and the two became e ...
'' (1996)
Ramón Julián on La Rambla original, 9a+
''UKClimbing.com'' (2003) {{authority control Sport climbing routes 1990s in sport climbing 2003 in sport climbing Climbing areas of Spain Priorat