Barbara Zangerl signs a resounding feat at El Cap

Barbara Zangerl, known as “Babsi”, delivered a high-flying performance at the end of the year on the legendary wall of El Capitan in the United States.

There was no shortage of praise. “She makes history”; “she engraves her name in the pantheon of vertical exploits”; “an exceptional performance”; or even “a turning point in the history of climbing”: it is with these formulas that the specialist press has described Barbara Zangerl’s new issue. However, his exploit has not been relayed beyond the small world of climbing, and that is regrettable as he is so imposing.

The Austrian distinguished herself on El Capitan in Yosemite. A legendary playground and a rock wall of more than 900 meters that she is starting to know well. Zangerl has indeed climbed various routes there, for example El “Nino” (8a/+), “The Nose” (8a+/b), “Zodiac” (8b), “Pre-Muir Wall” (8b) and “Magic Mushroom” (8b+), sometimes marking the first female ascent or the first repetition.

But this time, Barbara Zangerl did it a little stronger. The climber successfully completed the first flash ascent – ​​of all types – of El Capitan. Flash means completing a route on the first attempt. Although “Babsi” was certainly entitled to information beforehand, she had never placed her hands on the wall. “Flashing a big route is unique: you only have one chance, and on a big wall of 1,000 meters, that makes things even more brutal,” she declared after her achievement. near Planet Climb.

It was on “Freerider” (7c+) that the athlete performed his stunt. A 1,100 meter course, made up of 30 pitches and climbed in four days, without experiencing the fall. “Even though we had never climbed any of the 30 pitches and many of them were 'on-sight', we knew a lot about the route before we went. We know climbers who have repeated the route before us and tried to learn as much as possible, and of course we have seen some on YouTube. We also went to the cinema to see Free Solo when the film was released. Therefore, we cannot classify our ascent in the “on-sight” category,” the Austrian detailed for the site. Lacruxaware of the information she had. His performance remains no less unique.

“Babsi” overcame “Freerider” on her first attempt in the presence of her companion, Jacopo Larcher, a reference in traditional climbing. These two are inseparable when they climb: they form a formidable duo. However, the Italian did not manage to flash “Freerider”, entangled in a famous movement.

It was therefore a woman who achieved this first coveted by male climbers. Zangerl thus follows in the footsteps of Lynn Hill, known for having released the first free climbing ascent of “The Nose” at El Cap in 1993. “It goes boys”, she said after her success, in French:

A precursor, “Babsi” Zangerl is certainly as much a precursor as Hill, especially since the Austrian also inspires with her versatility. She first distinguished herself in bouldering where she became the first woman to climb 8b, before turning to cliffs, particularly in traditional climbing. But Zangerl also has references in sport climbing and has been in the small club of female climbers of 9 since her successful ascent of “Sprengstoff” in Austrian Vorarlberg.

Discreet, little known outside the climbing world, and yet so talented: “Babsi” Zangerl.image: instagram

In short, the climber carries out various projects, whether on the big walls of Yosemite or in very high mountains, for example in Pakistan. She also happens to stop off in Switzerland, where she successfully completed the first free ascent in one day of perhaps the most difficult route on the north face of the Eiger: “Odyssee” (8a+, 33 pitches, 1' 400 meters). “Babsi” finally became the first woman to climb the famous “Alpine Trilogy”, that is to say three major routes among the hardest in the Alps and located between Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The Swiss ascent is none other than that of “Silbergeier” in the Rätikon.

We don't yet know Barbara Zangerl's next project, but there is no doubt that it will once again be imposing.