Melissa Le Nevé secures the first women's ascent of the boulder The Dagger in Cresciano. The strong Frenchwoman climbed the line in January 2023, but then, in true Shawn Raboutou style, kept her ascent under wraps until recently.
Melissa Le Nevé seems to be drawn to difficult lines that no athlete before her has been able to climb. So she was the first one Action Directe could repeat. She later attempted the first women's ascent of Dreamtime (8C) - but she has not yet succeeded. For this she mastered the First Female Ascent - also at the Dreamtime block in Cresciano The Dagger.
Difficulty level controversial
The Frenchwoman records her ascent of The Dagger as 8B+, knowing full well that there is lively debate about the level of difficulty. Your argument:
The trains are very physical and sometimes rather long, especially for smaller people.
Melissa Le Nevé
After the first ascent of The Dagger in 2003, Toni Lamprecht suggested grade 8B. First repeaters like Dave Graham, Martin Keller and Adam Ondra tended towards 8B+ or at least 8B+ (soft).
Will Bosi, who left the line in December 2022 without further ado flashed and later doubled down with a near-flash ascent of Dreamtime, suggested The Dagger (8B/+).
Better grip, less chalk consumption
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Film projects and injuries
There are various reasons why Melissa Le Nevé only made her visit to The Dagger public a year and a half later. On the one hand, she planned various video collaborations, but they never came to fruition. On the other hand, the climb in Cresciano was followed by a turbulent year with injuries, including a broken leg. “This prevented me from being able to climb properly for months,” says Le Nevé.
The Frenchwoman has now recovered from this setback: “I am very happy and happy that I can do everything again without a doubt.” We're excited to see when Melissa Le Nevé will report success from the other side of the Dreamtime block.
That might interest you
- Melissa Le Nevé is the first woman to get a 8b + Boulder in Fontainebleau
- Melissa Le Nevé scores 8c + Route Bionic Commando on the Jesuswand
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Credits: Cover picture @emil_abrahamsson_