Hardest boulder in Italy? Elias Iagnemma climbs Ganesh 8c+

The Italian Elias Iagnemma drew attention to himself with a difficult first ascent. In the Italian bouldering area Tintorale he pulls Ganesh. He suggests 8c+ as a rating.

If the degree is confirmed, it would be Ganesh not only the second 8c + in the 26-year-old's tick list, but also one of the most difficult bouldering problems in Italy.

Elias Iagnemma discovered the line in Tintorale along with his mate Jacopo De Sanctis in May 2021. Although discovering is the correct term. At this point a thick layer of ivy was hiding the boulder. Elias Iagnemma describes the feeling of recognizing the true beauty of Ganesh after an intensive day of cleaning on Instagram as follows: "We looked at each other and laughed like two children who are happy about an ice cream cone."

Badass trains

They immediately set about deciphering the problem. “In the beginning I had four to five tries before my fingertips started bleeding and my toes begged for mercy,” Elias Iagnemma recalls. The turning point came on day eight, when he managed to solve the crux. "It really motivated me to get stronger and try to connect everything."

Overall, the strong Italian invested a good dozen sessions in Ganesh. He spent days perfecting his moves for this dream line. On February 2, 2022, Elias finally managed to line up all the trains and bring the project to an end. "It's definitely the hardest boulder I've climbed or tried to date," he said.

Impressive ticklist

Elias Iagnemma has so far scored ten boulders with a difficulty level of 8c or higher. Including that of ChristianCore first climbed test piece Gioia (8c+) or the crazy roof boulder Ziqqurat (8c) of Niky Ceria.

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Credit: Cover photo Riccardo Rotilio