With Neanderthal (9b), Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi has completed his third 9b during his Spanish vacation. However, one final route is still pending.
One could almost think, Stefano Ghisolfi I dedicated my current trip to Spain to the old projects of Chris Sharma The Italian is using his time in Catalonia to tackle four 9b projects in four areas – three of them Sharma lines from 2009 to 2021.
"Three 9bs are done, one is still missing"
Since arriving in Catalonia at the end of January, Ghisolfi quickly scored against Alex Megos' The Full Journey in Margalef, Chris Sharmas sleeping lion in Siurana and now with Neanderthal another Sharma classic in Santa Linya.
With Neanderthal, I've achieved three of my four goals. Next up is 9b Fight or Flight in Oliana – then it's finally time for a break.
Stefano Ghisolfi
Ghisolfi's last remaining Spanish project is in Oliana. Fight or Flight, a Sharma route from the early 2010s, like Neanderthal, has a dynamic crux and is rarely repeated.
Neanderthal – Adam Ondra’s “object of hate”
The route Neanderthal is by far the oldest project on Stefano Ghisolfi's 9b list. Chris Sharma had already made the first ascent of the line in 2009, and it would not be repeated for almost ten years – until Jakob Schubert 2018 and Adam Ondra were successful the following year.
Especially for Ondra, Neanderthal with a good portion of love-hate: For over eight years, the Czech had failed to solve his 115-move "hate object" until it finally worked in 2019. Norwegians also Magnus Midtbø had tried unsuccessfully on the line for a long time.
Ghisolfi says it took nine days to visit Neanderthal – the same amount of time as it took to visit The Full JourneyThe Italian had invested most of his time in Spain, eleven days, in Sleeping Lion.
That might interest you
- Stefano Ghisolfi repeats Chris Sharma's Sleeping Lion (9b) in Siurana
- Stefano Ghisolfi scores 9b route The Full Journey in Margalef
- Adam Ondra joins the 9b route Neanderthal in Santa Linya as third
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Credits cover photo: Mar Díaz Miranda