Within twelve months, Arc'teryx athlete Lara Neumeier completed the three routes of the Alpine Trilogy, becoming only the second woman to accomplish this feat. She is also the first to complete it within a year. the Arc'teryx Alpine Academy in Chamonix We talked to her about her childhood in a climbing harness, the difference between Instagram and reality, and her next projects.
The Allgäu woman Lara Neumeier She is already one of the strongest female alpine climbers in Europe. Her specialty is natural rock: demanding trad routes, long multi-pitch climbs, and big walls. The 28-year-old became known, among other things, for the first free ascent by a woman of "Psychogram" (8b+) at the Bürser Platte and through their ascents of El Capitan in Yosemite.
Neumeier completed her largest project to date on June 4, 2026: the Alpine Trilogy. "Silver Vulture" In the Rätikon she became the third woman after Nina Caprez and Babsi ZangerlJust over two months later, "End of Silence". Remained "The Emperor's New Clothes" At the Wilder Kaiser: Neumeier came close to doing so in the autumn of 2025, but then decided against the strenuous effort in the ever-shortening days. Instead, she returned in the spring of 2026. With Michi Wohlleben As a rope partner, the ascent was finally achieved at the beginning of June: as the eleventh person ever and as the second woman after Babsi Zangerl, who had completed the trilogy in 2013.
The three routes all date from the 1990s and are still considered benchmarks for alpine sport climbing: Beat Kammerlander's "Silbergeier," Thomas Huber's "End of Silence," and Stefan Glowacz's "Des Kaisers neue Kleider." A film crew accompanied Neumeier's year-long project for the trilogy, and the release is scheduled for later this year.
The Alpine Trilogy at a glance
- "Silver Vulture" (8b+, 6 pitches, 160 m), Kirchlispitze in the Rätikon – first ascent by Beat Kammerlander in 1993/94, Neumeier's ascent on June 10, 2025
- "End of Silence" (8b+, 11 pitches, 360 m), Feuerhörndl in the Berchtesgaden region – first ascent Thomas huber 1994, Neumeier's visit on August 26, 2025
- "The Emperor's New Clothes" (8b+, 9 pitches, approx. 250 m), Fleischbank in the Wilder Kaiser – first ascent by Stefan Glowacz in 1994, Neumeier's ascent on June 4, 2026
Watch the interview on YouTube:
Lara Neumeier in conversation about the trilogy, adventures and her childhood in a climbing harness
Lacrux: Lara, you practically grew up in a climbing harness. Tell us about your early years on the rock face. What fascinated you back then?
Lara: Climbing has been a part of my life since I was very little. My parents were avid climbers when they were young, and they took my older sister and me to the mountains right from the start. We also went skiing, hiking, cycling – basically everything in the mountains.
It really grabbed me when I was eleven. Shortly before that, my dad and I had developed a children's climbing area in the Allgäu region and made our first ascents there. We got to name the routes and named our lines after our childhood heroes: Pippi Longstocking, Harry Potter, and so on. I think that's when it hit me, because I felt: This is our territory, these are our routes. That's when I had my first little projects that I absolutely wanted to complete. From that moment on, the fire was ignited. And because I then got into indoor climbing through rock climbing, it became a regular thing.
What was your favorite route as a child back then?
That was "Karlsson on the Roof". The hardest route on our crag, and it took me the longest. I was incredibly proud when I finally made it.
You ended your competition relatively early. What did the rock give you that the gym couldn't?
What I always enjoyed about rock climbing was being outdoors in nature with friends. That was simply special. And because I started on real rock, rock climbing was always my top priority – I used the climbing gym to get stronger.
I then competed in climbing for two years, and in the summer I often stood in the climbing gym thinking: "The weather's absolutely gorgeous today, I'd much rather be climbing outdoors." That's when I realized competition climbing wasn't for me, and I stopped. Back then, it was all just for fun; I didn't have any sponsors. I was really doing it just for myself.
You mainly focus on trad and big wall climbing these days. What fascinates you about it?
Mostly it's the mental factor. Having to be mentally prepared. Climbing a wall without a single bolt, using your own strength, placing your protection, and then taking it all down with you, leaving the rock exactly as you found it. I think that's pretty cool.
The idea of climbing a wall without a single bolt, ascending under your own power, placing your own protection, and then taking it all down with you, leaving the rock exactly as it was before – I think that's pretty cool.
Lara Neumeier
How important is this mental component specifically?
Especially in multi-pitch and big wall climbing, you really need to be mentally prepared. You have to be able to push yourself. You're on the wall for several days, everything hurts, your hands are raw, and yet you still have to keep climbing. You're incredibly high up, with a tremendous amount of air beneath you, and you have to be able to block that out. Despite long runouts and poor protection, you still have to stay calm.
And that's exactly what I like about it. I think that also puts the difference between men and women in climbing into perspective. Men might have more raw strength, that's probably just biologically determined – but we women have incredible power. Climbing is one of the few sports where so many other factors come into play: mental strength, tactics, technique, flexibility. All of that is what makes climbing so special for me. That's why men and women are on equal footing in climbing.
You can't see this ability to push yourself to the limit from the outside. Is it being romanticized a bit?
Yes, that's true. On social media, you always see those beautiful pictures of people sitting on the portaledge. In reality, it's completely different. The first time I was on El Capitan with Babsi, we never actually had a single moment during the day where we sat on the portaledge and relaxed. We climbed from four or five in the morning until eleven or twelve at night. We had neither the time nor the mental capacity to document the whole experience.
When people think of big wall climbing, they often only think of the climbing itself, because you're climbing a 1000-meter wall. But for me, it wasn't the climbing itself that made it so difficult, but everything else: sleeping in the portaledge, hauling up the bags, the cut fingers. You only have a limited amount of water with you, you're constantly dehydrated, and you only have a limited amount of food. These factors made it incredibly tough.
Silbergeier, End of Silence, Des Kaisers neue Kleider – three routes in the eighth grade and above, each with its own character. What label would you give each one?
The three are all completely different. Silbergeier is the most mentally demanding route because it has incredibly long runouts. At the same time, the rock is super compact, which makes it such a beautiful line. End of Silence was extremely wild for me at first because you have to place your own protection with pitons in some sections – also a really awesome route. In the end, it actually felt the easiest. And Des Kaisers neue Kleider is definitely the hardest and most athletic: really powerful and the most sustained of the three.
You said to the Silver Vulture afterwards: On the day you managed to send it, everything seemed to be working against you. Period, car trouble, a hold had broken off at the crux. At what point did you think: Never mind, I'll try it anyway?
Actually, from the very beginning. My goal that day was to give it a try. And it's always the same: you can take a look, you can see how far you get, and if it doesn't work out, you rappel back down.
We walked there, and I didn't feel well at all at the start. We took a break, ate and drank something, and eventually I started climbing – and then it got better with each pitch. After the first four pitches, you reach a small ledge, and by then I had climbed everything. That's when I knew: Okay, now comes the crux pitch, and if I can manage that, it's not far to go. I was really motivated then.
How does that boost in motivation feel when you realize it might work out today?
It's a real motivational boost, yes, but at the same time I'm always aware that so many things can happen that could prevent it. Climbing is just so often extremely unsafe. Whether it's on Silbergeier or Des Kaisers neue Kleider: the crux pitch is extremely high up, and there are so many moves that are insecure. You can always slip. So I'm extremely motivated, but I also know that it's possible it won't work out.
Right after Silver Vulture you went on to End of Silence. Did success still sustain you at that point?
Absolutely. I was only at Silbergeier for five days, it went by incredibly fast, I was surprised myself. And then I thought: Okay, now I want to go straight to End of Silence. I had a huge amount of motivation, and that definitely carried me there. I was there with Romy Fuchs for the first two days and we had a great time.
At the same time, I realized how completely different it is again. End of Silence is more alpine; the rock is extremely smooth. So you can't say that you learn so much on Silbergeier or get into a routine and then carry that over. You still have to start all over again.
It was extremely difficult for me to leave the tour. I'd never experienced that before while climbing.
Lara Neumeier
"The Emperor's New Clothes" was a whole different ballgame. In the fall of 2025, you postponed the project to 2026. What was it like to let go?
It was extremely difficult. I'd never experienced anything like it while climbing before, because I was already so close to the end. It snowed, and I still went back. And then I wanted to go back again. But at a certain point, I realized: the motivation is still there, but it just doesn't make sense anymore. The days were short, it was extremely cold, and there simply wasn't enough time for a complete ascent. The route is about the same length as End of Silence, except the individual pitches are longer, and there are a lot of difficult pitches in a row – two of them 8b+. When it gets dark at 4:30, it's pointless. On top of that, I'd been traveling a lot all summer, and my body was simply exhausted. So I said: I'll go one more time and then call it a day for this year.
And how did you get back in after that?
From the very beginning, it was clear to me that I wanted to return to the Kaiser Mountains as soon as possible in the spring. I made the plan back in the autumn: go for three days at the start of the season, check out all the routes, and then immediately give it my all.
I had already mastered the individual routes so well in the autumn. I recorded voice messages to myself so I could remember everything in the spring, because I knew the solutions extremely well, and I also drew the routes on paper – at least the difficult ones. I think that helped me get back into it relatively quickly.
This project has shown me what is possible, namely much bigger things.
Lara Neumeier
How did you feel when you got off?
The greatest joy came when I climbed the last crux pitch. Then I knew: just one more 8- pitch to the top, and then it's done. And then I knew: Wow, I've done it – the whole Alpine trilogy. It wasn't just one climb for me. Each climb is amazing, but completing the trilogy with it was incredibly cool.
I was happy, but also relieved. It was an extremely long project; I'd never done one that lasted a whole year. It was actually incredibly varied, since I had three tours, but it was still a long time, and I wanted to complete this trilogy. Now it's really cool because I can look ahead and tackle new projects. This project has shown me what's possible—namely, much bigger things.
The project was not just about climbing these three routes, but also about the experiences along the way.
Lara Neumeier
You never climb alone; you're always with a lot of people: Michi Wohlleben, Tobi Ebner, Nemuel Feurle, Babsi Zangerl. How much of a project like this actually lies in the relationship with the people you climb with?
The team is extremely important. Without climbing partners and support, I couldn't have done this whole project; it's that simple. If I don't have anyone who's motivated to come along and try the route, then it's impossible. Sure, you can go with people who just belay you, but you have to find them first.
From the very beginning, it was clear to me: I wanted to go on these climbs with friends who were motivated to plan them themselves, so that we could exchange solutions and spend a great day outdoors. The project wasn't just about climbing these three routes, but also about the experiences along the way. That's precisely why I love multi-pitch climbing so much: you're out in nature, a bit removed from the outside world, leaving everyday life behind and simply having fun.
Do you have a favorite memory from the trilogy?
The first two days on End of Silence with Romy were absolutely amazing. Neither of us had ever done the route before. We had to find the approach first, then we started climbing and there wasn't a single piece of gear on the wall, no quickdraws, no chalk, nothing. The wall was completely clean. That makes the whole experience even more special. It's hard work, but it's also a much bigger adventure.
There was already a fixed rope in place at "Des Kaisers neue Kleider" (The Emperor's New Clothes), but unfortunately we couldn't find out who had put it there. And there were also some ancient quickdraws hanging there, belonging to Guido and others – just a crazy amount of gear. So the experience is quite different from climbing a clean wall.
What's next? Do you already have another project in mind?
First, I'm going on a two-week biking holiday. I really need that sometimes, just to clear my head and take a break from climbing. Then in August, I'm going to Norway for three weeks with Romy to do some multi-pitch climbing. That'll be a new experience: I've been to Canada before and had to place everything myself, including the belay stations. But the route in Norway will be more difficult – and in recent years, at least the belay stations were bolted. It's definitely going to be a bigger adventure, and I'm really looking forward to it.
And in the spring I was already in Scotland and checked out a difficult trad route there: "Rhapsody". I definitely want to go back there in the autumn.
Looking back on your childhood in a climbing harness: Could you have ever imagined where the sport would lead you?
Never. That I would one day climb so much, and that climbing would practically be my profession – I never could have imagined that. I enjoyed climbing as a child, but I wasn't super enthusiastic about it when I was very young. It wasn't like I said from the beginning: This is 100 percent my thing. Our parents didn't push us at all; we just climbed for fun. My sister and I also often played with stones by the river. My mom always says I was a shy child. And even today, she and my dad say they never thought I would make climbing my profession.
Does it make you happy?
Yes, absolutely. I'm really happy. It's great that it turned out this way and that I was able to get into climbing right after finishing my studies.
We wish Lara every success in her next projects!
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- Lara Neumeier completes the Alpine trilogy | "The Emperor's New Clothes" as the crowning finale
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Credits Cover photo: Lacrux