Trad specialist in three years: Anna Hazelnutt

Anna Hazelnutt repeated the trad test piece Prinzip Hoffnung (E9/10, 8b/+) at Bürser Platte last month. It's not the first time that the American with a penchant for bold friction climbing with ascents of hard trad routes has attracted attention.

American Anna Hazlett, better known as Anna Hazelnutt, added in March this year Principle hope (E9/10, 8b/+) repeated. Beat Kammerlander's iconic line at the Brush plate has been one of the most difficult trad lines that Europe has to offer since the first ascent in 2009.

«Principle hope is a dream climb and I'm just so damn happy that it worked. There were so many uncertainties during the project - from my shoulder injury, to the unfortunate weather, to personal doubts."

Anna Hazelnutt

Video: This is how Anna Hazelnutt climbs the principle of hope

Armed with healthy lead climbing morale

Anna Hazelnutt is not one to be blameless when it comes to crisp trad routes. In her route book there are many a big line. This is all the more impressive when you consider that she first tried this climbing style with mobile belays only three years ago.

The Lattice athlete started her Trad career with a brilliant start: In autumn 2021 she repeated the classic in Dyers Lookout Once Upon a Time (E9, 6c). Less than half a year later, she secured the first women's ascent of Walk of Life (E9, 6c), a route with small ledges, tiny belay points and all the larger runouts.

Johnny Dawes' mega line followed in the summer of 2022 Quarryman (E8, 7a) and the following fall at Smith Rock Tommy Caldwell's touchstone spank the monkey (8b/R). It will be interesting to see what she tackles next according to the principle of hope.

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Credits: Cover picture Philip Klein, Rosa Beresford, Lucas Lehmann

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