Austrian climber Eva Hammelmüller has had a perfect start to the new year. In St. Léger she manages the 8c+ route La ligne claire. A strong start and another step towards their goal of breaking grade 9a.
Scored in May 2021 Eva Hammelmuller with Underground (8c+/9a) their most difficult route to date. Since then she has had her sights set on grade 9a. At the beginning of the year, she reached another stage on this goal in France St Leger du Ventoux, where they La ligne claire (8c+) climbed.
Congratulations on your strong start to the year Eva! Tell me, what makes La ligne claire the perfect line for you?
The line is characterized by three difficult bouldering areas that are extremely diverse. While the first boulder is really steep, ledge-heavy and very strong, the second requires good endurance on bad sinters. The third boulder is on flatter terrain with extremely small holds.
"I think it's really cool when routes test a lot of different aspects."
Eva Hammelmuller
And which part challenged you the most?
On the route itself, the first boulder was the hardest for me. But the most challenging part was definitely dealing with the pressure of only having a few days to climb the route. I only started to try the route seriously on the third of a total of eight climbing days.
«So I was all the happier when I was able to climb it on the 5th day. In addition, I still had time to climb other mega routes!»
Eva Hammelmuller
The year 2023 has only just begun. What have you planned?
My goal this year would definitely be to climb a 9a. In addition, I want to prepare as well as possible for this year's Lead World Cups.
Video: Eva Hammelmüller scores in Ötztal
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Credits: Cover picture Felix Tsam