Italian trad climbing pro Pietro Vidi has secured the first repeat of "Drifter's Escape" (9a+, 5.15a). On October 13th, he completed Connor Herson's trad route on Stawamus Chief in Squamish. It is considered one of the hardest crack climbs in the world.
Two cracks high above Squamish
American trade pro Connor Herson He invested two seasons in free climbing the impressive crack line on Stawamus Chief. He refined sequences, tested placements, and worked his way through the pogo move of the crux, as if... Lacrux reported in February.
Herson called the route his most difficult first ascent to date, featuring some of the best moves he had ever attempted using his own protection. If his proposed grade of 9a+ is confirmed, "Drifter's Escape" will be the hardest route in the world protected exclusively with trad gear. Herson himself downplayed the grade in a statement: when he looks back on this moment in one, five, or ten years, the grade won't be the deciding factor.
Always keep an eye on the Chief
For Vidi, the route became an obsession. "The line is absolutely beautiful," he says in the press release, raving about "some of the craziest holds ever." The Italian worked his way through the wall in 15 sessions. "The process was pretty tough. I haven't put that many sessions into a project in a long time, and as always, I was totally obsessed with it. This time it consumed me especially. It felt like Drifters Escape was watching me from every corner of the city. Wherever I went, I saw the Chief and that curved white slab staring back," Vidi explains in the press release. Despite his experience on hard boulders, trad routes, and big walls, the 23-year-old describes the climb as unusually demanding. The sequences require extreme precision, delicate footwork, and loose climbing on insecure holds.
The route is extremely complex and technical; I've never experienced anything like it. You have to place every single finger with incredible precision on the crux pinches and in the cracks, and learn to wedge your toes into those thin pods. Typical Squamish: simply pulling hard doesn't work. You have to let your body float.
Pietro Vidi
No-hands rest and less gear
After a few sessions, the uncertain moves began to fall into place. Two discoveries proved crucial: a no-hands rest in the middle of the route and a different beta for the upper section. "After that, my motivation was fully back," says Vidi. He also deliberately deviated from Herson's tactics. Vidi placed fewer protection points than the first ascensionist, which saves energy but increases the pressure on the lead.
I decided to use less gear than Connor to conserve energy. This made the first part more efficient, but also quite scary – resulting in some rather shaky lead climbing attempts.
Pietro Vidi
On only the second day of attempts from the ground, Vidi surprisingly held the final difficult move. Immediately afterward, he slipped just before the top. From that moment on, it was less about the moves and more about patience: "From then on, the pressure built. I was very sure I would soon make it, but then a battle against the conditions and against my own mind began." He fell two more times on the final move, then everything clicked. "Finally, I found the perfect flow and managed the mantle over the last strap," said Vidi.
Pietro Vidi between trad, bouldering and big wall
The 23-year-old Italian is considered one of the most versatile climbers of his generation. His list includes, among others... Jacopo Larchers “Tribe” in Italy as well as “Meltdown” (8c+) and “Magic Line” (8c+) in YosemiteIn 2025 he also achieved the second free ascent of "Lurking Fear" (8a+) on El Capitan.
The two Yosemite routes connect him to Herson, who also free climbed "Meltdown" and "Magic Line". Whether Vidi will confirm the proposed grade for "Drifter's Escape" remains to be seen.
That might interest you
- Yosemite: Pietro Vidi repeats the difficult trad classic »Meltdown« (8c+)
- Pietro Vidi and Camilla Moroni free climb the "Pre-Muir Wall" on El Capitan
+ + +