Solveig Korherr repeats “Histoire sans Fin” (8b+)

Solveig Korherr has free climbed "Histoire sans Fin" (8b+) on the Petit Clocher du Portalet in Valais. She completed the eight-pitch granite route on August 23, 2026, after two and a half weeks of work and seven days of climbing, together with the French climber Soline Kentzel.

Eight rope lengths, four of them really tough

The route ascends eight pitches through the granite of the Petit Clocher du Portalet (2.821 m). Four pitches contain the crux sections: a 7c+ crack, a bouldery, finger-intensive 7c traverse, an 8b arête, an 8a+ slab – plus the 8b+ that gives the route its grade. After the first day of climbing, we headed back down earlier than planned: we'd pushed ourselves too hard, and afterwards we were sick and exhausted.

The plan was called a team walkthrough.

For a long time, it didn't look like a single ascent was likely. The two climbers divided the four difficult pitches between them – Korherr took on the 8b+ and the 8a+ slab, Kentzel the 8b arête and the 7c+ crack. Nevertheless, they both tried everything. For Korherr, the 7c+ crack came within reach, while the 8b arête initially remained far away. Then the weather slowed them down. On their penultimate attempt, they called it off because it was simply too cold; Korherr climbed the first few easy pitches in a down jacket. In her words: "It was no good." That left exactly one day for the route.

One day, all lengths

Kentzel led the 7c+ crack, Korherr followed. This was followed by the 7c traverse. Before the 8b+, she waited until the sun moved away from the pillar side, but then she was too impatient: On her first attempt, she slipped on the slopers of the crux. With a few minor adjustments to the beta, she managed the pitch on her second attempt. On the 8b arête, Kentzel fell on the very last move before the stan. Korherr then started, fell on her first attempt due to a small mistake, and then waited exactly three minutes before attempting a second. She didn't take off her climbing shoes. On her second attempt, she got through the arête and into the traverse above it. "If you don't know what to do, just crimp the holds to death, like you always do – then you've got it!" came the shout from the belay. And indeed, the advice was spot on. Korherr made it to the belay, and a free ascent was within reach, though no longer as a team effort. The 8a+ slab remained: not Korherr's style, with bloody fingertips and long bolt spacing towards the end. But he managed it.

An endless story

The route has a long history. In 2001, Didier Berthod and François Mathey established the first, later famous, crack pitch. In 2020, Fabian Borter, Bertrand Martenet, and Berthod extended the line to the summit. The first free ascent was achieved in August 2021. Sebastien Berthe and Siebe VanheeIn July 2025, Camilla Moroni and Pietro Vidi repeated the route, with Moroni achieving the first free ascent by a woman. Solveig Korherr is thus the second woman to free climb "Histoire sans Fin".

^{Top images: The breathtaking surroundings at Petite Clocher and Kentzel and Korherr on the wall; bottom: The rope team at the belay station. | Photos: Solveig Korherr and Emile Pino}

Twix at the summit

For climbers involved in alpine sport climbing, this route is considered one of the toughest granite climbs. Korherr himself describes it as one of the most beautiful and difficult multi-pitch granite climbs in Europe. In the end, it wasn't so much the shape of the route that mattered, but rather the expectation:

Once they reached the top, the two were left with a Twix. The last snack they had with them.

That might interest you

• First female Ascent: Camilla Moroni masters “Histoire sans Fin” 
• Soline Kentzel achieves the first female redpoint ascent of "La Darbellay" (8a, 300 m)

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Cover image credits: Emile Pino