Andrea Chelleris succeeded in the red point ascent of the 9a route Pure Dreaming near Arco. The 12-year-old climber is the youngest person to date to have been able to climb a route with this red point difficulty level.
Pure Dreaming at Arco is one of the most popular 9a routes in the world. Climber Adam Ondra scored for the first time. Since then, the route has been repeated several times, including by Angy pus, Laura Rogora or a few days ago by the fitter himself, the 52-year-old (!) Alfredo Webber. Even this ascent was a sensation (LACRUX reported).
Successful on skis, successful on rocks
A few days after Alfredo Webber, another person caused a stir. A person who is around 40 years younger than the setter and climber of the route himself: Andrea Chelleris. At the age of only 12 the Italian managed the red point ascent of the 9a route. Andrea wrote climbing history with it. The previous record was at Adam Ondra, Ashima Shiraishi and Illya Bakhmet-Smolenskywho cracked the magical 9a grade at the age of 13.
Andrea Chelleris training at home
Scored in a few attempts
It is also interesting that Andrea Chelleris is primarily a successful skier. Last winter he trained skiing five times a week and won a national competition in Italy in March. In April he began to concentrate on climbing training and in June drove to Arco with his parents to do the route Pure Dreaming to project. In only 19 attempts, the project turned into a red point ascent.
Even if Andrea Chelleris is successful on skis, he has been climbing since he was a child (five years old). At the age of nine he was already climbing 8b +.
Andrea at a downhill race in March 2021
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Credits: Cover picture Andrea Chelleris