Professional climbers Matilda Söderlund and Anna Hazelnutt met by chance in a taco shop. Hazelnutt told him about her long-held dream of climbing in Madagascar, and Söderlund was immediately on board. A few months later, at the beginning of June, the two drove along bumpy tracks towards Tsaranoro.
The goal of the two: Air Madagascar (8b+), a route first climbed in 2010 by Dirk Uhlig and Jörg Andreas on the Areté section of the Kamboni Wall. The first five pitches follow a prominent crack in slightly overhanging granite to a ledge halfway up the wall. From there, slab and ridge climbing alternate to the summit. To their surprise, the little-known line proved to be absolutely spectacular: exciting moves, tricky and demanding sequences – a true hidden gem.
But the route demanded everything from the two professional athletes: extremely long runouts (sometimes five bolts in 40 meters), brittle rock, and an 8b crux that even Adam Ondra once failed to climb. During their attempt, not both managed to free all the pitches, but as a team, they battled their way through miserable bivouac nights and gale-force winds to the summit.
We felt like we had found a hidden diamond!
Anna Hazelnutt
What makes the film worth watching is not only the top-class granite climbing, but also the honest confrontation with success and failure and the friendship of two female climbers that grows under pressure on the wall. Clear recommendation.
Here's the link to the film:
That might interest you
- Women's trio climbs big-wall route Rayu (610m, 8c)
- Interview: Matilda Söderlund about the ascent of Parzival
+ + +