On October 2, Laura Rogora redpointed “Erebor” 5.15b/c (9b/+) in Arco, Italy. It could be the most difficult sport climbing route ever climbed by a woman, and it’s the hardest one Italy has on offer. It was the Olympic climber’s second 5.15b+ and only the fifth female ascent of that climbing grade.
Rogora works on ‘Pure Dreaming Plus’, circa 2020. Photo: L. Rogora
Rogora’s ascent, in context
Rogora became the second woman to ever climb 5.15b back in July 2020 with “Ali Hulk Sit Start Extension Total” in Rodellar, Spain.
Austrian Angela Eiter first broke through the 5.15b (9b) ceiling in late 2017 when she sent “La Planta de Shiva” in Villanueva del Rosario, Spain.
Only one other woman, Julia Chanourdie of France, joins Eiter and Rogora on the 5.15b podium. Chanourdie pocketed “Eagle 4” in Saint Léger, France in November 2020.
Eiter then returned to the fore in December 2020 with the first ascent — female or male — of “Madame Ching” in Tyrol, Austria.
But regardless of gender (or gender identity), sport climbing is lonely at the top. Only a handful of men have climbed above 5.15 (9a+), and only one or two routes in the world clock in at 5.15d (9c).
Stefano Ghisolfi, a fellow Italian and Olympian, is credited with developing “Erebor” (fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books will recognize as another name for the dragon’s lair, Lonely Mountain). Ghisolfi is also the only other climber to have redpointed “Erebor”, of course. As is customary, only those that cleanly ascend a route can weigh in on the grade assigned by its first ascensionist. If consensus says “Erebor” does, in fact, go at 5.15b/c (9b/+), Rogora’s just claimed the hardest ascent of any sport route by a female.
Laura Rogora climbing accomplishments, prospects
Photo: Marco Iacono
Single-pitch sport climbing has more than its share of celebs, but few are as vehemently gale-force as the lithe and intense 20-year old Italian. Rogora’s redpoint on “Erebor” marks her fifth 5.15-range route within the calendar year.
The send comes just days after she put up the first-ever ascent of ‘Iron Man’ 5.14d (9a). And did we mention that she stands just 1.5m (4 ft 11 in) tall? The Olympian and three-time IFSC gold medalist took the competitive circuit by small-but-mighty storm in her mid-teens. At the age of 14, she sent her first 5.14d (9a) and enjoyed her first 5.13c (8a+) onsight in the same year.
So what’s next? According to Gripped, Ghisolfi is encouraging Rogora to push for “Bibliographie” 5.15c/d (9b+/c) — one of the world’s two hardest sport routes. If history is any indication, Laura Rogora will be clipping the chains before winter.
Check out the uncut footage of her epic ascent of “Erebor” below.
