Spring Sends Kick Off In The Northern Hemisphere
7/4/2026
Spring is a productive period for climbing of all genres and the arrival of settled spring weather in Europe and other Northern Hemisphere climbing regions has lead to a boost of successful climbing in the past few weeks. With a second notable barefoot ascent within the past few months, maybe 2026 is the year we all throw out our climbing shoes? Here's a round up.
Sport Climbing & Bouldering
Barefoot New 9A at Fontainebleau: French climber Charles Albert made the first ascent of Charlatan (9A/V17) at Franchard Isatis, Fontainebleau, France on March 27. Albert—famous for climbing barefoot—had been attempting the three-move, technically demanding problem for eight years, and in January 2025 dislocated his shoulder mid-attempt with the top in reach. The problem ends with a complex undercling sequence near the lip. UKClimbing · Gripped
Oriane Bertone has made the first female ascent of Lazarus (8B/V13) at Fontainebleau on March 25, and sent a second V13, L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être (8B/V13), on the same day. The 21-year-old French climber is primarily known as a competition climber—she won the inaugural Pro Climbing League event in London on 28 February—but is steadily building an impressive outdoor résumé including fifteen V13s and three V14s. Lazarus was established by Olivier Lebreton in 2019. — Gripped
Japanese Climber Repeats 9b Line: On March 15, Japanese climber Sachi Amma repeated Sleeping Lion (9b/5.15b) at El Pati, Siurana, Spain. First established by Chris Sharma in 2023, Amma took 30 days over four trips to send the route and described it as reflecting deep emotions including anger, sadness, loneliness, joy, and excitement. Planetmountain
Czech Women's V15 Achievement: On March 28, Czech climber Jana Švecová made the first ascent of Tokyo Drift (V15/8C) at Holstejn, Czechia, her second V15 first ascent. She first attempted the boulder in April 2025 but was sidelined by finger injuries. Despite challenging conditions with 5°C temperatures and strong winds, she successfully topped the problem. Švecová now joins Katie Lamb and Janja Garnbret as one of only three women with multiple V15 ascents. Gripped
Ondra Approaches 100 5.14 Onsights: Czech climber Adam Ondra returned to sport climbing after a winter focused on bouldering and onsighted three routes in Falegnameria, Italy: Putain De Merde (5.14b/8c), Janja (5.14b/8c), and 2 Ottobre 1925 (5.14a/8b+). According to 8a.nu, the 33-year-old has now onsighted 99 routes between 5.14b and 5.14d—one short of the 100 mark. To date, he’s onsighted nearly 90 5.14as. Gripped
Belar Barrutia on a Run in Catalunya: Spanish climber Ainhize Belar Barrutia—who at 18 became the first Spanish woman to climb 5.15a—climbed two 5.14+ routes in under a week in Catalunya: La Reina Mora (5.14c/d, 9a) in Siurana on March 27, followed by Víctimes del Futur (5.14d/9a) in Margalef a few days later. Now 20, Belar continues to build one of the strongest résumés in Spanish women's climbing. Gripped
Zehani Opens Another 9a at Orgon: French climber Loïc Zehani made the first ascent of Immortels (9a/5.14d) at Orgon-Canal, France. The route features nearly 50 moves through a steep overhang—a super powerful opening section, a physical mid-section, and a sustained third part. Zehani, who established his first 9a at age 14, now has more than 50 first ascents from 9a to 9b at his home crag. Vertical-Life / 8a.nu
Trad Climbing
Herson Climbs Norwegian Trad Classic: American climber Connor Herson made the fourth documented ascent of Recovery Drink (5.14c/9a, trad) on Norway's Profile Wall at Jøssingfjord. The 35-metre gear-protected route was established by Belgian climber Nico Favresse in 2013. The second ascent was by Daniel Jung (Germany, 2018) and the third by Pete Whittaker (2019). Herson also recently made the third ascent of Whittaker's own route Crown Royale (5.14c/9a, trad) at the same crag. For the full story, watch the video here. Gripped · UKClimbing
Alpinism & Big Walls
First All-Female Ascent on Central Tower of Paine: French climber Julia Cassou, German climber Amélie Kühne, Spanish climber Belén Prados, and American climber Caroline North completed the first all-female ascent of the South African Route (7b+/5.12c, 1,200m) on the east face of the Central Tower of Paine, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile. The team spent 13 days on the wall in difficult conditions, using a capsule-style approach. On the first pitch Prados was hit by rockfall and forced to rest for two days; the team then endured a major storm that kept them on Boeing Ledge for six nights, melting snow for water. They aided through several pitches in the snowy conditions rather than freeing every metre. The route was first climbed in 1973/74 and first freed in 2009. Gripped
Mathéo Jacquemoud Completes Full Alpine Traverse: French guide and former ski-mountaineering world champion Mathéo Jacquemoud completed the Intégrale des Alpes—a human-powered traverse from Vienna to Nice—in 20 days, finishing March 26. The 35-year-old traveled by ski and bicycle, covering 2,200km and 86,000 vertical metres across 19 Alpine ranges and four countries, summiting iconic peaks including Mont Blanc. While primarily a ski-alpinism achievement, the traverse involved significant high-mountain terrain and alpine climbing in winter conditions. PlanetMountain
Access & Industry
Fatal Climbing Accident on Kalymnos: On March 27, a 60-year-old climber from the Czech Republic died following a fall in Kalymnos, Greece. While lowering off ST SAVVAS (7b+) in the Jurassic Park sector, the anchor failed when both 10mm bolts broke. The load transferred to the next bolt down, which also failed—an unprecedented triple-bolt failure. The climber was alive after the fall but did not survive. Rebolt Kalymnos announced they would inspect all routes equipped before 2005. Planetmountain