A first nobody had claimed

Swiss climber Noé Looser made the first female ascent of Fred Nicole's L'isola che non c'è 5.14d in Amden, Switzerland, and the first ascent of it without a rope or kneepad.

“First female ascent, first ascent without rope.”

A dozen sessions between comps

Looser is 19 and finished 11th at last month's European Championship. She first tried the route in March, then came back whenever the comp calendar left her a gap.

It started impossible

The route opens on a V14 and runs into a tall section every previous climber had roped up for. At first she couldn't do the individual moves at all.

“When I first started projecting the route, I couldn't do the individual moves.”

The hard part was mental

The opening boulder demanded body tension and precision from the first move, but the real test was staying composed with nothing below her. She described being absorbed rather than fighting.

“I was calm, focused, and above all, I had a lot of fun.”

How she made it safe

She used the crag's existing pads, stacking two at most. She fell repeatedly near the roof edge while working it, but never once in the final no-fall section she had rehearsed on rope.

Solo or highball

The route has bolts, a route grade, and a rope-only history, so Gripped calls it a free solo. She also left a rope at the top with foot and hand loops to lower herself back down.

“Thanks Fred Nicole for making the first ascent and making this possible.”