BURSTLaura Rogora has just made the third ascent of Big Twin 5.15a (9a+) in Laggio Nord in the Italian Dolomites. Since the ascent of her hardest climb yet, Bibliographie 5.15c, the Italian crusher has refused to slow down. She climbed Bibliographie on August 13, and only a few days shy of one month later, she has already added four more 5.14d’s and one 5.15a to her massive ticklist.
“First tried this amazing line on Saturday,” said Rogora about Big Twin on Instagram. “I managed to do all the moves, but a boulder problem right at the start of the hard section required some tinkering to dial in my beta, and it felt brutal. In the next session: on my 5th go (first real RP try) I really didn’t expect to pass through the first crux and climb all the way to the top! Stoked to claim the second repeat of this incredible route after the FA by [Adam Ondra] and the young gun [Pepa Šindel].”
Located in the Laboratorio crag, Ondra established Big Twin in May this year. The route was bolted by Icio dall’Omo years ago and remained without a redpoint until Ondra’s efforts. “The crag was so much higher and so much better than I could ever imagine!” said Ondra on Instagram about Laboratorio.
He continued about the route: “Despite a few chipped holds, I was blown away by the quality of the line, especially how fun it was to climb. On the 3rd day of trying Big Twin, I managed to make the first ascent of this 50m line, with a proper fight and lactic acid bursting from my forearms. Despite initially thinking it could be [5.15b], I found better betas, and I think [5.15a] could be a good grade. But this is just beginning for this crag – it is time to bolt something harder.”
The day after Rogora sent Big Twin, she hopped on Chiave Della Volta 5.14d and climbed it in a day. This one is another Ondra route, which he described on his 8a.nu page as “40 meters of madness, only slightly overhanging. One of the best in Arco, in my opinion.”
Rogora is an absolute force on rock. Few climbers, regardless of gender, can even come close to her high volume of hard sends, let alone her ability to onsight, flash, or send in three goes or less (six if we’re looking at her hardest ascents). Her onsight of Ultimate Sacrifice 5.14c in Gorges du Loup, France, in July of last year made her the first woman in history to onsight the grade 5.14c. Additionally, she onsighted four 5.14b and two 5.14c climbs last year alone. She also has two 5.15b climbs to her name. Her first 5.15b was Ali Hulk (sit start extension) in Rodellar, Spain back in 2020. In September 2022, she climbed Erebor 5.15b in Arco, Italy.
The 25-year-old Italian climber’s recent ascent of Bibliographie 5.15c was historic. The route was established by Alex Megos back in 2020. It took Megos 60 sessions, and he initially proposed 5.15d. Stefano Ghisolfi made the second ascent a couple of weeks later and, with his new beta, downgraded the route to 5.15c. Sean Bailey’s third ascent took 24 sessions. Bouin took around 40 sessions, and Jorge Díaz-Rullo, like Megos, did it in around 60. Janja Garnbret sent it in 21 sessions. Rogora’s six-day send of a 5.15c route is unprecedented and one of the greatest achievements in climbing ever.
Adam Ondra’s First Ascent of Big Twin 5.15a
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