BURSTLéo Billon and Enzo Oddo have made the first free ascent of Voie Lafaille on the west face of the Drus in the Alps. It now goes free at 5.14.
The first ascent was done solo and in winter by Jean-Christophe Lafaille in February 2001. Lafaille called it “the most beautiful and hardest route I’ve ever climbed in the Alps!” He also said it was, at the time, the hardest rock climb in the region.
Billon and Oddo bivied twice during their free push of the big granite line, which was originally graded A5. Both climbers freed all of the difficult pitches. They added a slight variation that climbs steeper rock next to a slab.
At a grade of 5.14, Voie Lavaille is now one of the world’s most difficult alpine big wall free routes.
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