Voyage
Fast ascent of the tough trad route Le Voyage (E10, 7a)
Swiss mountain guide and climber Yannick Glatthard repeats Le Voyage (E10, 7a) in the French Annot. The line, first climbed by James Pearson in 2017, is considered one of the most most difficult pure trad routes in France.
It was a short trip, but one that had it all: In the French climbing area of Annot, Yannick Glatthard manages a fast ascent of the tough trad route Le Voyage (E10, 7a). "Speaking of trad climbing in Europe, Le Voyage is certainly one of the most beautiful lines," enthuses the climber from the Bernese Oberland. The scenery in the Chambre du Roi sector, the rock and and the way the route pulls itself up, that's already very powerful.
Little time, fast progress
During two days, Yannick Glatthard checked out the route in the top rope. "Even though there are two to three runouts, the placements are all solid." Challenging, he says, was the key spot, as his fingers almost didn't fit in the small three-finger hole.
After two days of project planning and one day of rest, there wasn't much time left to get it all sorted out. "That was a stressful situation for me," says Yannick Glatthard. Especially since it would be straight to Greece after the short detour to France.
Non-binding test leads to success
On the following day, the climber from the Oberland enters the route without any great ambitions. He had wanted to make an attempt without pressure and simply feel how it goes. "Already in the first part, which is indicated with 7a I found a super flow," says Yannick Glatthard.
Then, when the crux pitch opened well, he realized it was probably going to be a serious attempt after all. "I then continued climbing and, thanks to two or three good resting positions surprisingly easy to get off."
The King Line of Annot is certainly among the greater achievements of Glatthard's climbing career to date. The fact that Green Spit (8b+) in the Valle Dell'Orco is still his personal highlight The fact that Green Spit (8b+) in Valle Dell'Orco is still his personal highlight should not obscure the importance of his most recent ascent: "Le Voyage is something huge for me.
Text Lacrux