Big Sends by Nina Caprez and Barbara Zangerl on Huge Alpine 5.14

Nina Caprez and Barbara Zangerl have sent one of the original hard alpine sport routes in Switzerland.

The two cutting-edge women have constantly pushed the bar higher for female ascents in the alpine.

Having teamed up for Die Unendliche Geschichte (The Never Ending Story) 5.14b proved to be a sending strategy. Both of them sent the 1990 route, which marked the third and fourth ascents.

The 450-metre Ratikon range alpine-sport climb was first climbed by Beat Kammerlander in 1990. In 2005, Pietro dal Pra made the second ascent.

Kammerlander had established Silbergeier, a 245-metre 5.14a next to The Never Ending Story, two years after his first free ascent of its neighbour.

Silbergeier has become one of the many test-piece routes for multi-pitch sport climbs over the past decade. Caprez made the first female ascent of it in 2011.

Zangerl reported to Planet Mountain that the 12-pitch The Never Ending Story is much harder and twice the size of the classic 5.14a to the side.

For the complete story and an interview with Caprez and Zangerl, visit Planet Mountain.

Watch Caprez and Cecric Lachet climb Silbergeier: