Climber is First to Solo Eternal Flame in Karakoram
Stefano Ragazzo made history last year by rope-soloing the famous 5.12 alpine big wall route
In July 2024, Italian alpinist Stefano Ragazzo made the first solo ascent of Eternal Flame on the south face of Nameless Tower (6,251 m) in the Trango Tower range of Pakistan.
The 650-meter 5.12 was first climbed in the summer of 1989 by German climbers Kurt Albert, Wolfgang Güllich, Christof Stiegler and Milan Sykora. The first free ascent was in 2009 by Thomas and Alex Huber, who said the route was the “best and most beautiful free climb on the globe.” The next free ascents were in 2022 by Edu Marin, and then by Babsi Zangerl and Jacopo Larcher who onsighted it.
“On the summit I knew I had just done something absurd, but at the same time, I didn’t really take it in… it’s difficult to explain, I don’t know how else to put it,” Ragazzo said to Planet Mountain last year. “Nine days, alone, on one of the biggest walls and dreams which had found a place in my mind in the last few years.”
A new trailer about Ragazzo’s solo ascent just dropped, which you can watch below. The film, written and directed by Andrea Cossu, will premiere at the 73rd Trento Film Festival.
Eternal Solo
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