Gabriele Moroni Sends La Rambla 5.15a
He battled through freezing conditions to repeat the steep limestone route
Gabriele Moroni has climbed La Rambla 5.15a in Siurana, Spain. This is the first repeat of the famous test-piece that we’ve heard of since Seb Berthe climbed it last year one day after Michaela Kiersch’s ascent.
About his send, Moroni said on 8a.nu, “I tried it for some days during the 2022/23 New Years trip. Then again for a few days at the start of the month and finally on my second day of the last mini trip last week. The ascent came on a very windy day. I knew I had a pretty good chance to do it since I was already very close on my previous trip. I felt really good on the morning of the send. My only concern was the glacial wind conditions but eventually, I kept it together.”
La Rambla was originally bolted and climbed by German Alex Huber in 1994 as a 35-metre 5.14d, and it was later extended by Dani Andrada to become what it is today. Andrada didn’t make the first ascent, instead it was opened by Ramón Julián Puigblanque in 2003. It starts with a 5.13 crack that leads to a traverse left and back right with stiff 5.14 climbing. It gets more overhanging “with violent moves on small holds and crimps,” said Jonathan Thesenga in 2012.
Moroni is a head routesetter and climbing coach who won bronze at the European Bouldering Championships and he continued to podium until his retirement from comps.
Known La Rambla Sends
Ramón Julián Puigblanque in 2003 (FA)
Edu Marín Garcia in 2006
Chris Sharma in 2006 – a day after Edu Marín
Andreas Bindhammer in 2007
Patxi Usobiaga in 2007 – after nine tries
Adam Ondra in 2008 – after five tries
Enzo Oddo in 2011
Sachi Amma in 2012
Felix Neumärker in 2013
Sangwon Son in 2013
Alex Megos in 2013 – on his second attempt
Daniel Jung in 2014
Jonathan Siegrist in 2015
David Firnenburg in 2017
Matty Hong in 2017
Margo Hayes in 2017 – first woman to climb a confirmed 5.15a
Stefano Ghisolfi in 2017
Jacopo Larcher in 2017 – a day after Stefano Ghisolfi
Klemen Becan in 2017
Séb Bouin in 2017
Tomás Ravanal in 2018
Gerard Rull in 2018
Jon Cardwell in 2018
Piotr Schab in 2019
Dave Graham in 2019
Gonzalo Larrocha in 2019
Cédric Lachat in 2019
Chaehyun Seo in 2022
Michaela Kiersch in 2023
Séb Berthe in 2023
Gabriele Moroni in 2024
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