Stefano Ghisolfi Sends New 5.15b in Steep Italian Cave
This is his second new route at the grade in just over a month
Stefano Ghisolfi, 28, has made the first ascent of L’Arenauta at Grotta dell’Arenauta in Italy. The steep route was bolted by Giuliano Taruini, and is one of only a few suggested 5.15b routes in the country.
Ghisolfi reported on 8a.nu about his new route, saying, “The first section of the roof is not super hard, around 8b+ [5.14a], and then there is a bad kneebar and from there starts the real challenge. A hard section on pockets with very bad feet, some 10 intense moves.”
The cave where the route is found is close to popular Arenauta beach and is the location of Laura Rogora’s first 5.14b back in 2014 called Ciccio Formaggio, at the age of 13. Ghisolfi ended 2021 with the first ascent of The Lonely Mountain 5.15b at Eremo di San Paolo, which was repeated and had the grade confirmed by Adam Ondra.
Ghisolfi’s hardest routes to date: Lapsus 5.15b, First Round First Minute 5.15b, One Slap 5.15b, La Capella 5.15b, Perfecto Mundo 5.15c, Stoking the Fire 5.15b, Change 5.15c, Erebor 5.15b, Bibliographie 5.15c, The Lonely Planet 5.15b and L’Arenauta 5.15b. In 2021 he famously downgraded Alex Megos’s Bibliographie 5.15d to 5.15c, which Megos agreed with.