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This 5.14 Crack From 1994 Was Futuristic

First climbed by Stevie Haston, this alpine test-piece follows a splitter to a crimpy face with a dyno

First climbed in 1994 by Stevie Haston at 3,500 metres in elevation, Sans Liberté went 20 years without a repeat. Over the past few years it’s become more popular among 5.14 climbers.

“Finding such an overhanging line, so consistently overhanging on granite, is really difficult, especially in the Mont Blanc Massif,” said Marco Sappa. “It’s truly an incredible place. When you clip the chain and shout, you can hear your echo reverberate throughout the entire Combe Maudite… it’s beautiful.”

At the time, this was one of the hardest pitches of mountain mixed climbing in the world. To have a 5.13 crack, which was called Entrez dans la Legende, lead into a bolted granite face above a glacier was rare in the early 1990s.

“It made it a great route,” said Haston about adding the protection bolts above the crack and making the first ascent.

Sans Liberté 5.14

 

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