Strong Climbers Are Loving This 5.13d Crack
Butterfly Circus in Switzerland is said to be one of the best trad routes in the country
Butterfly Circus is a splitter crack found in Val Bavona, Switzerland, that was first climbed in 2022 by 5.14 crack climber Fred Moix. It’s since been tried and repeated by several of the world’s strongest trad climbers.
The second ascent went to Jernej Kruder, who said , “One of the best and probably my hardest crack I’ve climbed.” This spring, Pete Whittaker made the third ascent, with his and Tom Randall’s company Wide Boyz stating, “Srom size greys to reds, then back down to greys again. A great complement to the neighbouring Greenspit, with this being more sustained and less cruxy.”
The most recent ascents were by Babsi Zangerl, who climbed it after three days and said it’s “probably the best crack in Ticino,” and Jacopo Larcher, who said, “An incredible and long splitter crack, smooth granite, sore hands, it sounds like Yosemite, but no, it was Switzerland.”
Watch Zangerl and Whittaker on Butterfly Circus below.
Whittaker on Butterfly Circus
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