Watch First Ascent of a 5.15b Slab in Switzerland
Cryptology is one of the most difficult slabs in the world
On Jan. 11, 2020, Italian climber Alessandro Zeni made the first ascent of Cryptography, a slab at Saint Loop, Switzerland. He graded it 5.15b, making it one of the hardest slab routes in the world.
The route is linkup of Bain de Sang 5.14d, established in 1993 by Fred Nicole, and Bimbaluna 5.14d/15a, climbed by Fred’s brother François Nicole in 2004. In 2017, Zeni sent Bimbaluna and realized the two could be combined.
Zeni, 28, spent a number of days travelling to the popular crag to send the technical line. The other 5.15b slab is Disbelief at Upper Acephale in the Canadian Rockies, first climbed by Adam Ondra in 2018. Zeni has also established Cosmic Energy, a 5.15a slab in the Dolomites.
