First Ascent of Big Twin 9a+ in the Dolomites

This spring, my friend Andrea Polo invited me to finally climb in the Dolomites at a place called Laboratorio (you can find it on The Topo app right now). It was a perfect excuse to finally check out this stunning gem in the heart of the Dolomites.

The crag was so much higher and so much better than I could ever imagine! I tried a few routes here, but the one that impressed me the most was an imposing project called Big Twin. A line bolted by local climber Icio dall'Omo and tried by Luca Zardini. Despite a few chipped holds, I was blown away by the quality of the line, especially how fun it was to climb.

On the 3rd day of trying Big Twin, I managed to make the first ascent of this 50m line, with a proper fight and lactic acid bursting from my forearms. Despite initially thinking it could be 9b, I found better betas, and I think 9a+ could be a good grade. But this is just beginning for this crag - it is time to bolt something harder.

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Photos by Crimp Films.