Enzo Oddo, four 9a's in two months

We've never talked about Enzo Oddo until now, mistakenly so. Over the last couple of years this young French climber has managed to climb a growing number of top level routes, and at the end of August Oddo became a member of the "9a Club" when he redpointed SanKuKai at Entraygues close to Briançon. At the start of Seprember he confirmed his superb form by repeating PuntX, a 9a+ freed by another French ace, Alexandre Chabot in the Gorges du Loup just outside Nice. At this point Oddo concentrated his efforts on the hardest routes in the Gorges and two weeks later came up trumps by sending ChochoLocco (9a), while another Chabot testpiece, Abysse 9a, was sent by the youngster just last week.

Statistics are interesting, i.e. four 9a's in 2 months, but what seems more important to us is to underline the fact the Oddo is just 14 years old. He - together with others such as German David Finnenberg - is proving that cutting edge performances by youngsters are not an isolated affair, but that there is a solid base of young and even younger climbers who, with motivation and talent, can aim at difficulties yet unheard of!