Aleksandra Taistra repeats Genius, hard & runout multipitch in Sardinia

Located on the remote Monte Ginnircu close to Baunei in Sardinia, Genius was originally established in a style described by the first ascensionists Fabio Palma, Domenicio Soldarini and Matteo della Bordella as HLWF (Hard, Long, Wild, Free). The result is a line with huge runouts on beautiful rock high above the Mediterranean sea. The difficulties are sustained and the runout nature of the climbing on the easier pitches certainly adds character to the route.

Taistra, who is currently planning a bigger project in the nearby Gola di Gorropu, was looking for exactly this kind of line as preparation for her upcoming challenges. "I knew that if I want to climb the Gorropu-project, I need to train my psyche on sparesly bolted lines with big runouts. The first ascensionist Fabio Palma contacted me while I was trying Hotel Supramonte and suggested I try Genius, but at the time I was too busy climbing other Sardinian routes. But now Genius was the perfect line, since it combines adventurous climbing on the easier pitches with extremely hard cruxes. And the fact that no one had touched the route in the last ten years made the experience even more special. When you clean and brush a hard line all by yourself, there is no one to give you the beta or tell you anything about how to do it. At times I felt like a miner, discovering a big gem."

According to Taistra, the route is remarkable due to its spectacularly beautiful pitches, often on weathered tufas, combined with runouts up to 15m long. She explained "Every pitch is particular and different. The quick change from technical-slabby climbing to big dynamic moves makes Genius very special."

After cleaning, brushing and working the climb last season - often completely on her own - Taistra freed pitch after pitch with the help of various friends before making her free ascent on 20 April. On that day she had to broke a foothold on pitch 8 and therefore needed two attempts to redpoint this 8b, and two goes were needed to send the 7c 8th pitch as she snapped a handhold.

Summing up her experience, she stated "I learnt a lot from Genius, about how to suffer and control my fear, how to be more concentrated and remain focused on an objective. And how to extend my comfort zone."

Link: www.alekstaistra.com, FB Aleksandra Taistra, IG Aleksandra Taistra, SCARPA