Didier Berthod makes first ascent of The Crack of Destiny at Squamish in Canada

Didier Berthod has made the first free ascent The Crack of Destiny, a stunning splitter crack located on The Chief above Squamish in Canada which now with its 5.14 grade checks in as one of the hardest trad climbs in North America.

The legendary Swiss climber was one of Europe's leading crack climbers in the early 2000's. After first ascents such as Greenspit in Valle dell'Orco in 2005 and getting excruciatingly close to the first ascent of Cobra Crack that same year he quit climbing altogether at the age of 25 to become a Franciscan monk; he returned to climbing in 2020 and since then his rise to the apex of this particular niche has been rapid and hitherto unstoppable.

Berthod noticed the crack last year thanks to the new climbing guidebook and explained on his Instagram handle "It was love at first sight. So there it was, this perfect splitter crack that had haunted my dreams for so long. And in a perfect setting, with a perfect view, and a perfect ledge. And even the hour-long walk is also kinda perfect as it gives you a break from the crowds…"

Berthod spent 30 days on the long-standing project last year and invested another 6 this season before managing to send the route pinkpoint, i.e. with all the trad gear in-situ. After antoher 3 days of effort Berthod rose to the obvious challenge of placing all the gear. Here's what he had to say.

Didier nice one! What an amazing return to form!
Thanks! When I started climbing again I wasn’t sure if I could come back to my former level, but this was certainly my goal.

Did this ascent surprise you?
I guess I really wanted to make a "comeback", in a certain sense. So I trained hard, and therefore I wasn’t surprised. Until just recently though I really didn’t know if I was dreaming like a teenager, or if my goal was realistic. Where does surprise me though is to have free climbed this new and really outstanding splitter in Squamish. This, most definitely, didn’t figure in any of my plans!

You pinkpointed the route a few days ago, and returned for the redpoint. How much harder was this?
It was a bit harder, but actually less than expected.

What grade have you given it?
I think it’s a good 5.14, possibly around 8c, 8c+. But I can’t tell more because it's so specific. What I do know is that it's definitely the hardest crack I've ever climbed. But more definitely, the most beautiful!

Can you compare it to other climbs though?
I think it’s slightly harder than the Cobra Crack, which is known to be 5.14b, so 8c. But I’m not so sure about that. I heard some climbers rated Cobra 14a, which could make sense.

You were away from climbing for almost 15 years. How has it changed in that time?
To be honest I don't really know. For sure the comp style has changed a lot! A friend of mine even told me that I climb in the old fashioned way! Social media is something completely new, but obviously this isn't specific to the climbing scene.

Obvious last question Didier: what's next
Obvious answer: I'd like to climb the Cobra, which would be so cool for my climbing journey. Then of course there are a lot of other personal goals, not necessarily related to climbing. But as to crack climbing: I also have a lot of other new crack projects around, both here in Squamish and elsewhere. It would be kinda cool to see if it's possible to climb a 9a crack. It exists somewhere for sure, just gotta find and try it!