Katherine Choong sends La Fiesta de Los Metallos, 8b mp in the Verdon

Switzerland's Katherine Choong has repeated yet another hard multipitch in one of her favourite climbing areas, France's Verdon Gorge. After redpointing La Ramirole in April 2022, last Monday the 32-year-old successfully climbed La Fiesta de Los Metallos, an extremely varied five-pitch outing in the Estellié sector bolted by Olivier Dutel and Nicolas Potard that offers practically everything, from "dihedrals to cracks, tufas, pockets, crimps, big overhangs and old school slabs."

Choong first tried the route in April but was thwarted by the difficulties and above all poor conditions, and returned in June when it had finally dried out. The pitches check in at 7b+, 7c+, 8b, 7a, 8a, 8a and even after the 8b crux the route is far from over, with the final 8a offering what Choong considers the hardest single move on the entire route, just 3 meters before the last chain. Indeed, on her first attempt from the ground she sent all pitches except for the last, and after falling twice from the top was forced to abandon her push. After 2 rest days she returned and, after seconding her partner Jim Zimmermann on the first pitch, she then led all other pitches clean.

Choong has previously climbed a flurry of hard multi-pitches such as Ali Baba (2022) at Aiglun, Hattori Hanzo (2022) on the north face of Titlis, La Ramirole (2022) and Une Jolie Fleur dans une Peau de Vache (2021) in the Gorges du Verdon and 6.4 Sekunden (2021) at Engelberg in Switzerland. At the crag she has redpointed 9a twice, Jungfrau Marathon at Gimmelwald in 2019 and Cabane au Canada at Rawyl in 2018.

Links: katherinechoong.ch, IG Katherine Choong, Mammut, SCARPA, www.juliacassou.com