Lorenzo Bogliacino adds 'Vivi si muore' (9a/+) to Val Tanaro, Italy

Less than 6 months after injuring his finger, Lorenzo Bogliacino has now celebrated a remarkable comeback with the first ascent of Vivi si muore (9a/+) at La Stazione in Val Tanaro, Piedmont, Italy. The route is entirely natural and sports a 8A+ crux sequence on the lower section. Bogliacino sent the route last Friday afternoon, "after working that morning and before the night shift."

Writing on his IG account, the 28-year-old stated "The first time I touched the holds on the entry boulder, I hadn’t even tried Prima Classe or Trainspotting. I didn’t really understand the moves, and simply hanging on the holds felt impossible, let alone moving between them! After adjusting the upper section of the route — my original version was just too featureless — I had to make millimeter modifications to the bolt placements on the lower section, since clipping the quickdraws was tricky and the large boulder below was too close for comfort.

Last spring, after Trainspotting, I began seriously working on solving this beautiful puzzle of rock and shapes. Thanks to tips from other strong climbers, it all finally started to come together!

Regarding the grade, I was convinced it could be 9a+... but in this case, for me personally, the entire journey and the satisfaction of having discovered, bolted, solved the moves, and finally climbed such a route (obviously completely natural) is worth much more than any number that can be attributed to it! As always, the grade will be confirmed after repeats. 'Life is short, after all.'"