Matilda Söderlund nails Niemisis (9a) at Niemisel in Sweden

31-year-old Swedish climber Matilda Söderlund has completed what she has described as her "longest project ever", namely Niemisis at Niemisel in the north of the country. The route was bolted by Kristoffer Lindbäck and first ascended by Hannes Puman who didn't grade the route, and Söderlund believes the overhanging line of sharp crimps warrants 9a.

Söderlund explained on her Instagram handle "The route is unique in the sense that it’s extremely sustained, the crux consists of 19 hard, crimpy and technical moves in a row with no rest. I fell more than 20 times going to the same hold (crux move 16). Big up to Kristoffer Lindbäck for the vision and Hannes Puman for the FA!"

She first started working the project inspring 2021 and despite being in great shape failed to make the redpoint. Success came about after about 35 days in 2021, and 12 days this year.

Söderlund climbed her first 9a, The Elder Statesman in Germany's Frankenjura in 2019, and has also nailed routes such as The last rites (8c+), Pure imagination (8c+) and Pati noso (8c/+). She is has bouldered up to 8B and sent some hard multipitches such as Parzival (8b, 150m) on Westliche Dreifaltigkeit and Rayu (8c, 600m) on the south face of Peña Santa de Castilla (2596m) in the Picos de Europa.

Links: FB Matilda Söderlund, La Sportiva, Petzl

 

 

 

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