Monte Gallo: new rock climb in Sicily by Lukas Binder and Florian Hagspiel

The right to think and act as you wish. This is what Lukas Binder and Florian Hagspiel enjoyed during the first ascent of their Freedom of movement, a 200m outing up a hitherto unclimbed overhanging section of Monte Gallo on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily.

Climbed ground-up over a period of four days in December 2013, the 5-pitch line is protected by a mix of pegs, bolts and wires and breaches difficulties up to 7c. Due to the poor weather conditions pitch 3 was not climbed free in a single push, meaning that the route's free ascent is still up for grabs.

Freedom of Movement offers some fairly run-out climbing at times, requiring a cool head. "Every day we could decide for ourselves, which risks we wanted to take, and we could have turned back at any moment" explained Binder, adding "this freedom isn't enjoyed by many of those who reach Sicily's coast every day, as many flee from civil war in countries such as Syria or Somalia. That's why we want to call our route Freedom of Movement, to underline our solidarity with these people. The freedom we enjoyed on the route is a right, that everyone should have."

TOPO: Freedom of Movement, Monte Gallo, Sicily