Victor Guillermin, a 20-year-old professional climber from France, has made the third ascent of Aloha, a legendary 5.14d in Alsace, France. As Guillermin said, it’s “an orange roof that drains your energy like few others.”
The route was first climbed in 2007 by Julius Westphal, without knee pads, creating a true monument of french and european climbing. Since then, only Adam Ondra and Antoine Kaufmann have repeated it, breaking a few holds and adding knee bars, suggesting a grade of around 5.14d/15a.
“I went to try it myself, with only three days ahead of me,” said Guillermin. “After a huge fight, and just two working burns to figure out the moves, I managed to send the route in a single day! It’s one of my greatest climbing memories so far, in what feels more like hard 9a [5.14d] than 9a/+ [5.14d].”
“That’s why we wanted to make a video that captures the whole experience — the scale of the roof, the intensity, and the feeling of the battle. It’s a dynamic, original film, created in collaboration with Tenaya, and I truly hope you’ll enjoy it.” Watch the video below.
Guillermin on Aloha