Stefano Ghisolfi, Alex Megos add new 9a+ to Arco and Saint Léger

Terapia d’urto, shock therapy, is the name of the new 9a+ located in the small cave at the crag Padaro above Arco in Italy, bolted by tireless Marco Erspamer and freed the other day by local Stefano Ghisolfi. The new linkup has been described as being somewhat unconventional in that it traverses from left to right just a few meters off the deck, linking via 40 intense moves the cruzes of L'arciere (8c) and Goosfraba (8c+). This is now Ghisolfi's second 9a+ at Padaro after The Bow, freed by the 28-year-old last summer.

Alexander Megos has freed a route of the same grade, but completely different style, at Saint Léger du Ventoux in France called Et pour quelques dégaines de plus. This 20m line sports 10 hard moves through the lip of the roof and is the icing on the cake of an intense 7-day stint in Saint Léger, during which the 27-year-old German also climbed Les petits chefs des néant (8c), La tournée du patron (8c), L’étrave (8c), Rêve de Poutre (8c/+), Crackinette (8c+), La Ligne Claire 8c+, La Castagne (9a/+) and Cadafist (9a/+).