Alfredo Webber sends Pure Dreaming 9a at Arco

Just the other day Alfredo Webber closed a circle by repeating Pure Dreaming, a 9a he bolted in 2017 at the crag Massone above Arco and subsequently freed by Adam Ondra. Webber demonstrated unusual determination and perseverance, investing almost 400 attempts spread over 3 and a half years, between "ups and downs, trashed fingers, desperate attempts at 35 degrees, in the cold, the rain, days when, logically, it would have been better to stay home."

The ascent came about in suboptimal conditions for the redpoint and is now the 52-year-old's second 9a, after Thunders Vibes climbed in 2017. Webber is equally at home on thuggish overhangs as on desperate slabs; last winter he made jaws drop with his daring free solo of the 8c Panem et Circenses at Muro di Pizarra.

It’s worth noting that Webber was motivated by attempts on the same route carried out by Andrea Chelleris, who despite the heat is currently making excellent progress and is precisely 40 years younger than Webber. This, too, is what makes climbing so special.