Eva Hammelmüller repeats Hades (9a) at Nassereith in Austria

Eva Hammelmüller has, in her own words, "Won the battle against the God of the Underworld!", namely Hades at Götterwandl in Nassereith, Austria. First ascended in July 2008 by Germany's Andreas Bindhammer and repeated four days later by his brother Christian, the 40-move line is renowned for being tough for the grade.

Hammelmüller first tried the line in 2022 knowing that it is powerful, steep, and requires strength endurance, and believing that these were "all qualities that I thought I lacked." After concentrating on competitions in 2023 she returned to the route this autumn and surprised herself in redpointing the line.

After her repeat she stated "Maybe sending this route was so important to me because I desperately wanted to prove myself wrong, to demonstrate that I can be a powerful and physical climber. I am really proud of the progress I made with each try, and I managed to enjoy the process even at a point where I knew I could/had to send the route."

Hades marks a step up in Hammelmüller's progression, after having sent diverse 8c+ and one 8c+/9a, Underground at Arco in 2021. For the record, the first female ascent was carried out by Angela Eiter in 2014 and, just like Hammelmüller, it was her first 9a.