Janja Garnbret sends Bibliographie (9b+) at Céüse

On Saturday 6 June Janja Garnbret made the first female ascent of Bibliographie, the 9b+ at Céüse in France bolted by Ethan Pringle in 2009 and freed by Alexander Megos in 2020. In doing so the 27-year-old Slovenian climber has not only climbed her hardest route to date, she has also become only the second woman in the world to climb 9b+, after Brooke Raboutou climbed Excalibur at Arco in April 2025.

Bibliographie is one of the world's hardest sport climbs and a confirmed benchmark of the grade 9b+. At present there are only a handful of 9b+ worldwide and only five 9c, none of which have yet been repeated.

Bibliographie has become one of the defining endurance testpieces of modern sport climbing. Characterised by sustained resistance climbing with more than 80 demanding moves, Bibliographie has seen only a handful of ascents until this day. Originally graded 9c by Megos following his first ascent after 60 days of trying, the route was later downgraded to 9b+ by Stefano Ghisolfi in August 2021 after the second ascent – a consensus that has since been accepted by those who have managed to climb the chains - Sean Bailey (2021), Seb Bouin (2023) and Jorge Díaz-Rullo (2023).

Garnbret had first tried the route shortly after the 2024 Olympics and ultimately completed it now on her fifth trip to Céüse, always with the route in mind. She explained "This route lit a fire in me. It made me feel something special, and I kept coming back to it. It definitely helped me become a better athlete and a better climber."

The successful ascent came on Garnbret's fina day in Céüse before returning to the competition circuit. After battling warm conditions throughout the trip, she finally found the window she had been waiting for. Significantly cooler temperatures and strong wind made for perfect conditions and ideal friction on the bullet proof limestone.

Nevertheless, the send came unexpectedly. "On what was planned to be a warm-up on the route, I just felt perfect and kept going. I was just in my own bubble, in my own world, just doing what I love most. Unlike other days, not a lot of people were at the crag, so no loud cheering. It was one of the most serene moments in my rock climbing career."

She stated "This send is the accumulation of everything I learned over the past two years. This route taught me that with a calm mind and with patience, anything can happen. Never count yourself out – until the very last try, you need to fight hard," Garnbret describes the size of the achievement.

So, when it finally does happen, it’s an incredible feeling. All the work you’ve put in, all the commitment, the patience – when everything comes together, it feels incredible. Today my heart feels very full."

 

 

 

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