Lorenzo Fornaro sends Red Ram (9a+) at Montserrat

On Sunday, 17 May 2026, Lorenzo Fornaro completed the fourth ascent of Red Ram (9a+) at Montserrat, Catalunya, Spain. The 32-year-old Italian climber, who works as a routesetter at Sharma Climbing gym in Barcelona, sent the route after roughly three and a half months of dedicated projecting.

Red Ram was bolted by local climbing legend David Macià, who equipped the sector alongside his brother around 25 years ago. The line’s short list of ascents speaks to its difficulty. The first ascent was made by Ramón Julian Puigblanque in 2013, followed almost a decade later by Alexander Megos in 2022. Just a month before Fornaro’s send, Olympic gold medalist Alberto Ginés López became the third to clip the chains, recently confirming the 9a+ grade. After Ginés’ ascent, while Fornaro was climbing, part of a hold in the crux sequence broke.

The Genoa-born climber stated "I'm really happy to have climbed my first 9a+ in such a beautiful and historic place. Montserrat impressed me from the very first time I visited, and it has an incredible identity and history. This year I came back motivated alongside my flatmate Leonardo de Rivero, a very strong climber from Peru, and I connected with the route straight away. The key move is a dynamic off a small mono, and it suited my style well. The process wasn't without its setbacks. After part of a key hold broke off, while I was feeling close to sending this route, I had to figure out new beta. Along the way I got to meet Alberto Ginés on the route, and David Macià, who told me the sector was originally equipped so Ramonet could train here. Knowing that later ascents were made by Alex Megos and Alberto Ginés makes this route mean even more to me. Honestly, I believe some routes I had bolted and climbed back in Finale Ligure, without really knowing the grade, were probably at a similar difficulty level. I'd love to keep exploring lines at Montserrat and get motivated by other projects here, such as El Disbarat."