Resurrection, stunning 9a multipitch established on Punta Lunarda in Corsica's Bavella

French climbers Hugo Parmentier and Symon Welfringer, accompanied by photographer Arthur Delicque, have established Resurrection on Punta Lunarda in the huge granite Bavella massif in Corsica. The 250m route has yet to be freed, but the climbers believe the difficulties lie somewhere in the region on 9a, making it a strong contender for one of the hardest multipitches in France.

Parmentier and Welfringer left home on 21 October and travelled on their tandem bike to Saint-Mandrier, reached after 320 km and +3000 m of elevation gain. From here they crossed the Mediterranean on a sailing boat and, after having endured a full-blown storm, 36 hours later they reached the port of Propriano. Their destination: the Bavella massif and a line on the grandiose Punta di Lunarda, which Welfringer had scoped during his first visit in 2021 during which he repeated Delicatessen, Ro.Ma. and others.

Rental cars were needed to transport gear to the massif, then their vertical adventure could finally begin. Welfringer explained "For 15 days, we drink from mountain streams, caress the most beautiful rock in the world, snore in symphonic harmony in the tent, with no rest days. Every day ends long after nightfall. We turn back many times when faced with completely blank sections, bypassing them via walls that are only slightly less smooth..."

The result is "a big wall route at the very limit of what we consider possible in climbing. Not all the moves have been completed yet, firstly due to lack of time and secondly due to lack of strength in our arms. But we are convinced the route can be climbed free to the summit, likely with three pitches around 9th grade in a very particular style on this sublime granite." The pair established the route ground-up, climbed free as much as possible, and protected the line with a mix of trad and bolts on the easier pitches and bolts only on the crux pitches. Removable Pulse bolts were used on the hardest sections, thanks to which they managed to continue upwards before placing the definitive bolts.

The climbers also tried their luck on L'Archéron on nearby Punta di u corbu whose final two pitches were equipped by Arnaud Petit and Sylvain Millet in 2009, while the first four pitches were added in 2013 by Thomas Anquetil and Elise Chappuis. This legendary route boasts a crux pitch reckoned to be in the region of 9a+ and while it, too, still remains to be freed, it helped Parmentier and Welfringer understand the true difficulties of their own outing.

Resurrection, named in honour of a friend who suffered an accident and is slowly awakening from his coma, is according to Welfringer "a long-term project of which only the first phase is complete. We believe it will be an ideal playground for incredible climbers to dream and to keep making us dream."