2 June 2021

Aloha 9a (+) by Antoine Kauffmann

Antoine Kauffmann has done the second repeat of Aloha 9a (+) in Kronthal which Yann Corby, who took the picture, bolted in 2006. The FA was done one year later by Julius Westphal and Adam Ondra did the first repeat in 2009. Kauffmann, who did The Big Island giving it a personal 8B+ grade this February, says he needed 12 sessions to take Aloha down and comments on the grade on his Insta. "Considering the route feels harder than the others 9a I have done before, that it suit my style perfectly and knowing the route was unrepeated for 12 years, I think the grade might be slightly harder than 9a."

So could this be 9a+ comparing how long time projecting the other 9a and 9a+ you did before?
That’s definitely not 9a+ but it feels hard for 9a. But I may be wrong because that’s the shortest hard route I have ever done. Actually, I don’t like grade drama and I am not enough experienced to be sure about the grade. Regarding my previous ascents, I don't remember well but it was something like the same amount of days (10-15) but I was way weaker.

Interesting is that the Westphal did not use a knee pad and that his other 9a FA, Gegen den Strom from 2014, is still unrepeated. His third 9a is Action Directe. Neither Ondra used a knee pad, when he did it being 16-years-old and probably 180 cm tall, and commented that it might be 9a+ for shorter guys.
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