Elisa Lauretano ticks Fortunadrago 8B

Elisa Lauretano, who sent her first 8B in July, has completed Fortunadrago (8B) in Varazze. ”First “hard” block after the injury… It feels like a dream to be back climbing like before! Definitely not the perfect season to do it with over 20 degrees, but in the end it worked. Super happy 😊”

Can you tell us more about the ascent and the process behind?
Last July, due to a silly accident, I almost completely tore my right arm’s biceps. Three months of forced rest were followed by a long rehab, with physiotherapists predicting it would take at least a year to return to my previous level.

Since January, when I finally came back to the rock, the feelings have been surprisingly positive. As the weeks went by, my confidence grew along with the difficulty of the lines I was tackling. That’s how the idea of trying one of the most iconic boulders in Varazze was born: Fortunadrago (8B), a historic line fred by Christian Core. Despite the rising temperatures, I felt good on the moves right from the start. After a couple of sessions working the sequences and figuring out the right beta, I incredibly found myself on top of the boulder. Sending this line felt like a personal vindication and the perfect culmination of my recovery journey.

Was the accident climbing related?
I was swimming behind the SUP, my boyfriend dove from it and its fin hit my arm 🥲