Jacopo Larcher repeats Bon Voyage E12 (9a)

Jacopo Larcher has repeated James Pearson’s Bon Voyage (9a) in Annot. Pearson graded it E12 on the British trad scale, which also includes how dangerous and how hard it is to onsight. Later Adam Ondra did the second ascent, saying it is a solid 9a comparing to bolted routes.

The Italian climber boasts one of the most impressive trad tick lists, including his first ascent of Tribe, a potential 9a. He began projecting Bon Voyage two years ago on a solo trip, and after another solo trip and two more trips with a belayer, he successfully sent it.

"I remember when James first told me about Bon Voyage. He was still working on it at the time and showed me some pictures of those perfect pockets branching off from the classic Voyage, which required some creative beta. He spoke of bomber gear but also big falls: the perfect combination for some hard trad climbing!

After he sent it, I was even more motivated to check it out myself, so in November ’23 I drove down to Annot with my dog Olli. Once I started working the route, on a static line, I immediately told myself: “What a crazy line!” It’s incredibly rare to find something like this—proper hard climbing, yet still safe to protect on gear. I felt good on the route right away and was able to make big links, but the infamous mono move really made me struggle. My pinky was too weak, and I tore it as soon as I tried pulling on it. I had to find another method, which was super tough on the skin and low percentage. My fingers were simply too weak. I realized it didn’t make sense to try on lead when I couldn’t even consistently stick that move, so I shifted my focus to other projects (like Couilles de Mammouth). The next spring I made another quick solo trip, but again without real progress on that move.

This year, after winter training, I drove down again with a good friend, Nemuel Feuerle, for a week. We split our time between Bon Voyage and other routes, and finally that move started to feel doable—even with the pinky! Psyche was high and I was already planning another trip a few weeks later, but unfortunately on the second-to-last day in Annot I injured my neck while working the route. That meant a forced month of rest and losing power in my left arm for about two weeks. Pretty scary. Between the injury, frustration and other plans, I ended up putting the project aside. After the route-setting season, the plan for fall was to spend quite a bit of time in Yosemite as usual, but then unfortunately Babsi got injured, and I decided to cancel the trip as well. Bon Voyage started creeping back into my mind, especially since another friend was motivated for it too. I began training my pinky a bit, trying to find the balance between strengthening it and not getting injured again, and around mid- November I drove back to Annot. I don’t know what changed this time—maybe the training, maybe the shared motivation—but to my great surprise I could immediately stick the pinky mono move, and after a few days I finally tied in to give it proper lead attempts.

The first try on lead felt weird. I had spent so much time working the route, mostly alone on a static line, and I didn’t know what to expect. Part of me was hoping for an improbable “first go, best go”, while another part was just stressed about how the route would feel on lead. I was afraid it would feel horrible. I climbed poorly and was very tense, but when I fell I was relieved to finally be giving it real attempts. That try really unblocked something, and my internal motivation grew again. Everything felt different this time, and it was so cool to share the process and the attempts with friends who were also working the route. It felt like a normal day at the crag, sharing burns, rather than headpointing a hard trad line. 2025 was a challenging year for me. I had lots of amazing moments, but climbing-wise I struggled a lot and nothing seemed to click, which brought frustration and higher expectations/pressure, especially after the missed flash of Freerider. I couldn’t find the fire that usually burns inside me for climbing, and the more I searched for it, the further away it seemed. But somehow, in the weeks before the trip, I realized that the fire was coming back. I was climbing without pressure, simply for the joy of climbing and sharing good moments with friends. Some spontaneous trips reignited that spark, and the same happened in Annot.

I was getting closer and closer on every try, but instead of getting frustrated or feeling pressure—like I had for most of the year—I just wanted to try more, to climb more. Honestly, that’s what I had been missing these last months. It felt so good to try hard, share moments with friends, and be in a good headspace. The funny thing was that when I first started trying the route, I thought that once I somehow stuck the mono move, I would definitely send, since the last section didn’t feel too bad in isolation… but reality was different, and I fell at least five times after the mono. What an unexpected turn—from not being able to do the move at all, to sticking it almost every time and then falling after it. Mathieu Miquel gave us the perfect belay beta (redirecting the rope to a cam at chest height at the base of the wall), which made the fall off the arête safe. That allowed us to focus completely on climbing without fear. On Nov 29th, on the send go, everything aligned and I slipped into one of those rare flow states where everything feels almost effortless. Finishing a project with a big fight is great, but it’s also nice to finish such a long and challenging process in this way. In the end it’s just a piece of rock, but I’m grateful for what this route taught me throughout the process. It showed me that it’s always worth sticking with a goal, no matter how much you struggle. It reminded me of the importance of sharing the process with others, reconnected me with a country where I’ve spent a lot of good times and—especially on this last trip—reconnected me with my climbing. What a Bon Voyage, in the end. A big thanks to everyone who shared this journey with me, both there and from home.”