Jungfraumarathon (9a) by Solveig Korherr

Solveig Korherr, who did her first 9a in 2021, has sent Jungfraumarathon in Gimmelwald. ”A dream route! One of the best feelings how it all came together & every day on this route over the last two and a half weeks felt better and better thanks to refining beta and perseverance. (5 days last & 9 days this year) Thanks John & Lulu for the best time up here!” (c) John Thornton

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
I first tried „Jungfraumarathon” (9a) last year for two or three weekends. I was immediately really psyched and felt quite good on it, but I stopped trying it when I injured one of my fingers.

This year, I wanted to eventually come back to it. I was quite nervous before trying it again because I didn’t focus on sport climbing the last half year as I usually do. I was bouldering during the winter, did some trad climbing in between, and mainly did some shorter sport climbing routes in the Basler Jura. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I couldn’t tell if I was in shape.

The first time I got on the route this trip, I was surprisingly shocked at how good all the singles moves felt. I felt much better than last year. From this point on, I was totally committed to the route. I was climbing one day on, one day off, which I have never done before. The style in Gimmelwald is very powerful and demanding. I had to rest a lot which was sometimes quite hard for me mentally. 😄

Over the last two and a half weeks, I optimized my beta, learned the moves a lot better, and gained more endurance. Every day I felt better on it, and I was falling higher and higher. On the day I sent it, everything felt perfect, and I did it on my first try. I’m really happy to see how I’ve improved on this powerful climbing style over the last few years.

What does a normal week look like when it comes to training/climbing for you?
I just worked for one year for my sponsor SCARPA Germany with marketing and planning events. I mainly trained in the gym during the week and climbed outside on the weekends. For now, I‘m taking some time off and I will spend the next few months climbing outside.

Can you tell us more about those summer plans?
I‘m planning to spend two months in France and climb in La Ramirole & probably Pic Saint-Loup as well. I‘m really staring to get into this steep & powerful climbing and I‘m psyched to check out these two places.