Leo Bøe FA’s Ride of the Valkyries (9a) mix

Leo Bøe, with 15 routes 9a and beyond, since 2023, under his belt, has done the first ascent of Ride of the Valkyries (9a) in Flatanger. ”Climb Nordic Flower 8b+ and then traverse right into obvious crack to join the very start of The Valkyrie.” (c) Johanna Jupin

The Valkyrie (8c) was first ascended by Magnus Midtbo and begins with about 12 meters of jumar climbing. It is one of the five star classics in the cave, and part of the roof declines.

Can you tell us more about the process behind your FA?
It was thrilling to explore the short 8m traverse connecting the two lines. I thought it would be climbed as a crack with handjams etc, but it was not quite like that. The style was more similar to the other two routes, with big holds and steep roof climbing. At first I got a bit nervous for the final stretch; the last cam was moving around alot and it was about 4 meters to the first quickdraw in The Valkyrie. The next couple moves were also full of sand and the last move was a big committing move into a jug!

I bailed on the final move on the first day with my mental game defeated. However I came back the next day with psyche and the idea to support the wiggly cam with another worse cam to equalize the load. I committed to the move and the traverse sequence was unlocked! The next couple days at the crag went to figure out the rope changes and methods for the other two routes. I had to rework The Valkyrie a bit to have a good beta, especially for the first 7C-boulder

I started giving burns and it turned out to be an endurance beast combining two long routes. It could easily compare to Valhalla (9a) in difficulty and style. After a couple tries I had the rope swap dialed. I had to do a rope swap in the «start-anchor» of The Valkyrie from an uncomfortable left kneebar. The knee gave me just about enough time to change ropes before my leg pumped out and to keep going fresher into the first boulder.

The fight in The Valkyrie section was great with acumulating pump from the added start. In the end it took me about 4-5 days to work it out and send it with great support from my girlfriend Johanna Jupin and Elias with the joint belay. We celebrated and Johanna took some photos of the traverse connecting the two routes.

Why did you do the link-up on trad gear?
The reason I ended up climbing it in this trad/hybrid-style was because of the bolting ban in the cave that has lasted about more than 10 years. There is a conflict between neighbooring farmers who own the land of the cave. I cannot say more than that because of lack of knowledge on the matter. If I was allowed to bolt my own lines in the cave I would have gone crazy already. I see a lot more potential for routes in my level and I’m eager to explore more of the trad opportunities for now.

What is next?
In the next weeks I will focus on finishing my biggest project yet: Change 9b/+. I also have an interesting project that I’ve bolted on an island that could end up being my hardest FA yet if it goes! I am yet to solve all the moves to see if it is even possible! I think there a little bit more potential in the area, but no major crags found so far. The project I bolted however is incredible!