1 September 2025
Leo Cea, 12, sends Trip tik tonik (9a)
Leo Cea, who sent his first two 9aโs at age eleven, has done Trip tik tonik (9a) in Gorges du Loup. A video of the ascent and a short interview is coming up. In the meantime, his uncle Javier gives us the background story. (c) Carlos Lastra
โIn May of this year, Leo and his family moved back to his native country, Germany (Leo is Chilean-German), choosing Erlangen as their new place of residence. This made Frankenjura his new climbing home base.
Taking advantage of the last weeks of summer vacation, and still within a preseason training plan, Leo, together with his brother Inti and his father, decided to travel from Germany to France for a week, supported by The North Face Chile. The goal was for Leo to try the same route that French climber Thรฉo Blass sent in 2022 at the age of 12 years and 9 monthsโthe exact same age Leo is now.
From the very first moment, Leo was captivated by the aesthetics of the line and the natural beauty of the crag. He especially enjoyed taking on a style that was quite unusual for him, with several kneebars and many tufa pinches, very different from the climbing in Frankenjura.
Leo progressed quickly on the route and by the second day had already solved all the moves, including the crux. According to local climbers present at the time, just three weeks earlier the key hold for the crux had broken significantly, making the sequence considerably harder.
After six days of work on the line, with humidity constantly between 76 and 80%, and unable to wait for better conditions since he had to return to Germany the next day, Leo seized a moment when a breeze picked up to give the route a relentless try. Standing 1.43 meters tall with a wingspan of 1.48, he successfully sent the climb, which became his fourth 9a (5.14d).โ
โIn May of this year, Leo and his family moved back to his native country, Germany (Leo is Chilean-German), choosing Erlangen as their new place of residence. This made Frankenjura his new climbing home base.
Taking advantage of the last weeks of summer vacation, and still within a preseason training plan, Leo, together with his brother Inti and his father, decided to travel from Germany to France for a week, supported by The North Face Chile. The goal was for Leo to try the same route that French climber Thรฉo Blass sent in 2022 at the age of 12 years and 9 monthsโthe exact same age Leo is now.
From the very first moment, Leo was captivated by the aesthetics of the line and the natural beauty of the crag. He especially enjoyed taking on a style that was quite unusual for him, with several kneebars and many tufa pinches, very different from the climbing in Frankenjura.
Leo progressed quickly on the route and by the second day had already solved all the moves, including the crux. According to local climbers present at the time, just three weeks earlier the key hold for the crux had broken significantly, making the sequence considerably harder.
After six days of work on the line, with humidity constantly between 76 and 80%, and unable to wait for better conditions since he had to return to Germany the next day, Leo seized a moment when a breeze picked up to give the route a relentless try. Standing 1.43 meters tall with a wingspan of 1.48, he successfully sent the climb, which became his fourth 9a (5.14d).โ
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