Marco Sappa ticks Necronomicon (8b+) trad

Marco Sappa, who last year did an 8c trad line, has completed Necronomicon (8b+) in Canyonlands. The 30‑meter roof crack was FA’d by Jean‑Pierre Ouellet in 2011 and has been repeated just five times. Its long hand‑to‑fist jams lead into a sustained 6‑meter “green‑size” section, making it one of the most physically and mentally demanding trad routes in the world. (c) Mary Eden

”There's no information or guides, and the area is so vast it's impossible to find if you don't know where it is. There's very little information online. I started dreaming. But dreams always have to face reality: it's not easy to reach, and it's not easy leaving your family for a long time, especially with young children, and also, as with any good project, there could be a good chance of failure. Honestly, after the initial enthusiasm, I had put the idea aside a little. Over the course of the year, however, it would come back to me every now and then, and I'd think about it, going back to the few photos and videos I could find online.

Then, over the summer, Thomas and I started thinking that we could actually return to Utah for the fall. So I decided to think seriously. I started asking my contacts for information, and finally Pete Whittaker gave me the GPS location. Okay, now the next thing was about specific training. The problem is that in Europe we don't have similar lines; there's nothing that can prepare you for that kind of physical commitment. Over the years, I've learned that if you don't arrive in Utah physically ready, it takes a long time to adapt, to get your muscles used to that intensity, and above all, to be able to maintain it for a long time because the lines are very long.

The only way is to do it on artificial structures. At home, I built 4 meters of crack climbing, and as soon as the summer season ended, I added specific sessions for a month. The great thing about crack climbing is that if you're motivated, you can train even when you can't hold the holds anymore, so in September I managed to climb some great projects I'd had in mind, and in the meantime, I was able to train for Necronomicon.

We left on October 13th, and on Thursday the 16th, I did my first day on the project. The first part, the jam, is hand–fist climbing, long but relatively easy. Then comes the section of more than 6 meters of "green" climbing. The first try was a bit of a shock: it seemed impossible to "stay on"; it's really narrow, and besides your hands, the problem is that your feet can't fit. The other great difficulty of Necronomicon is "trying it." Going back and forth under a ceiling isn't very comfortable, and if you fall long, you have to climb back up, and it's exhausting — all this while carrying a lot of Friends. Initially, I focused on the hard section, and slowly I began to gain some confidence with those elusive jams. And I did all the moves individually. I got used to feeling my feet better and climbing with that constant feeling of precariousness.

On the third session, I managed to do the entire hard sequence, with the Friends already placed, and I realized that I probably should have done it all without placing any Friends. I started with a few attempts from the beginning; the key would be to climb the first section very well and quickly to arrive as fresh as possible at the "hard" section. At the end of the green sequence, with a beautiful and very strange move, "U-Turn" (feet first), you manage to lock your knees and breathe. After that, the route gets easier, but it's still long and you have to fight to the end. In sessions 4 and 5, I fell 3 or 4 times at the end of the hardest section, making crazy swings and brushing the bushes below. Honestly, I felt a pressure I'd never felt before, and I also felt a little guilty towards my family. The more you realize you're about to succeed, after having invested so much, the harder it is, the more stressful it is. You have to keep all these emotions under control and make sure they don't take over. It wasn't easy. On day 6, I did it on my second try. An incredible emotion. Definitely the hardest crack I've ever climbed, physically and mentally. I'm very proud to have managed to take another step forward in my crack climbing experience.”