Pure Dreaming 9a by Alfredo Webber (52)

Andrea Gennari Daneri from Pareti Magazine has helped out with some comments from Alfredo Webber, who just did his second 9a, Pure Dreaming in Arco. Adam Ondra made the FA of it in 2018. The 51-year-old and 159 cm tall did his first 9a in 2017. (c) Giacomo Tonoli

"When I bolted Pure Dreaming in February 2017 I didn't think I would be able to climb this line; I did not even imagine that I would have made almost 400 attempts spread over 3 and a half years of ups and downs, fingers open, desperate attempts at 35 degrees, with the cold, with the rain, days where logic led not even to leave home. Surprisingly, given the temperatures not exactly at the top, yesterday I managed to climb this line.

Thanks to Alessandro "Classe" Corradini for the endless belaying and his patience. I am also happy that staring at my ascent there was a talent of the new generations Andrea Chelleris (12) with his parents whom I thank for the cheering and for the video. I think that soon the next Pure Dreaming climber will be Andrea."

Alfredo's comments from 2017, when he did his first 9a are still interesting. "I’m close to 50 years old and now I work full time in a quarry, five days a week, 8 hrs a day. I wake up at 7 am, breakfast, then a 20 km drive to the quarry. Back home at 6 pm. Two days a week I have training on my wall at home. It’s a 1h 30’ work, basically long sequences, with intervals of some harder moves; then some hangs on crimps. When I’m projecting something hard for Sunday I have to rest on Friday and Saturday, otherwise, I get weak. I’m less powerful than 20 years ago, but now I know myself better and I manage better my energies."