Simon Raffeiner ticks Omen Nomen (9a)

Simon Raffeiner has sent Omen Nomen (9a) in Arco after working it for some 50 sessions. (c) Hanna Raffeiner

Can you tell us more about doing your first 9a and what is next?
I started trying the route in the winter of 2022/2023. At the beginning it took me quite a while to find good solutions that suited me for all the 3 boulder problems. Then, in spring 2023, I came very close to sending the route. Due to the increasingly high temperatures, it still didn't work out. I always had difficulty getting up the last slab, because I most of the times slipped on the slopy holds. I never tried the route in the winter 2023/2024 as the conditions were always rather poor. And now in fall 2024 I attempted the route again and after 1-2 months I finally made it up.

I'm very happy about my first 9a, especially because it's a real 9a. What I've learned is that you must never give up, no matter how many times you have to face defeat. In the end, the route was a real battle against the conditions and myself. So I'm all the happier to have made it finally.

Now I'm going to climb a few easier routes again, concentrate on the home projects and then attempt the next 9a or maybe 9a+ later.