Stefano Carnati does 9a and 8C

Stefano Carnati has, within four days, sent a 9a in Covolo and an 8C in Magic Wood. The 27-year-old PhD student has previously sent routes up to 9b and boulders up to 8C+.

Super Pit (9a): ”Shares the start with "Super Ale", then continues with 20 long, powerful, reachy sequences right to the end. Hardest I’ve done in a while. Second ascent after Silvio!”

Dark Matter (8B+): ” Best line in the Darkness Cave in my opinion. About 30 moves total, but the crux revolves around 5. Some holds have broken since, forcing a harder sequence after the crux (I remember trying "From Darkness to Sunshine Low" years ago, it climbs very differently now).

How come you ended up preparing with route climbing before going to Magic Wood?
Dark Matter is quite a long boulder, and the power endurance it requires is actually very similar to the routes I’ve been trying lately. I’ve been focusing on routes where the bouldery section is key, so outdoor bouldering has definitely helped a lot.

I had only tried the crux of Dark Matter once before, back in February. I went back last Saturday but decided to do some easier links instead (I completed “From Dark Sakai to Sunshine” and “Tigris Sit”) since I wanted to save some energy and skin for Sunday at Covolo to finish off “Super Pit” (which luckily worked out!).

Still, I wanted to return to the Darkness Cave to finish off Dark Matter, as it’s the line that inspired me the most there. The style is exactly what I love: fingery, super tensiony climbing. Indoors I usually train short circuits in this style, so it felt familiar and motivating to finally put it all together.

What is your PhD focused on, and what are your plans after earning your degree?
I’ve just submitted my PhD thesis in Environmental Science, where I worked in an analytical chemistry lab focusing on microplastics. Depending on the reviewers’ feedback, I’ll hopefully defend my thesis in January. I haven’t made any concrete plans for what’s next yet. I’d like to take some time off to reflect and figure out what really motivates me before deciding on my next steps.