Three 9a’s and an 8c flash for Laura Rogora

Laura Rogora, who was runner-up in the last WC, has had three amazing days in Gorges du Loup sending KinematiX (9a), Punt'X (9a) and Just two fix (9a) as well as flashing Hot Chili-X (8c). At just 14, she climbed her first 9a, and in the years since, the 24-year-old has sent more than 40 routes graded 8c+/9a or harder. (c) Alberto della Guida

Can you tell us more about the start of your trip?
I'm currently in Gorges du Loup for a week, taking advantage of the long break before the next competitions. I came here without a specific route in mind, but on the first day, I tried PuntX and Kinematix. I immediately felt good on PuntX, so the next day I decided to focus on it. On my first try of the day, I unexpectedly fell quite high up, mostly due to a few mistakes. On my second try (fifth overall), I managed to send it.

After that, I went back to Kinematix. I felt slightly better on it than the day before, but I was still struggling with a move on the 8b+ exit. After a rest day, I returned and managed to get through the crux of Total Eclatch quite smoothly. I was almost sure I would fall on the exit, but everything went perfectly and I topped it out.

Later, I also flashed Hot Chili X, which my friends were trying and it went quite smoothly. At the end of the day, I tried Just Two Fix. The first pitch has a long move at the end, so I had to figure out an alternative beta, which turned out to be quite hard. The following day, I fell three times at the end of the first pitch, but I managed to optimize the second pitch. On my fourth go of the day (sixth in total), I finally climbed the first pitch and went all the way to the top.