Video: "Babsi" Zangerl Cranks Greenspit 5.14 Trad for First Female Ascent

Barbara “Babsi” Zangerl is back with another episode in Black Diamond’s “Committed” series. This time, she tackles the granite splitter Greenspit (5.14a) for its first female ascent.

Greenspit is a route of contentious history. The steep crack was initially bolted with green hangers, hence the route’s name, and remained an un-climbed sport route for years. The Swiss trad ace Didier Berthod chopped the unsightly bolts, making the first pink- and red-point ascents on natural protection.

“Greenspit was a challenge for me—I think it was my hardest single-pitch crack climb so far,” Zangerl told Rock and Ice after she sent the route in October 2020. “For me it was for sure a big thing to climb Greenspit. It was always in my mind to try this line. But to be honest I didn’t think that I had a chance on it,” she said.