Watch Alessandro Zeni Make the First Ascent of 5.15b Slab Cryptography
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Cryptography, located in Saint Loup, Switzerland, is a linkup of two notable hard routes. The line starts on Fred Nicole’s Bain de Sang (9a, 5.14d) and then moves into Francios Nicole’s (Fred’s brother) Bimbaluna (9a/9a+, 5.14d/5.15a). The Italian climber Alessandro Zeni made the first ascent of the new line in January of this year, grading it 5.15b. This makes Cryptography one of the hardest slabs in the world. Watch Zeni’s journey to send the line in the video above.