Stefano Ghisolfi, Italy's highest ranked competition climber, has repeated Enzo Oddo's La moustache qui fâche, 9a+, at Entraygues, not far from Briancon, France.

I had a chat with Stefano.

So, Stefano, you have just climbed your first 9a+. Congrats, you must be in good shape!
Thanks! Yes I'm in the best shape ever!

So, the route... Can you describe it?
Yes, the first part is easy, the hard part is 10 meters, and the end is not so easy.
I fell 9 times at the last hard move... at first, when I began trying it, I could barely do the single moves...
I watched the video of Seb Bouin trying it, but I use a completely different method, but I don't know what method Enzo Oddo used.

Wow, must be pretty bouldery then! (Stefano is a very strong boulderer)
Yes, the hard part is 15 moves, so a power endurance route really.
When I arrived at the hardest move I was always too tired to do it...

I can imagine... So, did you do any specific training for the route or did you get better by simply working it until it gave up?
No specific training. I tried the route for three weekends, and last Saturday I felt I was stronger on the moves.
Just trying the route made me stronger.

Thanks a lot Stefano and good luck in the World Championships next month!

Thanks!!

After the World Championships an even bigger and more important challenge awaits Stefano. He along with Sean McColl and others will represent Europe competing against one American and one Japanese team in the American Ninja show... This does sound a bit strange as Sean was from Canada last time I checked.

Here is a video from when Stefano repeated Chris Webb Parsons' Belly of the beast, ~8B+/C, at Raven Tor.

Stefano Ghisolfi is sponsored by: CAMP, E9 and Five Ten