Barbara Zangerl and Nina Caprez Climb The Neverending Story (5.14a)
The 1,400-foot climb, a runout Beat Kammerlander testpiece from 1991, was once the hardest multipitch in the world.
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Back in 2015, on September 8 and 9, Nina Caprez and Barbara Zangerl made the third and fourth free ascents of Die Unendliche Geschichte—Beat Kammerlander’s 1991, 1400-foot, 8b+ (5.14a) testpiece in the Rätikon, Switzerland. The English name is The Neverending Story.
When Kammerlander completed the route, it was the hardest climb of its length in the world. Pietro Prà claimed the second ascent in 2005, 14 years after Kammerlander’s.
Caprez and Zangerl worked the line for several days, taking repeated 30+ foot whippers on the old-school run-outs (Kammerlander established the route ground-up, so he often placed bolts after cruxes when stances were more readily available or drilling was easier). After dialing everything in, Caprez and Zangerl scooped up the third and fourth ascents on consecutive days.
Also read Nina Caprez and Barbara Zangerl Redpoint 1,400-foot Rätikon 5.14