New Year’s Eve is a time of celebrations, good food, and resolutions. But most importantly, it’s time for our yearly recap of the best climbers, the most interesting content, and the most daring ascents!
As our aim is to inspire and be inspired, we will not list athletes based only on their achievements, but rather on their experiences and attitude. In this spirit, you will find true legends alongside less-known athletes.
Marcel Remy
Our list doesn't follow any merit order, so the position of each climber below could perfectly be interchangeable. But there is a very special reason why Swiss climber Marcel Remy occupies the first position: a legend in its purest meaning, he sadly passed away in 2022 at the age of 99. In his honor, Mammut released a moving and inspiring video on how climbing used to be, without the constrictions of grades, names, and performance.
Seb Bouin
In the past years, Seb Bouin entered the climbing arena with the same energy of the Big Bang: he’s been repeating, ascending, and setting routes non-stop, proving a level of determination hardly matched by others before him. Now in his thirties, he keeps writing new chapters of climbing history– and it doesn't seem like he’s had enough yet. So where should we start to describe his climbing accomplishments this year? From his first ascent of the first 5.15c (9b+) of the United States, Suprême Jumbo Love on Clark Mountain, to the third repetition of Change, the legendary 9b+ in Flatanger, and the first repetition of Iron Curtain: he’s done it all. And this is nothing when compared to his first ascent of the glorious DNA in Verdon, the second 9c route of climbing history.
Alex Megos
Alex Megos’ year has been particularly intense: he’s been supporting several NGO activities, promoting campaigns against food waste, and, of course, sending a lot of impressive routes, especially in the second half of the year. After competing in some Lead World Cup competitions, and sharing his thoughts (with extreme honesty and a hint of disappointment) on IFSC’s proposal to show pictures of the bouldering problems to athletes while in isolation, he dedicated himself to outdoor climbing. His most ambitious project? The first ascent of Ratstaman Vibrations in Ceuse, Chris Sharma’s visionary route. Megos believes the route checks in the 9b grade range. Fall has been particularly productive too. Thanks to the great timing and perfect conditions, he sent The Full Journey in Margalef, a route set by Tom Bolger.
Gabriele Moroni
The story of Trofeo dell’Adriatico begins more than ten years ago when a young Gabriele Moroni met David Lama by chance and decided to check out Lama’s newest route set in Arco. Fast-forward to last year, and we find Moroni planning to give the route another try, after a tragic accident in Canada and the Covid emergency. The beautiful sequence, the breathtaking setting, and the exceptional rock convinced him to push through and not give up, attempting the ascent on several occasions throughout the year. After his first ascent in January, other athletes measured themselves against the route: we are talking about Adam Ondra, Stefano Ghisolfi, and, more recently, Giovanni Placci. They all agreed on the grade, 9a+. But most importantly, they appreciated the route's beauty. This climb was Moroni’s hardest route ever.
Stefano Ghisolfi
We previously mentioned Stefano Ghisolfi, by now a local legend of Arco’s crags. And how could we let him out of our list of the most inspiring climbers of 2022? What makes Ghisolfi different from other athletes is how he shares not only his achievements but also all the way to get there. Through his vlogs, he takes us along on his journeys across Europe and the United States. His ascent of Move Hard, a 9b route in Flatanger, has surely hit the news, but we are quite sure climbers followed his ambitious attempts on Silence or on his personal project, Excalibur, with the same enthusiasm and curiosity. Last but not least, let’s not forget to mention his first ascent of L’Arenauta, the newest 9b route in Grotta dell’Arenauta.
Elias Iagnemma
There are not many boulderers as talented and driven as Elias Iagnemma: in the past years, he’s been piling successes repeating problem after problem, some of them only freed by none other than Christian Core. His constant search for difficult lines, beautiful sequences, and new challenges is pushing the limits of bouldering. In 2022, he freed the hardest boulder in Italy: Ganesh, an 8C+ in Tintorale. He then continued exploring the area, where he found and sent his next extreme project: Utopia, a steep overhang he believes can be graded as 8C/+. Let’s see who’s going to be the next climber to repeat these thrilling problems!
Ai Mori
How many times, during the World Cup season, did we think Janja Garnbret was going to win every single competition from now until the end of days? Well, in 2022 something incredible happened: during the Lead World Cup competition in Koper, Slovenia, we witnessed something that we all thought was impossible: Garnbret didn’t make it to the first place because 19 years old Ai Mori proved to be a tough competitor. She might not sound familiar to most, but people who follow lead climbing competitions have definitely heard about this new, explosive talent. Growing up alongside athletes of the caliber of Akiyo Noguchi and Tomoa Narasaki, she proved her victory was not a lucky shot, but the beginning of her flourishing climbing season: she placed first during the Lead World Cup in Edinburgh, leaving Janja Garnbret on the second spot, and at the combined competition in Japan, beating the extremely talented Nataljia Grossman. She is the only climber we mention for her athletic accomplishments, but competing and winning against the current best climber in the World (and her opponents) is something that we didn’t think was possible. Until now.
Chaehyun Seo
What a year it has been for Chaehyun Seo, the Corean athlete we’ve come to know during the Tokyo Olympic Games. A lead specialist, she’s been collecting spots on the podium competition after competition. But the World Cup was not her only achievement this year: she’s been shining outdoors as well! After Margo Hayes, she is the second woman who climbed La Rambla, the iconic 9a+ route in Siurana. She’s been sending an incredible amount of routes, but considering how young she is, we are sure this is only the beginning.
Anak Verhoeven
Passing quietly behind the scenes, there is yet another climber who’s comfortably moving her steps on 9a routes and beyond: we are talking about Belgian athlete Anak Verhoeven, who stopped competing last year. She is currently based in Spain, a land of challenging routes and perfect conditions, especially when compared to other colder European countries. She repeated Escalatamasters (fun fact: she actually sent it twice on the same day), but it’s her fall achievements that are truly incredible: after sending several 8-range routes, she was the first woman to conquer No Pain No Gain, a legendary 9a+ route in Rodellar.
Jakob Schubert
Fascinated by his latest Youtube video, we decided to end our list with Jakob Shubert, the German climber who’s really aiming high. After stepping on the Olympic podium in 2021, 2022 didn’t lack new challenges and accomplishments. He kicked off the year repeating Erebor, the 9b route freed by Stefano Ghisolfi in Arco, and then continued collecting impressive results in the World Cup competitions. He’s also won the 2022 Arco Rock Master, and the combined European Championship in Munich, which gave us a hint of what the next Olympic Games will look like. He finished off by taking us on his journey to Flathanger alongside Adam Ondra, where they have been attempting a route that has still no name or grade but is widely known as Project Big. Who knows, maybe we will talk about the first ascent of this route on our 2023 yearly recap!
Cover photo: Jakob Schubert, from the Mammut archive.
