Frenchwoman Melissa Le Nevé takes the first female ascent of what is probably the most famous 9a route in the world: Action Directe in Franconian Jura, Germany.
The route Action Directe was created in 1991 by the climbing legend Wolfgang Güllich first started and is considered a milestone in climbing history. On the route in German Frankenjura it is the first 9a route in the world. Since then, the route has been scored by around 25 climbers, but no woman managed to climb through. Until now.
For the first time a woman climbs Action Directe rotpunkt
Melissa Le Nevé is not only in the list of well-known names like Iker Pou, Dave Graham, Dai Koyamada, Markus Bock, Adam Ondra or Patxi Usobiaga, but is also the first woman who can enter a free inspection of the route in her ticklist.
What a journey. What an inspiring person. What a fight. What a love story. The route combines everything that fulfills me in climbing.
Melissa Le Nevé
While the top French climber recently announced an 8c + route she could score within a few days, she invested in Action Directe a total of six years and countless attempts until the climb was successful. But the perseverance, the belief in herself and the consistent training paid off for Melissa.
I'm super proud of Melissa for scoring Action Directe after all these years. It is not just the first 9a, it is an exceptional and ingenious route.
Fabi Buhl, alpinist and friend of Melissa
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Credits: Cover picture Fabian Buhl