"Weighing up risks is a process" | Lara Neumeier on climbing at the limit

Whether in Yosemite or at home in the Alps, Lara Neumeier feels most comfortable with traditional climbing and on big walls. In this interview, the Allgäu native talks about her ascent of Psychogramm (8b+) and explains how, as a professional climber, she weighs risks when pushing herself to the limit.

Only recently Lara Neumeier the first female ascent of the risky trad route psychogram (8b+) at the Brush plate , which is particularly feared for its limited protection options. For professional climbers like the 26-year-old, who currently focuses primarily on trad and big wall climbing, weighing opportunities against risks is part of the job. How does one deal with one's own limits in this process? We asked the Allgäu native.

Lara, how do you weigh up whether a project like Psychogramm is worth the risk?

Psychogram was one of my first routes that I would describe as "more dangerous." The main concern was that a particular safety wedge could potentially break in the event of a fall at the crux. Weighing up this risk was more of a process for me: When I psychogram When I first climbed top rope, I didn't know if I would ever lead it.

When I realized that all the moves and placements were doable for me, I was extremely motivated. However, because of the crux, I wasn't sure for a long time whether I really wanted to do it. At the same time, I knew that this safety wedge would be my predecessors. Jacopo Larcher, Fabi Buhl and Alex Luger held up during a fall—even though they weigh more than me. I finally decided to take the risk.

You climbed Psychogram with a second rope. In which parts of the route would a fall have posed an acute danger?

In the upper section, at the crux, a fall to the ground is theoretically possible. Shortly before the crux, you place a micro-wedge, which is actually only designed for technical climbing. From there, there are simply very poor footholds and precarious positions for about four meters until you reach the belay.

However, Psychogram is only 20 meters high in total – if you fall at the very top and this wedge breaks, there can be a chain reaction, and the ground suddenly seems close. Therefore, I placed a second rope in a good intermediate anchor during my lead climb to prevent a fall to the ground.

How do you switch from top rope to lead climbing mode when things get serious?

Often, the first attempt at leading feels completely awkward and unsafe. My plan was to just climb to the crux and see how it went.

In fact, I felt really good on my first lead climb. When I placed the last wedge, I thought to myself, "Okay, that's a good position—I'll just give it a try." And then it worked right away. If I had fallen, it would definitely have been a greater mental challenge.

What role does mental preparation play in projects like psychograms?

The challenge is obviously huge, but I didn't do any special preparation for the route. What helped me were the individual steps in the process: climbing the route top-rope and familiarizing myself with the belay placements.

I learned how to approach such a project last autumn when I worked with Babsi Zangerl the iconic trad route Magic Line (8c+) in Yosemite I tried. Once you've completed these individual steps, it's a huge boost.

How do you benefit from multi-pitch experience when pushing yourself to the limit in trad climbing?

I have benefited enormously from big wall climbing, especially recently in RätikonThere, some bolt spacing is very wide, and the routes are extremely technical and difficult. You have to concentrate very differently than in sport climbing, where there's a bolt every two meters.

It's similar with trad climbing: you simply hold on to the holds much longer and more. The fact that I spent a lot of time in the Rätikon last summer was something I noticed in the autumn. Yosemite I noticed it because I simply felt prepared and confident during long runouts. When you climb in this terrain often, you become very mentally strong.

Are there any projects you have planned for 2025 that you would like to share with us?

In the summer I want to climb difficult multi-pitch routes in the Alps. Depending on how that goes, I would like to return to Yosemite in the fall. El Capitan and free climb a big wall there.

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Credits cover photo: Lara Neumeier