9th club: Bana and Flor

Great ascents in Europe

Luca Bana and Jonatan Flor on their extreme projects.

Talking about Luca Bana is always an honor and a privilege, together with Stefano Carnati he is the son we all want. Silent and concrete, he doesn't spend time chatting but pulls them hard as tradition dictates. Defects? He climbs really slow, a nightmare to belay him! In the famous Paline crag, the young talent has climbed Super Circo Abusivo, a pitch that he himself defines as a "High level must do". This famous 9a was freed by Berni Rivadossi and, knowing the strong bond between the two, we can only imagine the satisfaction and joy of both of them for this beautiful ascent. Go on like this!

The other super strong climber we are talking about today is probably the most named climber in the "club of 9", the Spaniard Jonatan Flor. After a myriad of hard routes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, 2022 is booming and Jonny is certainly one of the most prolific grade 9 routes climbers in the world. At the Cuenca crag, the talented climber born in 1996 has won a rare ascent of Mallerus Maleficarum, a route worth 9a+ and which he himself defines as one of the best routes ever.

From athletes’ IG page

Alessandro Palma