Switzerlandâs famous Verzasca Dam plays host to ten mixed teams of Olympic champions, world champions in various climbing disciplines, record setters and up-and-coming talent as they battle head-to-head on parallel 180m routes.
Livestreamed on November 2, Red Bull Dual Ascent offers sports fans across the globe some of the most exciting live climbing ever. Front-row-seat feeling guaranteed!
A few days ago, American Sasha DiGiulian, a climber with more than 30 first female ascents to her name, successfully tested the 2024 routes upthe 220-metre sheer face of the Verzasca Dam during the First Ascent with her rope partner Sebastian Landeros from Mexico.
“I didn’t know if it was possible. My adrenaline was all over the place. I’m exhausted,” the 31-year-old stated emphatically as she fist bumped with Landeros up on the dam wall.
“One of the most surreal climbing experiences I’ve ever had. Why? Because who else has the opportunity to climb a 220-metre dam with plastic holds on it?” the Mexican climber
echoed.
This is the duo’s shared experience of the six-pitch competition route, which they describe as “epic climbing full of emotion, whippers and dynos”: The first fall is an opportunity to get over the initial nerves and gain confidence in your ability to tackle the intimidatingly high concrete wall.
From the duoâs experience, the final pitch may present the greatest technical challenge, particularly as your body becomes increasingly fatigued with each hold. However, it is the numerous jumps on pitch three or the crack climbing that may prove most challenging.
The routes have been meticulously crafted to provide opportunities for climbers with varying skill sets and paired with their partner of choice to utilise their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.
Red Bull Dual Ascent is designed to foster innovation in the sport and encourage competitors to push themselves to the limits of body and mind, while also allowing them to complement each other’s abilities.
The third edition of the event, which was designed to test the limits of the world’s best climbers in terms of speed, skill, endurance, mental and physical stamina, and teamwork, will take place on November 2.
The ultimate climbing duo will be crowned once again during this challenging event, which will see them scale a 220-metre-high concrete wall with the contending duo on a parallel route just a few metres away.
With the 2024 athlete line-up revealed it is confirmed that the five new names on the roster mean serious competition.
Austrian duo Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert will not only spread Paris 2024 medal splendour but both are known â and feared â for their competitiveness.
Ready to challenge the established climbers, Romaniaâs teenage sensation Darius Rapa (18) will form the youngest duo in the roster together with teammate Jennifer Buckley (SLO, 17).
Americaâs climbing powerhouse Michaela Kiersch is known for her precise and dynamic style and will compete in her first Red Bull Dual Ascent together with Brazilâs Felipe Camargo, who was part of the 2023 line-up.
Olympic champion Alberto Gines Lopez, winner of 2022âs inaugural edition, will be back with his Ukrainian teammate Jenya Kazbekova, as well as the Kruder siblings â the 2023 Red Bull Dual Ascent winners â for another year.
After a third-place finish in 2023, Swiss local hero Petra Klingler and partner Louna Ladevant are aiming high. They want to compete live on screen and fight for the top spot.
Who else is competing in 2024?
Find the complete climbersâ list with more details here.
The much-anticipated 2024 event, once again held in the Ascona-Locarno region of Switzerland, will see 10 mixed teams compete in a gruelling challenge across grades 6c to 8b.
The competition will take place on a six pitch route up the 220-metre overhanging wall of the Verzasca Dam, which gained notoriety as the setting for the opening jump in the James Bond film GoldenEye.
First Ascender Sebastian Landeros offers insights into the distinctive characteristics of the wall: âIn climbing regular walls you don’t find moves this crazy this high up on a wall. You usually find these in boulders, so finding them 100 or 200 metres up from the ground, it’s a different experience. You feel the rush and the adrenaline because you have to do a jump. So, it’s something amazing, honestly.â If that isn’t the most ompelling reason to tune in to the live stream on November 2, we don’t know what is.
