Louis Gundolf completes David Lama project at F8c+

• Saturday 9th September 2023

Louis Gundolf has made the first free ascent of an old David Lama project in the Austrian Dolomites.

Gundolf completed the 5.14c/F8c+ climb on August 14th. The 250m long route is on the south face of Laserz in the Austrian Dolomites. The eight-pitch route is sparsely protected by a limited number of bolts and in-situ pegs as well as trad gear. Reporting his success on his Instagram page Gundolf said, “My whole life so far has revolved around being at the top of my game in competitive climbing. With many highs and lows. Especially in the depths, I realised how much climbing actually means to me and where my origins came from. I realised that the success of a climb is not how many people are watching or cheering you on, but how much the route means to you and how much effort you put into it.”

Lama established the route in between 2013-2014 and although he climbed most of the pitches the crux pitch wasn't finished by Lama before his untimely death in Canada.

Talking to Gripped Magazine about his ascent Gundolf, explained the seriousness of the route saying, “The falls are very frightening because the pro is sometimes very runout. The furthest falls I took were about 30 m. That’s why I only tried the climb with really good friends and belayers, whom I knew I could trust completely.” Gundolf has also been interviewed by Fanatic about his ascent; read more about it here.

Gundolf named the route Project Lama. Lama estimated that the difficulties are up to 5.14c/F8c+ and Gundolf agrees with that assessment. As we reported at the time, David Lama died in April 2019 attempting Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies.