Babsi Zangerl makes sixth ascent of Magic Line (5.14c/F8c+), Yosemite
- Monday 4th November 2024
At the end of October, Austrian climber Barbara Zangerl made the sixth ascent – the second by a female - of Magic Line (5.14c/F8c+) in Yosemite Valley, California.
Babsi, together with her partner Jacopo Larcher, had previously been in the Red River Gorge for the Rocktoberfest. As usual, their ticklist from The Red was very impressive. Babsi’s included a repoint of Thanatopsis (5.14a/b / F8b+/c) as well as on-sights on Angry Birds and Silky Smooth – both of which are 5.13c/F8a+ - as well as a number of 5.13b/F8a on-sights/quick sends. In short, and probably needless to say, both Babsi and Jacopo were climbing well!
After Babsi and Jacopo’s time in The Red was over, they travelled to Yosemite. Babsi’s visit to Yosemite the previous autumn had been very successful – she’d notched up a repeat of Beth Roden’s Meltdown (5.14c/F8c+). After completing Meltdown Babsi switched her attention to the other classic thin crack testpiece Magic Line.
Babsi explained how her attempts last year developed: “Last Autumn, Magic Line already felt possible, after Lara Neumeier and I spent some days on it. I had climbed the whole thing on top rope and made a couple of lead tries but just couldn’t get past the crux on lead. Then a key moment came during that process when a foothold on the top crux broke, followed by a really crucial foothold in the lower crux.
After this, I really wasn’t sure if it was still possible for me, or if I had enough power to move through that lower section in a different way. There was still something left to stand on but it was probably only half of what had already been a very tiny foothold, previously. With just 2 days left of that trip, I wasn’t able to find the right solution to send the route. Despite this set[1]back, motivation was still high and I was excited to return again this year. Jacopo was psyched to try Magic Line as well, we had a great reason to come back.”
Babsi explains her mindset and how her attempts went this year: “This year, I had no expectations at all because I was really not sure how it would feel, with that broken foothold. I had to change my beta to get over the crux sequence but, after some days on top rope again, I started to make lead attempts. The crux shut me down multiple times on that first lead day. After a rest day, I came back, warmed up and somehow managed to stick the crux move. The middle part of the line which is actually the easiest, felt so hard and pumpy that I was surprised after every move that I was still on the wall. I reached the final no-hand rest for the very first time on lead.”
Although it sounds like it was in the bag, Babsi knew otherwise: “I was so nervous because I know everyone who climbed Magic Line fell up there at least once and, at the same time, the huge runout from the last cam placement to the anchors added an additional layer of tension to the final section. It was really stressful. I didn’t want to fail up there. I told myself it can’t get any more exciting than this, so I should enjoy that moment and try not to freak out. I knew I was lucky to have made it this far and had to simply take it move-by-move and try not to think about anything else. A few moments later I had a big jug in my hands. All I had to do now was to follow those big holds to the final anchor. Pulling through those last easy moves I could finally relax and appreciate what I’d just done and why I love climbing so much! You never know what’s possible until you try…very hard.”
Speaking after her ascent Babsi talked a little more about the problems she encountered making the ascent as well as what her ascent means to her:
"This one means a lot to me. What a stunning line! I’ve never climbed something this insecure before. Firstly, it took me a while to find out the perfect beta for all the hard sequences and my initial goal was simply to link everything together on top-rope, which is a still a world away from getting to the next level where you place the gear on lead. The gear makes everything a lot more uncomfortable and the placements are all very small and fiddly. On this route, it felt like I could potentially fall at any given moment. Hard, stiff shoes felt great on the lower crux but then totally useless for the upper one. After 3 days on the climb my shoes were too soft and the crux then felt impossible. From my La Sportiva Katana laces back and forth to Skwamas and the other way around, it took a while to find the best formula.”
Finally, it’s worth noting the timeline for Magic Line which is very interesting. After Ron Kauk’s original ascent – on preplaced gear – back in 1996 the route stood idle for over two decades until Lonnie Kauk’s – Ron’s son – made the second ascent placing the gear on lead. This lead to Magic Line being upgraded to 5.14c/F9a+. Hazel Findlay made the third ascent, and hence the first by a female climber, in 2019 after which Carlo Traversi made the fourth ascent in 2022 and Connor Herson the fifth ascent less than two weeks prior to Babsi’s own ascent. With her ascent of Magic Line Babsi along with Carlo Traversi and Connor Herson are the only climbers to have repeated both Magic Line and Meltdown.