Babsi Zangerl repeats Bombardino (F9a+)
- Thursday 8th May 2025
Austrian climber Barbara Zangerl has repeated Bombardino (F9a+) in Arco, Italy.
Bombardino was bolted by Adam Ondra in 2012 and is a slightly easier variation of the original line Bomba (F9b), which was also established by Ondra.
The ascent marks Babsi’s first F9a+ graded route and sets her amongst a relatively small group of women to have achieved the grade.
Babsi commented afterwards:
“After more or less two months of effort, I finally climbed my first 9a+! Bombardino had me completely hooked from the very beginning. A huge thank you to Adam Ondra for establishing such an incredible and inspiring line – it's one of those climbs that just draws you in and doesn’t let go.
Every session above the village of Arco felt like a little mission. The view over Lake Garda gave the whole process this unique, almost vacation-like atmosphere – even on the tough days, it was hard to complain.
The deeper I got into the project, the more exciting – and emotional – it became. I fell three times on the very last hard move... and with each fall, the doubts grew louder. The temperatures were rising, the climbing became more exhausting, and I could feel the window slowly closing. The route started to feel more unpredictable – some days I made real progress, others it felt completely out of reach.
On the day I sent it, it was warm – 26 degrees – not exactly my idea of perfect sending temps. I’d already had three tries, and only one of them felt decent. And of course, I fell again on the last move. At that point, I had zero expectations left. I just wanted to give it one last try as a bit of training. Nothing more.
But then somehow... everything clicked. Right from the first move, I knew I had to fight. My body was tired, but my mind was calm. Move after move, I just kept going. I knew exactly what to do – when to breathe, when to push. When I stuck the crux and kept moving, completely pumped, I still didn’t believe it. Not until I clipped the chains.
I was totally wrecked, but my endurance held on – just long enough. The ups and downs, the doubts, the tiny breakthroughs – that feeling of giving everything for something, even if it’s “just a climb”... it felt amazing.”
She finished by saying: “Huge thanks to everyone who supported me on this line – Jacopo, Manu, Barbara, Arba, Lucas – thank you for the belays, the patience, the encouragement, and all the good vibes. You made this experience even more special.”