ALHAMBRA: A Story of Dreams, Passion, and Crimps

The multi-pitch route Alhambra in Ticino – a long-awaited adventure for Lukas Achermann. Together with a friend, he spontaneously sets off to tackle the 18 pitches of the route. From sleepless anticipation to the emotional summit success, he vividly recounts the experience. These are moments that are not only valuable from a sporting perspective but also inspiring for future alpine projects for the young climber.

ALHAMBRA, 18 pitches / 600 vertical meters, 6b (6a+), Ticino

Alhambra had been on my list of multi-pitch routes I wanted to do for a long time. So when a friend told me a few weeks ago that he’d like to climb it too, it didn’t take even a week for the plan to take shape. The following weekend we were off. Friday evening: out of university and straight into the car. The very thought that I had been sitting in a linear algebra lecture in Zurich that same morning, and was preparing for Alhambra in Ticino by the evening, still feels surreal to me. That night, anticipation was sky-high – sleep was out of the question. The next morning we got an early start. The alarm went off at 5:00 AM. We wanted to be the first on the route. At first light, we reached the base of the climb.

The first few pitches went by pretty quickly, but I realized I hadn’t climbed on slab in quite a while. Pitch by pitch, it got better – I slowly got used to trusting my feet on the rock again.
With each pitch, I felt more confident and got into the flow of climbing. The harder upper pitches were absolutely fantastic – beautiful climbing on crimps in slightly overhanging rock. After about 6.5 hours and 18 pitches, we reached the top. What an experience. The view over Lago Maggiore – pure reward! Even though the climbing isn’t particularly difficult, you still have to stay focused over the nearly 600 meters of wall.
All in all, it took us 10 hours including approach, climb, and descent – a good reminder of how important an early start is.

I managed to onsight the route that day, which I’m really happy about. A perfect preparation for more long multi-pitch climbs I’m planning to do this year.
Thanks to my climbing partner Fabio – for the driving, the great time on the wall, and for pushing each other through to the end, despite aching feet. Lukas Achermann, 05/2025