Babsi Zangerl flashes Free Rider on El Cap

Her historic climb was made possible with the support of her partner and BD teammate Jacopo Larcher who was very close to flashing the route as well. This milestone occurred just some weeks after she climbed the legendary Magic Line (5.14c), further solidifying her reputation as world-class climber.

For Babsi and Jacopo, Yosemite Valley continues to exert an inexorable pull.  For the first few years, going all the way back to the fall of 2015, it was hard to escape the allure of El Cap. First it was El Nino, next Zodiac, then ascents of Magic Mushroom, the Pre-Muir and the Nose. After that nearly five-year odyssey of big wall free climbing, Babsi and Jacopo have become one of most successful big wall free climbing teams to ever boot up beneath the Captain.

But in recent years, though the Valley has continued to lure them back every fall, they have made an effort to stay low, at least for a few weeks, to try their hand (and fingers) on some of the single pitch trad routes. First it was Meltdown (5.14c), a contender for the world’s hardest crack climb, which they both sent a season apart - Jacopo leading with the third ascent and Babsi following up with the fourth in 2023.

This fall, it was Magic Line (5.14c) - the mythical Ron Kauk route, which he climbed back in ’96. This time around, Babsi fired the route first, with Jacopo following up a few days later. They now have both joined an elite list of climbers to tick both routes - a tally entirely comprised of Black Diamond Athletes (Conner Herson, Hazel Findlay, and Carlo Traversi).

After a season full of groundbreaking ascents, Black Diamond caught up with Babsi and Jacopo to reflect on their journey and ask the inevitable question: What’s next?