Is Carlo Traversi The World’s Best Trad Climber?

Photo by Christian Adam/Black Diamond 

With Carlo Traversi’s recent ascent of Magic Line, he has become one on the elite few to climb 5.14c on gear, EVER! And he has done it twice. 

The list is small. According to Gripped, there are 8 trad routes 5.14c and harder. With that in mind, Traversi has done 25% of the hardest gear-protected routes in the world. But, James Pearson has also done 2, and Jacopo Larcher has done 3 (and both have done the Tribe, supposedly even harder). By this evidence, Larcher is the clear winner.

But I believe we need to look at a few other factors. While Traversi at first appears to be a more “conventional” pro climber, with hard sport and boulder ascents (like Flex Luthor 5.15b and Creature From The Black Lagoon V16), he has a few other accomplishments worth noting. The main one that steps out to me is the Triple 14 Challenge, climbing V14, 5.14, and a 14er in 24 hours (Carlo climbed Jade, Sarchasm, and Pervertical Sanctuary on Longs Peak). That’s just crazy… the fatigue coupled with hard climbing is noteworthy, even among the ticks of Pearson and Larcher.

This adds another contender to the list though. Dave Macleod has only one 5.14c trad ascent to his name (as well as one of the deadliest routes on the “World’s Hardest Trad Routes” list, Echo Wall 5.14b X), but his 24/8 Challenge, an 8a boulder, E8 trad route, 8a sport route, VIII 8 winter route, AND 8 munros (Scottish peaks at least 3000’ tall) is arguably harder. His hard trad routes are all also mind-boggingly terrifying, with huge fall potential or the possibility of death.

So, who’s the world’s best trad climber? Maybe Traversi, or possibly Pearson, with Macleod being up there… or Larcher?