A member of Japan’s national team in sport climbing lead and a free climber, Taisei Homma completed “La Rambla” (5.15a / 9a+) in Siurana, Spain in 2024.

The route was first established in 1994 by German climber Alex Huber as a 35-meter 5.14c line, and was later extended by Dani Andrada to its current form.

However, the first ascent was not made by Andrada, but by Ramon Julián Puigblanque in 2003. Since his groundbreaking ascent, “La Rambla” has become one of the most popular 5.15a routes in the world, attracting attempts from many of the world’s top climbers, including Chris Sharma, Adam Ondra, Alex Megos, Margo Hayes, Stefano Ghisolfi, Jacopo Larcher, Seb Bouin, Seo Chae-hyun, and Michaela Kiersch.

In particular, in 2017, Margo Hayes completed the historic route, becoming the first woman to climb a 5.15a, drawing significant global attention.

For Homma, “La Rambla” represents the most difficult sport route he has redpointed to date. He began attempting the route in 2023 and returned in 2024 to complete it successfully.

Homma is also known for his achievements in competition climbing, having competed in World Cup events as a lead climbing specialist since 2018, and continues to perform at an international level in competitions around the world.

Taisei Homma’s comment

I was able to climb what is arguably one of the most famous 9a+ routes in the world.

I first tried this route in November 2023, spending three weeks on it, but I couldn’t send it and left feeling very frustrated.

I returned this year to take on the challenge again, and I’m really happy that I was able to turn last year’s failure into success—it definitely felt worth coming back.

To be honest, in today’s climbing scene, achievements on natural rock are generally not evaluated as highly, because competition results tend to be prioritized.

Even so, I believe that performing on natural rock is still highly valuable as a climber and is part of proving true strength. That’s why I want to continue challenging myself not only in competitions, but also on outdoor rock.

This achievement is only the beginning. There are countless harder routes in the world, and I plan to keep pushing myself by attempting high-difficulty routes around the globe.