Tribe | E11/9a Trad climb at Cadarese

Italy / Piedmont / Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
UKClimbing.com

Perhaps the physically hardest trad route in the world when it was first climbed by Jacopo Larcher in March 2019. He did not grade the route.

Larcher:

“Tribe” (E none)

I’ve never invested so much time in a route before and I believe it’s the hardest I’ve done so far, but I don’t want to reduce it to a number. It wouldn’t make any sense to me. It seems like nowadays grades are the most important things in climbing and everything else gets forgotten...but at the end of the day, what we will remember is the experience, not a number.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/BvZjURwgm4T/

Contributors
20 contributions since 6th January 2021.
TdG
4 contributions since 9th July 2026.

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Pics + Vids

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Ascents

3 successful ascents recorded.

Climber Style Ascent Date Suggested Grade
First ascent.

References

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7fYUiXkHys

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2019/03/jacopo_larcher_climbs_contender_for_worlds_hardest_trad_route-71894
Second ascent.

I've known about Tribe, or at least 'the big project at Cadarese' for about 10 years. I've walked past it many times on the way to the crag, and wondered if it was possible, to climb or protect. But, despite it only taking about two minutes to set up a static rope, I had never bothered to actually look at the thing. I guess deep down I thought it probably was impossible, like so many other king trad lines I've looked at over the years

Whilst I can't say I've checked out every single trad route in the world, I have been on quite a few of them, and I've spent a lot of time searching for my own megaproject. For me, Tribe is by far the hardest series of moves I have ever done on a trad-route, and it's a real miracle that the thing is actually possible on gear. It's rare to find a piece of rock compact enough to make a series of sustained hard movements, but with just enough decent gear placements.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2020/10/second_ascent_of_tribe_-worlds_hardest_trad_route-_by_james_pearson-72593

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/CjQhBBGoGrI/
Third ascent.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/DENZJB1tTlo/?img_index=1

[2] https://www.8a.nu/news/pietro-vidi-completes-tribe-9a-trad-hty7w

[3] https://fanatic-climbing.com/pietro-vidi-realise-la-troisieme-ascension-de-tribe-pietro-vidi-claims-tribes-3rd-ascent-intw/