Recently, 52-year-old British climber Stevie Haston made the first ascent of a new 9a-difficulty route named Descente Lolitta in the Sabart cave in the Ariege region of France.
Stevie Haston’s actions truly reaffirm the saying that there are no limits in climbing. As an undisputed pioneer and leader in early drytooling and mixed climbing, he has proven to the climbing world that he is still at the top of his game in his fifties. The 30-meter-long route Descente Lolitta is an extension of an extremely steep 8c+ route that Stevie completed last year, and is believed to be as hard as 9a. After topping out that 8c+ route last year, he said: “Talent didn’t help me on that route. It was sheer persistence that finally allowed me to redpoint it in December.”
Over 50 years old, Haston shows no signs of decline either in physical strength or ability. Just a few weeks ago, he made the first ascent of a high-grade E8 route on a cliff in Wales, proving to his compatriots that he remains one of Britain’s strongest climbers. At 52, age means nothing to him, and there is no indication that his abilities have waned. On the contrary, this vigorous veteran of the climbing scene has set himself another even more challenging goal: to climb a route that may reach the difficulty of 9a+.