EXCALIBUR | The North Face

A perfect line, with tiny holds on a 40 degrees steep wall: this is “Excalibur”.
In a joint effort with the world’s best climbers, Stefano Ghisolfi embraces the challenge to climb this incredible route.
After two years of dedication to the project, Stefano manages to claim the first ascent of what is to this day the hardest route in Italy and one of the hardest in the world: Excalibur 9b+.

[@AdamOndra]

Great effort, perfect line, impressive ascent and a cool movie. We were happy to be part of the story. Congrats to Stefano again. Adam and AO Team.

[@PB-sk9jn]

I love your positivity and elevating everyone who is a super climber. You are both fantastic people.

[@steghiso]

Super psyched!!! 💪💪💪

[@maurocanipari7258]

Bellissimo video, entusiasmante. In pratica rappresenti la discendenza di Artù: Excalibur è tua!

[@C_I_A]

Beautiful Stefano!!! 🙏

[@sidious-dy9rh]

What a fantastic setting and back drop. Stefano your a beast 💪

[@cristiancaroulloa5284]

Lo más grande titan !

[@denislejeune9218]

Is starting from the ground a project? Or does it add nothing to the difficulty?

[@hetistijmen]

I love the closeups of the holds combined with the walk through of the beta for this. Really gives me a feel for what a route like this requires. I'll never do it but it gets me psyched to train anyway. I also like that @steghiso made it an open project, as he says. Good to see that even all the way at the top you guys aren't letting ego get in the way of the enjoyment.

[@TristanCleveland]

I don'g know... some of those close ups might give me nightmares.

[@hlwy]

Stefano has to be the most likable climber walking the planet. He just radiates good energy. Congrats big man

[@TristanCleveland]

He's super competitive on that front with Bosi.

[@pbandjosh]

I dunno, who doesn't also have a crush on Will Bosi and Seb Bouin? Anyways the current crop of top outdoor climbers are all seemingly great people and all easily likeable :)

[@sergio5killer]

That route must be a 6c+, the hardest grade in the world

[@steghiso]

You are right 😂

[@mrock9932]

6, you’re sure ? 😂

[@user-bn8ni3kq3l]

so true

[@sergio5killer]

@@mrock9932 absolutely

[@mrock9932]

@@sergio5killer a confusion between 6 and 9 maybe ?

[@dominic508]

While every part of the video is amazing, the part at 25:00 is my favorite. It truly captures that shift that happens when you've gone past the crux of a route you worked on for a long time. The way we hear his breathing completely change and see his movements become more shaky and how long he rests on those jugs to make SURE he's good for the top, composing himself. It really connects with anyone that's worked hard on rock, it makes the grades meaningless for a moment, and takes us all THERE. In the moment where disaster and victory are playing musical chair and you don't know when the music is gonna stop. Amazing video Stefano, the foggy scenery behind you at the top is ethereal. I cannot wait to one day climb in Italy!

[@shilohartisan]

100% Didn't even have to use emotional music, Sara's voice modulates in excitement, and I (a non-rock-climbing idiot) start tearing up.

[@matiasquiroga2590]

Yes

[@hongyi7539]

Taking off the earring with a SWORD after sending EXCALIBUR is definitely the cherry on top.

[@pauldj6]

it ended up becoming the hardest route in Italy, yet grades are not mentioned once in the whole video - I loved it

[@MB-co6qj]

9b+?

[@penisman12345]

@@MB-co6qjyes

[@benharrington1652]

I think he wants it to be 9c real bad

[@M0dElite]

This film really tells the story of our silly sport and what it's about: sharing experiences with good people, a little obsession and pursuing for our dreams. Stefanos ability to stay positive throughout projecting something that hard is truly a super power! Bellissimo! 😊

[@TopRope8a]

10:57 how this can be held in 40° overhang 🤯 Amazing route!

[@christophersieben4617]

I laughed so hard at this Part 😂😂😂 so crazy

[@dominic508]

Oh don't worry, that one is ''only there to balance his body'', the real thing he's holding on to is that 6mm sharp bumpy also-40 degree crimpy total JUG of a hold with his right hand. No big deal.

[@alexwolff9395]

@@dominic508 I loved that "first good hold" , the one pad "jug"

[@Paulekonrad2]

the narrated slowmo of the moves makes the difficulty visible like no other climbing video i have seen. brava!

[@AnnaHazelnutt]

What a treat of a film!! Such good storytelling and incredible climbing by an incredible climber 💫

[@ethanclimbs]

What a senddddd, every hard climb deserves to be made into a documentary style film like this

[@Hopesfallout]

So cool to see these god-tier climbers, absolute living legends, friends working together on a cutting edge project. Truly, the comradery is one of the most beautiful aspects that makes this sport stand out!

[@TienyiChi-if3pp]

I smiled so hard seeing you smile on the hill top 😆 congrats Stefano 🎉🎉

[@simonechiste1855]

Crazy how stefano resting on basically nothing, out of the mind. Congrats ❤

[@chrishill5511]

Stefano on top: "Yes! I can take this damn earring off!"

[@rasmusskjdt3886]

Even more Sara "Yes! He's at the top! I don't have to see that ugly earring anymore!"

[@DefinitelyDontSandbag]

The Galla Tapes and this dropping within a day of each other and both being such insanely good videos is so cool. Gets me so psyched to climb and get on my projects. Stephano is so inspiring and great. So sick.

[@alpinejonny]

I love Stefano. What a gem of a human being.

[@markushosp8139]

This movie in its wonderful simplicity gets my personal title "Closer to the heart" Simply because you just feel the passion it takes to climb Excalibur. A true gem

[@whelmking6497]

Stefano (and Adam and Jakob and Will) are just such amazing ambassadors for climbing. Such joy in collaborating and in sending this old school, nails hard route. Beautiful to have followed the process and this video does it justice.

[@nikolayletsgooo]

Bravo Stefano!!! This route is the essence of climbing. Also, just next to Excalibur there are boulders for all grades. Come to admire the 9b+ and climb something of your taste as well 🤗

[@_evolj]

This is basically The Avengers of rock films.

[@Matt-yu5ed]

The cinematography on that final send is beautiful.

[@layos]

Amazing... my heart was racing when he made it past the upper crux. I can tell by the way he was breathing and by Sara's voice that they were both overwhelmed in the moment. Great video!

[@a_external_ways.fully_arrays]

Such a nice part in the middle of the film; nicely filmed, and explained by Stefano! - really brings you much closer to the experience of the route. And love that the route is a shared experience between the climbers (:

[@sev_07]

such a banger. waited so long for the film, but it payed of

[@CruxalYT]

5:17 This is such a beautiful sentiment that truly captures the spirit of climbing. I love this attitude of wanting everyone to try it and work on it rather than gatekeep and try to hog the glory for yourself. Awesome documentary!

[@ralphmunn6689]

I can't believe I just cried watching a friggin' climbing video. 🙏🙏🙏

[@Woolly_Mammut]

Assembled an All-Star team and came out MVP! Congrats Stefano!

[@steveilg6134]

Beautifully crafted work. Perseverance, humility, determination, egoless sharing, and world class athleticism. Thank you from high Colorado, 🇺🇸. 🙏🏾

[@dawnelee3234]

What a great film of an excruciatingly hard climb! Loved so many things about it, the camaraderie with the other pro climbers, who he is as a person, the support of the people around him, and the triumph at the end. That and that it was very well shot and soundtracked! I teared up when he finally sent it! It really just reminds me of this statement, we only succeed at what we can suffer through. For him, it was the process of trying something so hard that you don't know if you will ever send it.

[@clarisagalindorobles50]

Am I the only one who cryed when he did it?

[@captainwasserstoff6750]

One of the Best climbing Videos for a long time! So inspiring! Thx a lot

[@thomaslucet7275]

Stefano the new king of Trentino 💪👑

[@simeoncheshmedjiev-shraik4719]

Incredible video, Stefano, thank you for sharing. I loved every second of it. To me especially interesting was the showing of all the holds - absolutely horrible most of them. I'm happy for you, man, next step is Silence, i hope you do it too. All the best. :)

[@jeroenaerts83]

This is one of the best climbing videos. Love it

[@cedricnicolas2662]

Was crying when he grabbed and stayed on this left hand last hold after the final crux. When you are a climber you feel the liberation he must have felt at that moment, after months of efforts and hundreds of tries.

[@blubblubwhat]

He was the one could draw the excalibur out of his pocket list;)

[@Rockmaster867]

I really enjoy this current age of pro climbers. The respect they share for each other and that there is no envy or ego. ❤

[@matteobecchi1210]

Finally! Stefano's climbing is such an inspiration. Incredible route.

[@gardenhose590]

Awesome. A pleasure to watch this. Thanks you Stefano for sharing this with us!

[@favio1415]

Love watching these guys

[@leaksfoos]

Amazing film - Stefano is a legend. The sequence at the top of the route is so nerve wracking, especially the jolty breathing! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@Mrlampa86]

Un video che aspettavo come si aspetta il Natale! E come il Natale non ha deluso! Alè davvero!!!

[@touffulyge6926]

Merci Stefano! Amazing route, great quality footage, feels like we were there with you... thank you thank you 🙏 ... and congrats again!

[@federicovalsesia5137]

Thank you Ste to be an inspiration in climbing as in life 🙏

[@grakkiel]

The shots, the line, the send... What a beautiful movie. Congratulations to Stefano and the team. I will come back to this many times for sure.

[@tomhankin4554]

smiling through the whole video, amazing to watch such pure strength and endurance!

[@MatteoCharlieIchino]

well done! and...best filming crew on the climbing scene!

[@jarinmuscoloni7713]

Grande Stefano💪 Sarà che sto invecchiando, ma vedendo la tua gioia dopo tanti sforzi, mi sono commosso 👏

[@21nGG]

What a beautiful film! Worth the wait for sure-I bet all those ppl doubting you in every comment section the past year are sorry they doubted

[@marconauer6238]

It was worth the wait, one of the best climbing stories I've ever seen❤

[@oj.reeves]

Epic send by a true legend of the sport. It's so hard to find a reason to dislike Stefano.. he's such a lovely dude. Congrats! Really stoked to see him get the FA.

[@Trivium217]

I love this community! It is so amazing how all the pros are kind and supportiv to each other.

[@LyricSylvan]

Love the intensity of the send, and that it tops out!

[@berrylangerak]

What an awesome film. I love the walk through of the holds on the route and the positivity of both Stefano and Sara!

[@ponsilliusvii6290]

Absolutely amazing!!

[@aranna_]

How can you not love them both? And the process, and the sport?!

[@gobl-analienabductedbyhuma5387]

GRANDISSIMO! BELLISSIMO!! Fantastico Stefano e Sara! Bello bello bello. Congratulazioni

[@LarryBLucas]

The effort and then the final send put a big smile on my face. Great film!

[@shrill_2165]

Beautiful. BEAUTIFUL

[@alecesaris]

Bellissimo!!!! So good. Beautiful line, great open project! Thanks a lot for this bellissimo video!

[@charliecenta]

Well done Stefano! Been waiting for a year to see this! Great film and great climbing 🙌👏

[@ale22547]

Grandissimo Ste! Sorteggi questo video da una vita e vederti dalle excalibur è stato fantastico! Congratulazioni 🔝🧗

[@Leander_]

Great job Stefano! Beautiful climbing docu.

[@MiAmiGOelLoCo]

Soooo nice. It’s really inspiring to watch this whole process shared with closest friends, fellow climbers and Sara of course. Lots of ❤ from Bulgaria.

[@buoyanProjects]

I love the humility and just genuine good nice vibes the top pro climbers are showing at the moment, stefano epitomizes it for me. Congrats dude a great achievement.

[@surftheripcurl]

Props, this is brill. I'm so psyched to go fall off a v5 now!

[@jereisluke]

I almost expected to see Stefano silhouetted with a real sword on top of the route as an epic ending shot.

[@chiarac9]

Epic project, send and film ! Well worth the wait 👏 👏 👏

[@giulioneri2703]

I believe that one of the things that struck me the most, in addition to the entire journey shared with nearly legendary climbers, and the commitment required for the realization of this project, was Sara's joy, so spontaneous, in seeing her partner succeed in the endeavor...

[@pauls6448]

Amazing film. Congratulations on the amazing send. I have been following the story for a long time and it's nice to see this footage. Thank you for all your hard work and determination.

[@breaktheresistance]

Congrats Stefano!! And what a beautiful film too 😍 really enjoyed watching this.

[@MrLuckychewy1]

Amazing production and an incredible display of willpower! Congrats to you sir, and thank you for sharing this beautiful experience with all of us

[@BloodSugarBouldering]

This is absolute history. Amazing to watch. Well done with the editing and filmmaking/story telling I really enjoyed this. Good to see soo many top climbers working together ❤

[@audetetvincit]

Amazing achievement! Amazing partnership from Sara! Bravo 🙌🏼

[@dennis1802]

Wow really cool, super nice video Stefano! Love the friendship and the close ups. High quality you set a standart here mister. Was so stoked watching I didn’t realise you were gonna send untill after that last rest. Congrats from the Netherlands 🇳🇱

[@AdrianGonzalez-uj3zf]

What a great experience, I loved every moment and this video made me see the importance of enjoying the journey, and focus in our progress

[@lorenzobernabeiseregni306]

This documentary Is super impressive ,like this perfect route!!!!

[@jasongamero5747]

brutal!!!, estais siendo toda una inspiración para varias generaciones de escaladores! seguid así! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[@JJ-xt2dq]

Finally! I was waiting for this video!

[@bartuslongus]

Just beautiful.

[@jennymchandler]

Very cool movie. I love this new era you propose of collaboration and open projects. I really hope to see some of the strong female climbers invited to contribute as well. Apart from anything else, they are likely to add new beta.

[@giuseppealviti1115]

grande Ste! che belli che siete e che bello il messaggio. Solo chi progetta e ci lavora può capire cosa c'e dietro. Bello far parte di questa comunita. Bello vedere che ci si parla. open mind, open life, open people, peacefull world.

[@juliancamacho3447]

Que makinonnn y que inspiración Stephano. Además tremendo video, gracias!!

[@maratt1914]

Great movie! I hope there will be more like this. I love the North Face sponsored climbers

[@heighRick]

GG Stefano, amazing. Thanks, helps a lot!

[@henrygarcia1087]

The quality of the image is crazy good, congratulations to the filmmakers and the storytellers that put this together in such a great film! Obviously thanks to stefano and everyone involved. Keep going!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

[@neptune7347]

love seing rockclimbing, more of this please!

[@lukasschmuckermair513]

Amazing climb! And this is a very nice short film. Both very inspiring!,Thanks

Great movie, well worth the wait. And what an amazing climb!

[@simondelacanal4543]

When the route made Stefano power scream you know it's insanely hard It's been a long time since I enjoyed so much a climbing video.

[@augustclimbing]

After seeing the full beta breakdown, I have a whole new level of amazement at Stefano’s Excalibur send! That combined with the open and collaborative projecting makes this such a great story and film! 👍🏻👍🏻 I can’t wait to see Will Bosi out there again… hopefully sometime this year for the first repeat 🙂

[@olliewelsh123]

Brought a tear to my eye when you topped out. Such an achievement

[@ochoymedio78]

4 of the best 6 sport climbers in the world tried it. Great video and amazing route!!! Wow

[@AlecARGH]

Such an inspiration! What a cool climb! 🔥👍

[@alpsgrandtour]

Great place to sleep there The Private House on airbnb😍

[@javieralonsomartinez2684]

Absolutamente increíble, rozando lo mágico

[@outpostjared7835]

refreshing to hear top level athletes be so interested to help each other grow