Climbing
Meet the climbers competing at Red Bull Dual Ascent 2024
Get to know the 20 climbers that will scale the imposing Verzasca Dam in Switzerland for Red Bull Dual Ascent – the world's only true multi-pitch climbing competition.
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Red Bull Dual Ascent international teams pair up to bring sports fans some of the most exciting live climbing ever.
Once again taking place in the Ascona-Locarno region of Switzerland, 2024's vertigo-inducing event sees 10 mixed teams duke it out across grades 6c to 8b, six-pitch 180m line up the 220m sheer face of the Verzasca Dam (made famous for the opening jump in the James Bond film GoldenEye).
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Red Bull Dual Ascent 2024
The head-to-head climbing spectacle unlike any other. 20 of the world's most elite climbers from various disciplines in 10 mixed teams battle 180m-long identical artificial routes.
Routes will be climbed ‘redpoint’ (flash mode) meaning it'll be the first time the climbers try the route, with a clean redpoint send required, on every pitch, on lead and following. The climbers are allowed an unlimited number of falls, but each one resets the pitch. All-in-all, nail-biting stuff.
Without further ado, let’s meet our climbers:
01
Julija Kruder 🇸🇮 and Jernej Kruder 🇸🇮
Julia and Jernej Kruder
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Dual Ascent 2023's winners are back! The Kruder siblings return for another year to try to defend their title. A tactical and turbo-charged performance led to their 2023 jaw-dropping win, with a tense and adrenaline-fuelled final, beating 2022 champion Alberto Ginés López and team-mate Jenya Kazbekova into second place.
The pair also struck gold in 2021, when they each took gold in Red Bull Creepers, both completing the course in less than 20 seconds.
02
Jenya Kazbekova 🇺🇦 and Alberto Ginés López 🇪🇸
Jenya Kazbekova and Alberto Ginés López
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
The pair met fierce competition in the 2023 finals in the shape of the Kruder siblings, being beaten in the finals to take second place in the standings. In 2022, Alberto Ginés López was part of the winning team. He may have less alpine and big wall experience than other competitors, but his results prove he has it where it's needed.
Ukrainian climber Jenya Kazbekova knows all about pushing on in the face of adversity; at 16 she became Ukrainian champion, a title she retains in 2024. “Climbing has taught me to be a champion not only on competitions, but in life. This is the main motivation for me – never give up, and aim to the goal no matter what,” she says.
03
Petra Klingler 🇨🇭 and Louna Ladevant 🇫🇷
Petra Klingler and Louna Ladevant
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
In Red Bull Dual Ascent's 2023 Small Final, a tension-filled head-to-head race saw Petra Klingler and Louna Ladevant take a third-place victory. An early fall in Cornercard Pitch 4 almost lost the race for Petra and Louna, but a dramatic fall in the very final stages whipped Vita off the wall, giving Klingler the opening she needed to scale the last few metres of the pitch and the coveted third-place finish.
Swiss climber Klinger is incredibly strong, with a passion for ice climbing alongside bouldering. Now 32, she's been winning comps since the age of 12. Among her achievements are World Bouldering Champion, Swiss Champion (Speed and Bouldering) and a European bronze medallist (Bouldering).
Ladevant is also a cold-blooded climber – in fact, he won the ice climbing championship last year. Along with his brother, Tristan, he's known as one of France's greatest adventurers. Together, the Brothers Ladevant are known for paragliding, skiing and alpine adventures, as well as a first ascent on Mt Djigit in remote Kyrgyzstan.
04
Michaela Kiersch 🇺🇸 and Felipe Camargo 🇧🇷
Michaela Kirsch and Felipe Camargo
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Michaela Kiersch is a powerhouse in the climbing world, known for her precise, dynamic style. Climbing since age seven, she’s conquered two 9a+ routes and multiple 8B+ boulders. A doctor of occupational therapy, she also coaches youth climbers, balancing her career with a love of family, gardening, and Chicago-style hot dogs.
Originally from Chicago, Michaela now resides in Salt Lake City. Competing in her first Red Bull Dual Ascent in 2024, she’s inspired by her partner Felipe's contagious joy for climbing. For her, this event is simply "invigorating."
Brazilian Felipe Camargo has scaled the wall previously during Red Bull Dual Ascent 2023. Camargo rose to fame after winning the sports-reality TV show Ultimate Beastmaster in his home country in 2017. In 2019, he became only the third climber to successfully ascend the 9+ route of El Bon Combat at Cova de Ocell in Spain.
05
Andrea Kümin 🇨🇭 and Sascha Lehmann 🇨🇭
Andrea Kümin and Sascha Lehmann
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
First tackling Red Bull Dual Ascent together in 2023 and bagging fifth place, Kümin and Lehmann are back, with their sights on an even higher ranking!
Andrea Kümin represents Switzerland in international competitions, having been a member of the Swiss Climbing Team since 2011. At the age of 16, she already had six Swiss championship titles under her belt. In 2021 she made it to the final of the World Championships, and in 2022 she won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Meiringen.
Lehmann, from Bern, took first place at the 2023 IFSC World Cup in Innsbruck and climbed to 12th place at the World Climbing Championships in his flagship discipline: lead climbing. He's also won the Lead Swiss Championship title.
06
Jessica Pilz 🇦🇹 and Jakob Schubert 🇦🇹
Jessica Pilz and Jakob Schubert
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Renowned for her powerful and precise climbing style, Jessica Pilz's career is built on technical skill and endurance; she has claimed numerous Austrian national titles and ranks among the world’s best. Her biggest achievements include winning gold at the 2018 IFSC World Championships and earning bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Based in Innsbruck, Pilz is competing in Red Bull Dual Ascent for the first time in 2024 and admires her partner Schubert for being passionate, strong, and ambitious.
Also competing in Red Bull Dual Ascent for the first time and hailing from Innsbruck, Jakob Schubert is a six-time World Champion and one of the sport's most decorated athletes, with seven overall World Cup titles and a record for individual wins. The only male climber to medal at both Olympic Games, Jakob also made history with his ascent of B.I.G. in Flatanger, Norway.
07
Kathi Choong 🇨🇭 and Nils Favre 🇨🇭
Katherine Choong and Nils Favre
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Katherine Choong, a Swiss climber and Legal Counsel, made history as the first Swiss woman to climb a 9a route and tackle the multi-pitch "Zahir" (8b+, 300m). Starting at age nine, she won the 2009 Youth World Championship and has since combined her love of competition and outdoor climbing, traveling the globe for new challenges. Now based in Roches, Katherine participated in 2022.
Farve has a lot of competition experience and is also an experienced boulderer, as well as showing strong nerves with a passion for deep water solo projects. He ranked 7th with his partner in Red Bull Dual Ascent 2023, and also put in a strong performance in 2022 with Italy's Jacopo Larcher as they claimed fifth place.
08
Mélissa Le Nevé 🇫🇷 and Edu Marín 🇪🇸
Mélissa Le Nevé and Edu Marín
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Mélissa Le Nevé is a renowned French climber known for breaking barriers in both competitive and outdoor climbing. In 2020, she became the first woman to conquer the iconic Action Directe (9a) in Frankenjura, following her earlier achievement as the first female to climb Wallstreet (8c) in 2014. Now based in Fontainebleau, the heart of bouldering, Mélissa continues to push her limits, competing in her second Red Bull Dual Ascent in 2024.
Spanish climber Edu Marín is regarded as one of the best multi-discipline climbers in the world, equally adept on big walls as he is on the World Cup stage. He's motivated to push his limits again as he returns to Red Bull Dual Ascent. Marín was climbing 9A routes at 17, and at 38 he’s one of the oldest climbers in the competition.
09
Jennifer Buckley 🇸🇮 and Darius Râpă 🇷🇴
Jenny Buckley and Darius Râpă
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
Jennifer Buckley is a rising star in the climbing world, representing Slovenia with impressive accomplishments at just 17. She's a Boulder and Lead Youth World Champion and took second place at the 2024 IFSC Boulder World Cup in Innsbruck. Jennifer’s outdoor achievements include climbing the 8a+ boulder Forever More from a sit start in under 10 minutes at age 16. Now living in Ticino, Jennifer focuses on training for competition while also nurturing a passion for mathematics. As the youngest competitor in the 2024 Red Bull Dual Ascent, she's excited to team up with her positive partner.
Darius Râpa is a teenage climbing prodigy from Romania, making history as the first Romanian to climb a 9a route at just 15 years old. His ascent of the Vânturătoarea Waterfall in Băile Herculane marked a new era for Romanian climbing. By 13, he had already completed his first 8b route, and by 14, he was competing in official IFSC events, earning standout results. Now 18 in 2024, Darius teams up with Jennifer Buckley to form the event's youngest duo.
10
Angie Scarth-Johnson 🇦🇺 and Matty Hong 🇺🇸
Angie Scarth-Johnson and Matty Hong
© Stefan Voitl/Red Bull Content Pool
With three 9A routes under her belt before she reached the age of 18, Australia’s Angie Scarth-Johnson is a true climbing prodigy. It’s no surprise, then, that her favourite thing to do as a child was climb trees. Even a fall at the age of seven couldn’t slow her down. “I never really liked team sports, because I really liked to be in control of how I do things. It sounds selfish, but I like to have that control to push myself to the next level,” she says. 2024 marks her third time at Red Bull Dual Ascent.
Finishing 10th in 2023 and joint eighth in 2022, this year Hong hopes to scale the ranks and make it to the leaderboard with Scarth-Johnson. In 2022, Hong teamed up with Shawn Raboutou and was tied with Kruder and Skofic until he unfortunately slipped, spraining his ankle. “It was unfortunate. We'd worked out a strategy and were trying make it to the final, but it was a cool experience,” he says.
Watch the Red Bull Dual Ascent 2024 finals live on Red Bull TV on November 2.
Want to know more about Red Bull Dual Ascent? Check out the explainer here.
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