Stefano Ragazzo, an Italian climber, recently accomplished the incredible feat of rope soloing the famous Eternal Flame route (650m, 7c+) on Trango’s Nameless Tower (6,239m) in the Karakoram.
In a disappointing reflection of modern times, The North Face dropped their sponsorship of Ragazzo just before his world-class achievement. According to Ragazzo, this decision was based on his lack of Instagram posts.
Ragazzo spent nine days in solitude, tackling one of the world’s most daunting walls. Rope soloing the ‘Eternal Flame’ route had been a dream of his for years. The last Italian ascent of this challenging route was by Giacomo Mauri and Mirco Grasso in 2023.
“These days, it seems like people think they’ve conquered mountains just by following fixed ropes and boosting their egos,” Ragazzo said after his climb. When sponsors like The North Face don’t believe in your alpine vision and drop you just two weeks before your departure because you haven’t posted enough on Instagram, it can be disheartening. But there’s always a chance to be a rebel and go against the grain.
While Ragazzo’s Instagram posts may have been sparse, his climbing achievements are anything but. Last May, he rope soloed The Nose on El Capitan, a feat that few can claim. The previous year, he and Silvia Loreggian opened a new route in Alaska’s Kichatna Mountains. Reflecting on his recent climb, Ragazzo emphasized the importance of self-belief and hard work, saying, “So much is possible if you trust yourself and dedicate yourself fully.”
