Aged 13, South Korea's Kwon Gaeun sends "Pure dreaming plus", a 9a+ in Arco

South Korean climber Kwon Gaeun, aged 13 years and 2 months, has sent “Pure dreaming plus”, a 9a+ route in the Massone sector of Arco, near Lake Garda (Italy). It’s her first 9a+ and her hardest route so far, according to Spanish climbing magazine Desnivel.

A route with history

• The route links the start of Underground (8c+/9a) with the end of Pure dreaming and crosses Massone’s large roof. It demands a lot of power endurance: holding hard moves for a long time.
• Adam Ondra made the first ascent in 2018 and proposed 9a+. Alfredo Weber bolted it.
• Laura Rogora made the first female ascent in 2020, aged 19, and Italian Andrea Chelleris repeated it in 2022, also aged 13. Spain’s Álex Ventajas is another repeater.

The last move

The hardest part for Gaeun was the final move, where she had fallen again and again, always arriving exhausted. Targeted endurance training and intense focus let her complete it. Afterwards she said she was “more than excited”.

Her father, Kwon Young-hye, who supports her as a coach, valued the process above all and noted that few young people in South Korea get access to high-level outdoor climbing.

A meteoric progression

• 2023, aged 10: Southern Smoke (8c+), Red River Gorge (USA).
• 2025, aged 12: Era Vella (9a), Margalef (Spain).
• Spring 2026, aged 12: Pure dreaming (8c+/9a), Arco.
• Autumn 2026, aged 13: Pure dreaming plus (9a+).

9a or 9a+?

As often happens in climbing, the grade is debated: some repeaters think the route deserves 9a/+ or even 9a, partly because knee pads allow rests on parts of the roof. Whatever the number, it’s an exceptional achievement at her age.

For context, 9a+ is very close to the top of the scale: the world’s hardest route is a 9c.