Climbing
History maker: German climber Lara Neumeier conquers the Alpine Trilogy
After completing three of the hardest multipitch routes in the Alps in record time, Lara Neumeier hopes to inspire female climbers to achieve "even more" than their male counterparts.
On June 4, 2026, Lara Neumeier achieved one of her dreams and made history in the process. The German climber successfully ascended Des Kaisers neue Kleider (The Emperor's New Clothes), one of the most difficult multipitch climbs in the Alps. By navigating the route in Austria's Wilder Kaiser mountains, she completed one of the most legendary challenges in climbing – the Alpine Trilogy.
Not only is Neumeier the first German climber ever to complete the three legendary, highly difficult 8b+ multipitch sport climbs, but she managed to complete them in less than a year, setting a new record time for female climbers.
Full focus: Lara Neumeier climbs 'Des Kaisers neue Kleider' in Austria
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
Completing the Alpine Trilogy means an incredible amount to me. It was extremely difficult and mentally demanding
"Completing the Alpine Trilogy means an incredible amount to me," says Neumeier. "It was definitely the biggest challenge I've faced in my entire climbing career - extremely difficult and mentally demanding. The trilogy was something of a test for me. Passing it makes me very proud and gives me the confidence to think even bigger."
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How Lara Neumeier made climbing history
The three routes - Silbergeier (Silver Vulture), End of Silence and The Emperor's New Clothes - require a climber to demonstrate a combination of power and technical mastery. The long multipitch routes on exposed terrain also provide a mental challenge as climbers must master challenging passages far above the ground.
The fact that Neumeier managed to conquer the trio in under 12 months is a remarkable achievement, as she is only the second woman ever to achieve the feat after Austria’s Barbara Zangerl.
Neumeier meticulously prepped her ascent of The Emperor's New Clothes
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
"When I started the Silbergeier in 2025, I deliberately set myself the goal of climbing all three routes within a year. I knew it would be a huge challenge - and that's exactly what I was looking forward to," says Neumeier, who has learned one thing in particular over the last 12 months. "I now know what it means to fully commit to a project - even if you don't know beforehand whether it's even achievable."
Ascending the Silver Vulture
"The Silver Vulture was the start of it all," emphasizes Neumeier, whose attempt started on June 10, 2025. "The route is known for its extremely wide gaps between bolts and technical climbing on compact rock, which makes it very mentally challenging and unforgiving."
As the route is at 2,500 meters, Neumeier first had to wait until the snow had melted before she could attempt it. "As preparation, I climbed the trad route Psychogramm on the Bürser Platte (in Austria) in spring to be mentally ready for the long runouts in the Silbergeier after winter training indoors.
"The route itself took me a total of three-and-a-half days to check out the individual pitches and hardest passages. I was then able to climb it surprisingly quickly on the fifth day.
"The Silver Vulture is the best-known route in the trilogy on the international climbing scene, famous for its perfect rock and the beauty of every single pitch. Climbing this route was a dream for a long time - and climbing it so quickly showed me what I was capable of: I was definitely ready for the trilogy."
Conserving energy during her final ascent in Austria
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
Tackling the End of Silence
"At around 360 meters and 11 pitches, End of Silence is significantly longer than Silbergeier - and felt a bit wilder to me," explains Neumeier, who started her climb on August 25, 2025.
"In the lower pitches, you sometimes climb on old pitons and have to place and trust mobile safety devices yourself. There was a boulder section on the crux pitch that I simply couldn't imagine climbing on the first two days. You have to hold an extremely small finger hole there - exactly the feeling that reminded me of the hold on which I had torn my ring ligament three years previously.
"So I first had to gain confidence that I wouldn't injure myself. After a few more days on the wall, I was able to climb all the moves and knew that nothing stood in the way of my ascent. With six days of preparation and the ascent on the seventh day, I was also able to climb this route quickly - and was already a big step closer to the Alpine Trilogy."
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One last push to complete The Emperor's New Clothes
"This was by far the most emotional and difficult of the three routes," admits Neumeier. "I worked on the route for a total of 11 days, spread over autumn 2025 and spring 2026. I was actually very close in November, but then winter came; the days became too short for a serious attempt from below, and I had to decide not to come back until the following spring.
"The biggest challenge was to climb all the pitches in one day. The route is much steeper than the other two, making it more athletic and sustained. The first seven pitches are already extremely difficult, and the last, most difficult key pitch demands everything again.
"Everything finally came together on June 4, 2026. Despite a lot of rain in the days before and a crucial hold in the key pitch that was still slightly damp, I was able to get the climb through."
The Emperor's New Clothes demanded everything from Neumeier
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
The Emperor's New Clothes challenged me the most physically, mentally and emotionally
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What is the Alpine Trilogy?
The Alpine Trilogy consists of three of the most difficult alpine multipitch routes in the Alps. If you want to conquer them, you need superhuman climbing skills as well as courage, stamina and nerves of steel:
Silbergeier - Rätikon, Switzerland
- First ascent / first free ascent: Beat Kammerlander
- Difficulty level: 8b+
- Length: approx. 160m, 6 pitches
The route was opened up by Beat Kammerlander who is considered one of the great icons of the Rätikon. The first ascent was made in 1993 by Beat and Conny Kammerlander; Beat returned in the summer of 1994 and completed the first free ascent in a single day. The route is known for its technical climbing in limestone, wide bolt spacing (runouts) and high mental demands.
End of Silence - Berchtesgaden Alps, Germany
- First ascent: Thomas Huber, 1994
- Degree of difficulty: 8b+
- Length: approx. 360m, 11 pitches
The End of Silence route, first climbed by Thomas Huber in 1994, was considered one of the most difficult alpine multi-pitch routes of its time and is still a benchmark for alpine sport climbing at the highest level today. Neumeier's ascent on August 25, 2025, was only the second female ascent of this route, after that of Barbara Zangerl.
The Emperor's New Clothes - Wilder Kaiser, Austria
Neumeier at one of the final key points on the route
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
- First ascent: Stefan Glowacz, 1994
- Degree of difficulty: 8b+
- Length: approx. 250m
The Emperor's New Clothes, first climbed by Stefan Glowacz in 1994, forms the Austrian part of the trilogy and leads through the Fleischbank in the Wilder Kaiser. The route is known for its exposed limestone climbing, wide bolt spacing and technical difficulty. Before Neumeier, there was only one ascent by a woman, by Barbara Zangerl in 2013, which also made her the first woman to complete the Alpine Trilogy.
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Lara Neumeier: An inspiration to female climbers around the world
By completing the Alpine Trilogy, which is still regarded as a symbol of alpine sport climbing at the highest level, Neumeier joins the select circle of climbers who have successfully completed all three routes. Only eleven people have achieved this. Among them are the founders and first climbers of the three legendary routes - Beat Kammerlander, Thomas Huber and Stefan Glowacz.
I want to inspire and motivate other women to be courageous and tackle big goals
Neumeier, who was already known for her challenging trad and big wall ascents before completing the Alpine Trilogy, has once again proven that she is one of the most exciting all-round climbers in Europe. And that women like her are a force to be reckoned with in the future!
Celebration time as Neumeier completes the final leg of the Alpine Trilogy
© Ray Demski/Red Bull Content Pool
"We women have shown what we're capable of in recent years - and we're closing the gap," says Neumeier. "In climbing, women can achieve just as much as men, sometimes even more.
"Lynn Hill showed that many years ago when she free-climbed The Nose on El Capitan. In purely biological terms, we may have less raw strength, but many other factors play a huge role in climbing, such as technique, tactics, mobility and, above all, the head.
"With projects like the Alpine Trilogy, I want to inspire and motivate other women to be courageous and tackle big goals."