The young Italian sent Gabriele Moroni's Mascella Serrata on the first go of his third day on the route. About a week later he was on his way to Chile for the last Lead World Cup of the season.

Ernesto Placci knew exactly what he wanted from this autumn on rock. "My main goal for this rock season was to climb my first 9a," the 20-year-old told 8a.nu. Goal ticked. The route is Mascella Serrata in Arco, a natural line that has pulled in one strong repeater after another since its first ascent at the start of the year. His own Instagram post kept it brief. First route of the grade.

It didn't happen straight away. Placci lives in Arco now, and the past month there had still been pretty warm. He struggled to settle on a project. Then he heard that Mascella Serrata was in good condition and decided to give it a go. "I spent the first two days figuring out all the moves and finding the best betas for me. On the third day, I sent it on my first try!" He posted the ascent on 22 October. By 8a.nu's account it came about a week before he flew out to the World Cup in Chile.

Getting through the hard moves is only half the job on this one. "It has two main cruxes, separated by a kneebar where I struggled a little to feel comfortable," Placci explained. "But after getting through both cruxes, the route isn't over, you still have to fight the pump all the way to the anchor." He wasn't up there alone. Riccardo Vicentini and Tommaso Lamboglia worked the moves with him, and Placci wrote that sharing the process with friends, and getting the send with Lamboglia, made it even more special. Crimp Films shot the photos.

The route itself is barely out of the wrapper. Gabriele Moroni bolted it (in 2024, according to Climbing History) and made the first ascent early in 2026, aged 38. Then the queue formed. Alex Ventajas took four days for the first repeat and didn't hold back: "Perfect line, all natural, really a must of Arco". Silvio Reffo followed in March. In April Stefano Ghisolfi did it in a single day, on his fourth go, after a hold snapped on his third. And on 22 April Laura Rogora needed three goes in one session, then onsighted Continental (8b+) the same day for good measure.

October brought Tommaso Lamboglia. The 21-year-old from Rome had moved to Arco only a month earlier and spent three days on Mascella Serrata. Together with Omen Nomen, those were his first two 9a's. The 8a.nu route page now lists five logged ascents, so Placci finds himself in a club that already counts Ghisolfi and Rogora. Those who have done it paint the same picture. A hard start, where Ventajas used delayed-clip beta. Two boulder-like cruxes with an awkward kneebar in between. And a finish that keeps you pumped all the way to the chains.

Placci is from Faenza and has been climbing since 2014. 8a.nu counts six 8c+ routes on his list before this one, among them Zauberfee at the Eremo di San Paolo in Arco. For readers who think in American grades, 9a is roughly 5.14d. He is no stranger to plastic either. At the Santiago Lead World Cup on 24 and 25 October, the last stop of the season, he finished 22nd. Janja Garnbret and Jonas Utelli took the wins there, as we reported. And climbing runs in the family. In May his brother Giovanni won the Italian Lead Championship in Arco, with Ernesto in fifth.

Rest can wait. 8a.nu says he was staying in Santiago until 1 November. From 7 to 21 November he will be in Villanueva del Rosario in Spain with his brother and Filip Schenk, who recently flashed Vivi si muore (9a), and the plan is simple: try some 9a's. Back home there is unfinished business. He tried Omen Nomen (9a) at Padaro before leaving for Chile, and it hasn't gone yet.

Planning a trip to Italy yourself? Our Rock Master guide has tips on which crags around Arco are worth your time. And if you like stories about a long-awaited first 9a, here is how Jessica Pilz finally ticked Hades at the Götterwandl.

Sources: 8a.nu, Instagram (Ernesto Placci), 8a.nu (Moroni), 8a.nu (Ventajas), 8a.nu (Ghisolfi), Desnivel (Rogora), 8a.nu (Lamboglia), Up-Climbing, Climbing History

Cover: the Policromuro sector at Massone near Arco, with a climber on the wall. This is not Mascella Serrata and not a photo from the ascent. Photo: Thomas Ribière, CC BY-SA 2.0 FR, via Wikimedia Commons. The image has been cropped.