Brette Harrington’s Epic First Ascent in Sardinia

For the last two winters, American climbers Brette Harrington and Elliott Bernhagen have been scouting, bolting, and working the moves on a four-pitch cave route on the east coast of Sardinia. Now, after freeing Shadow Line (5.14a) on March 31, Harrington is finally stepping into the sun—and has a story to tell.

“It’s just the most dramatic thing you could ever imagine. It looked impossible to free climb,” says Harrington, describing the cave, which bends over the Mediterranean to a near-horizontal angle for its crux pitch.