Luisa Iovane is an Italian climber, born in 1960, eight times Italian champion from 1985 to 1996, and the first woman to have climbed a route in the eighth degree, with Come Back (8a). Luisa Iovane is a geologist by profession.
At the age of 14, Luisa Iovane began climbing with her father in San Felicita, then during the holidays with the parish and the scouts. With them, she climbed her first via ferrata, without equipment of course, safety was not an issue at the time, and with Don Franco, she even climbed the Cima Grande di Lavaredo. At 16, not always finding a climbing partner, she began climbing solo, in the Dolomites. At 19, back from the Yosemite Valley, she then turned to sport climbing. In Arco, she contributed to the opening of new climbing routes.
In 1978, at the Sella Pass, a chance encounter took place that changed her life: that of Luggi Rieser, Reinhard Schiestl and Heinz Mariacher, the latter of whom would become her life and climbing companion.
In the 80s, the closed ladder at the VI degree was nothing more than a memory and the difficulty grew by leaps and bounds, absorbing the new generations. Luisa did not escape the charm of the challenge with oneself and so in 1984 she reached 7B and, the following year, 7C, a rating that she confirmed with many routes also in pure style onsight.
Also in 1985, she took part in the first international climbing competition on the Militi wall, near Bardonecchia. Sportroccia 85 is an absolute success that sees Luisa on the podium and motivates her even more to train for the following editions.
At 26, she becomes the first woman to have made an ascent of a route of difficulty 8a by making Come back in Valle San Nicolo in Italy. The first free ascent of Comeback 8a by Luisa Iovane in 1986 must be highlighted. A little-known climb but clearly ahead of its time. The route is located in Val San Nicolò, this secret garden of the Dolomites carefully maintained by Bruno Pederiva and climbing companion and life partner Heinz Mariacher.
She will compete until 2005, finishing second in the 1989 World Cup and becoming national champion 8 times. Despite the farewell to competitions, she will continue to climb with rigor and great motivation.
Luisa Iovane, small and very determined, is one of the best climbers of all time, a life spent among the mountains of the world immortalized in photos, from Arco to Marmolada, from the algerian Sahara to Nevada, always with her unmistakable smile.
