On this trip i had a few goals 1= get fit/strong for sky masters 2= do a few 8a's 3= try and onsight one!
twelve days of climbing lay befor me so my thinking was little and often so only a few routes a day for me, Day one saw us at Forada sleepy but keen getting our eye's in doing a few climbs up to 7b+ then over to the house to settle in and meet up with the others.
El Bov was next on the list and redpointing the super steep Arcadia 7c after dropping the last move first go! Then followed a pair of days falling off flashing and onsighting 8's at Wildside and L'ocaive, not god falling off things but starting to build fitness up, More redpointing needed so back to Wildside to do Ergometia 8a with Yann's hands of rest near top helps! followed by a rest day only a 7b+ done this day.
The arrival of Leah Crane climbing in the sun saw us at Echo vally and again an almost flash of Shelter 8a sent 2point.
As climbing in the sun is overrated we went back to the dark side and i got back on Dimension Diamante 8a+, i was on this last time out but got shut down on the crux but this time pissed it pointng it second go.
More rest days followed only trying 7c+'s and climbing up to 7b's, then we went to the short crag of Murla 15 meters and i jumped my way up LaChaqueta Hidraulica 8a.
Then on to our last day what a perfect trip fitness up, four 8's in the bag climbing and chilling in sunny spain with friends life can't get much better?
With a late flight we went to Cabezon a long crag 40+ meters and is near the airport so good as can climb for longer, warming up on the best 6b+ and 6c+ anywhere i can think of, looking up at Columneta an 8a so long i couldn't see the top the only two bits of info i had on the route were gaz fell off it not a good thing to know he don't fall much and a small tufa pinch for your right hand i set off just seeing how far i could get.
Well finding a knee bar after the steep start 25 meters up and not falling off was a nice place to be, after resting a bit set of up the still steep but not quite so steep top, it went like this steady climbing hard move more steady climbing to side pulls on bad feet, pulling with all i had i found the small tufa with my left hand? pushed on past it to bad crimps and a jug i had made it this far im 38 metres up the route onsight hanging on a resting jug! i can see the chain now only one bolt higher up but the only problem is i can't see any holds! getting my feet up and reaching up finds me at a two finger pocket trusting this is the way to go i pull up again and found another pocket i still can't see any holds and seeing as this method has worked twice now i try it again and again and again and there it is the chain all i need to do is get my finger out of the pocket it seams stuck in and clip! Panic setts in as finger is quite stuck but no a bit of a hip wiggle sees it free and clip and relax 8a onsight in the bag whoop whoop.
