Berta martin

Berta Martin (scorecard) and her baby

Saigon in Buttermilks

Serengetty in Happy Boulders

I started to climb 1994 and in 1996 I did my first competition. During my relationship with Patxi Arocena we shared lots of climbs and competitions. We lived in Basque country, where I did my first 8a, Hena de cartagena in Oñate. In 1997 I reached the podium in the Nationals.

Since then I have won the Bouldering championship in 2001 and continued to be Top-3 until 2006 when I won both the Bouldering and Lead. My baby was born in march 2008.

David Macia has been my trainer since 2004 and he has helped me to improve my climbing and the planning for competition. International competition is to hard for my level. I have tried many times but always with bad results.

(8a has found these "bad results":
#9 in Speed World Champions, 1999.
#16 in the Aviles World Cup in 2003
#16 in the Boulder World Cup in 2004)

I continue with Macia and Edu Marin as a partner. We are doing a good job and I hope to be ready for competitions in 2009 including outdoors. It is hard with the baby because of the weather, to cold for her, and I have a lot of work taking care of her. However I feel motivated to keep training and keep climbing routes. This is some of my history...very short maybe?? Let me know if you need some more. I think I can do it longer and better. Thank you very much for you attention! Berta

OK, what about some nice memorable climbing moments?

- The last year I competed was in 2006. That year I "celebrated" 10th years competing in "Nationals". The very last comp was in the cup in November which I never had won. If I would beat Irati Anda and win  I would achieve my objective after 10 years.

I fell close to the top in the final route, and Irati climbed after me and she looked strong and climbed very well so I thought she was going to win. But actually I climbed one move higher up, so for one second I felt a very great joy, and I looked for my trainer trainer and he give me his look...and looked for my husband so happy both...and Patxi Arocena, who opened the route he was happy too. ;-)

- Two days after, at home, I went to try "Silfides" my first 8b in Monserrat. I had projected it for a long time because it's difficult to find the goods conditions - sunny but cold. I had not tried it for a year and I thought that it was time to start working on it, but I did it that day! I was surprised!

Another story is when I did my first 8a, Gena de cartagena in Onate, in 1999, I was working it with Esther Cruz, and I fall on the top once, I was so angry and took my shoes and throw them, and almost lost one of them, we laugh. Then she went and did it and it motivated me to make another try, I went and did it too.