Ainhize Belar ticks Iñi Ameriketan 9a (+)

Ainhize Belar has repeated Rikar Otegui’s Iñi Ameriketan 9a (+) in Baltzola. Last month the 18-year-old onsighted Txirrin txirran (8b+) and she overtakes the #1 position in the female ranking game from Martina Demmel. (c) Aitziber Narbaiza

“Iñi Ameriketan” is a 30 metres physical route of power-endurance, with a hard boulder in the middle. The ascent took me around 20 minutes. It enters with a tense section of dynamic moves and from there, a traverse until a good rest. As soon as you come out, you have 2 hard quickdraws and then the boulder, which you have to force your fingers (you have to get there well). Afterwards, the thing relaxes but you can’t get lost, since it has a technical slab at the end. In short, a very complete and super beautiful route.

Otegui suggested 9a in 2002 which Patxi Usobiaga confirmed doing the first repetition the year after. Then in 2014, Adam Ondra gave it a personal 9a+ grade, which is also how Iban Larrion, in 2016, and Belar called it doing the fourth and fifth ascents.

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Well, at first it took me a while to find my own methods for each move and I knew it would be hard to link everything from the ground. But then, I was progressing quite fast in the sessions and each time I arrived with more options to the boulder. Even so, I realized that I would have to be very patient with the conditions, as it started to get wet and I had to wait until I got back from vacation.

I tried it for the first time in February, I used to go on weekends and in April-May I left it with a fall and very close to doing it. Then in June it got wet and I couldn’t give good tries. Finally, I have been able to do it the second day after vacation.