Batalion skała (8c) by Karolina Oska

Karolina Ośka has done Batalion skała (8c) at Dolina Prądnika

”Batalion Skała is a route on Pochylec - a crag near Krakow where I live. I started trying it last spring. It starts with a difficult and precise boulder, which I managed to do only a few times at that time. In June, the season and sports form ended and the trip to Yosemite was coming, so I had to change my climbing focus. This year, when I returned to Pochylec, I felt much better on the route. Winter training paid off, even despite the injury that happened to me in the meantime. Boulder was no longer a problem and I almost always was able to pass through it. However, it took me 6 more days of tries this season to finally pass the fingery and endurance section above the boulder.

The day I sent the route I had absolutely no expectations, because I felt pretty bad in the morning. However, I climbed exceptionally well and kept falling on literally the last move before the good rest. I had already done my standard 3 attempts and was about to go home, but suddenly I spontaneously decided that I would climb again - this time expecting absolutely nothing from this try. The lack of expectations worked like magic and after a while, a little disbelieving, I finished the route, not even very tired. :)”

What is your climbing background?
I have been climbing for 13 years now. Batalion is my second 8c - 5 years after the first one. That one was way harder and I am sure that 5 years ago it would be too hard for me. For most of the time I try to combine sport climbing with a bit more adventurous stuff (multipich routes, trad and big wall). I love climbing in Yosemite. With my friend as a team we’ve done 3 classic routes on the El Cap. As I am not entirely focused only on sport I am never bored by climbing. For the last 4 years I have been trying to raise my level of sport climbing and I started training seriously under the guidance of two best climbing coaches in Poland - Maciek Oczko and Magda Terlecka.