Esclatamasters 9a by Mar Álvarez

Loyal to her tradition of displaying all her potential when most of us just think "It's too hot!" —her hands and fingers are not well supplied with blood so she avoids to climb when it's cold—, Mar Álvarez has done it again in the midsummer heat by ticking-off her second 9a, Esclatamasters in Perles (Catalonia - Spain). Watch her sending the route in this video or for a more detailed look in this other clip with Ramonet on it. Pic© Jon Herranz/Namuss Films. This is what Mar comments in her scorecard: "After a hold broke in the harder section of the vertical part, I think it can be left as a solid 9a. Regardless of the grade, it's a nice and demanding line which has made me experiment my limits. Thanks David for your patience, support and comprehension. And, also thanks to the sensei Pedro Bergua for helping me out and motivating me with his training regimes." Her references to the grade may have to do with the fact that Magnus Midtbø and Florence Pinet thought it was more like an 8c+. However, the above said hold broke and the fact that 7 out of the 8 climbers who have registered this route in our database —most of them with enough grounding to know what they're talking about— have done it as a 9a, seem to denote it's a grading which is quite settled down. Appreciate Mar's progression, who last year sent her first 9a - 'Era Vella' in Margalef and bagged her first and only 8c+ so far, 'Mind Control' in Oliana, the summer before. In the social media the catalonian climber commented: "... another dream came true. Nice looking and demanding line which made me experiment my limits (even though my finger hasn't been able to hold the pressure, crimping is over for a while!). It's been a hard but rewarding process." An interview with her will be published soon in the Spanish site. //Ignacio Sandoval Burón.