La Fuga 9a FA by Patxi Usobiaga (39)

Patxi Usobiaga, one of Adam Ondra's trainers, has done the FA of La Fuga 9a in Coll de Nargo. The 39-year-old has now done 15 routes 9a and harder, most of them prior to his traffic accident in 2010 when he sustained an injury to a disc in his neck. In both 2006 and 2007, Patxi was the 8a climber of the year and in 2009, he won the World Championship. (c) Alexander Hick

"During the confinement, the first month we were sick for a month at home. We do not know if it was the Covid-19 since at that time there was no option to do any test. Once we recovered, we started training at home. It was a very rare moment, since the social status, fear and situation meant that you did not have a motivation to train. To train, you need to have a goal, and the goal was unclear.

Due to my old injury, I had to undergo surgery a year ago where they transplanted a disc, that is, they put an artificial disc (C5-C6) on me, and little by little I felt better. It is true that I have limitations, in big overhangs, I am very limited, but in the process of not so steep climbing, it is really as if there was no injury."