Leo Cea (11) signs up with two 9a’s - Interview

Leo Cea sent Tecnoking (9a) in Las chilcas at age 11 and three months, the youngest ever to have reached 9a. The next month he did La Nueva Yera (9a) at the same crag.

How did you start climbing and what are your first great memories?
Since I was a kid I liked to make mountains out of things and climb them. I also liked to climb trees and rocks near my house and in the places we visited with my family. When I was 8 years old, I started going to “Las Chilcas” accompanying my dad who was going climbing with his friend. That's when I started to climb Top Rope and I liked it more and more. I remember very well that I really liked going to Las Chilcas to play climbing rocks and hanging out in a cave in the “El Cubo” sector. There we would hang out with my dad and friends while we ate what we had brought for the day.

How does a normal climbing week look like?
I climb 6 times a week. Of those, 2-3 times a week we go to the rock, 2-3 sessions a week at the climbing gym where I go with my trainer, and another couple of sessions on the wall at my house.

What is it you like most about climbing?
My favorite thing to do is to climb a lot and be on the rock. I love looking for hard routes, working on them, and I really enjoy the feeling of connecting sequences. I like exploring new climbing areas and camping.

How many sessions did the 9a's take and how do you project such hard routes?
For “Tecnoking” I did 26 attempts before sending it, divided into 11 sessions. “La Nueva Yera” was 10 attempts divided into 6 sessions. I chose the new projects by looking for 8b+ routes or one that looked good. When I try it, I try it as much as possible until I know all the moves. After that, I take a rest day before the sending day.

Are you sometimes afraid of trying long hard routes?
No, because I'm not afraid of the height and I'm also very confident of the equipment. I'm confident that I'm using it well and that it is very strong.

What about onsight climbing?
I really like doing onsight climbing. I've already climbed almost everything in “Las Chilcas” so there's not much for me to climb onsight there anymore. But I love going to new sectors and try out new routes.

What are the routes and experiences you like the most?
The routes I have liked the most are Tecnoking, Migrand Balam and Puro Contacto. I also really liked when my dad took my best friend and me camping at Las Chilcas.

What is your next dream when it comes to routes or travel?
Margalef. I dream of climbing there and trying new routes there. I would love to climb “La Era Vella” and “Victimas Perez”.