Estado Critico 9a by Marco Zanone

Marco Zanone, who just did his first 9a+, has done Estado critico (9a) and in Siurana. (c) Esteban Lahoz

"Estado Critico is a well-known route situated in the El Pati sector in Siurana and It became very famous since it was the first 9a ever onsighted (Alex Megos). I've always been attracted by this route, but I was intimidated as well since the first part it's very steep and because it looks huge when you look at it from the ground. During the first tries, I actually realized it was shorter and less endurance than I expected. The first 40 moves around 8a go by very quickly until you get to a good rest. From there on, the route turns right, getting into the crux which suited me well since day one. The fact that I was trying this route after First Ley (9a+) made me really strong in the head and of course I was feeling super fit, especially on short and hard sections. Passing through the crux from the bottom was not a problem at all, actually on my first try from the bottom, on day two, I basically fell at the top, a few moves before the top out. I was definitely very surprised about my endurance which has always been my weak point.

Then I had to leave Spain for a couple of days of work and once I was back I felt very motivated to try my best. On my third try of the day, after messing up once below the highpoint, I clipped the chain of this beast. I must say I definitely felt it easy for the grade, especially if you are tall, which helps a lot on the crux sequence, but I must also say I'm feeling in very good shape."

How can you explain being in your best shape ever?
I don't know if I'm witnessing the best shape of my life but I'm climbing that hard simply because I have more time to spend on the rock. In 2021 I worked a lot as a filmmaker and my time for rock climbing was very limited, but from mid-December on, the work slowed down and I could finally spend more time on the rock. At the moment I'm living in Spain, working on a film project about exploration in Norway while climbing in these world-class areas. So yeah, I'm feeling in great shape but the fact that I could invest more time on the rock it's giving me extra power. :)