Papichulo 9a+ by Jon Cardwell

Jon Cardwell reports on Instagram that he did Papichulo 9a+ in Oliana on his last day before returning back home. The American has spent two months in Spain including actually extending his trip waiting for his project to dry up. (c) Javi Pec Last year Jon did his first 9a+, Biographie, and explained to 8a how he had become a better climber. "I think in the last year, I really improved as a climber. Mostly in my ability to climb with less hesitation - in the last year I really focused more on onsight and flash and I think these forms of climbing really help that, more than physical challenges they are almost the best training for one's climbing mind! You must make important decisions quickly, without self-doubt, and when you make a mistake you're often finished. This really helps your mind act without emotion - which often gets in the way of hard redpoints - "is this the try?" "Are conditions perfect" etc....once I realized thoughts like that didn't help, I moved with more confidence and was able to perform to the best of my ability (still far from the super stars we see today) but definitely at a higher level than last year."