Victimas Perez 9a by Angie Scarth-Johnson (18)

Angie Scarth-Johnson, who did her first 8c+ at age 12,has done the first female ascent of Victimas Perez (9a) in Margalef. (c) Jorge Diaz-Rullo

How many sessions did it take and how many times did you fall on the last move?
I didn’t count but I tried it from last season so 2 seasons! I’d say it was around 50 sessions but this season the conditions were so bad that some days I barley climbed. I fell at the top many times hahahah, I lost count, maybe 15.

What was it in the end that made the trick?
I guess just persistence gave me the send.😊 I'm super happy to have achieved the first female ascent. 😊

Did you do any specific physical or replica training?
I was doing replica and endurance training indoors and then I’d also do laps on the last crux when I was projecting it.

The Australian has been a life style globetrotter since age 9 when she did her first 8b. "I started climbing when I was 7 years old, not long after I began climbing outside in the local crags after school with my dad. When I started climbing, competitions weren’t really a massive thing and I wasn't really interested in it anyways. I enjoy the challenges that came with climbing rocks and the process of projecting. When I was 9 years old my parents planned our first overseas family trip to the United States. By this point, I was totally in love with climbing and it was mostly all I thought about. My parents suggested we could maybe stop by and visit some outdoor crags in the states to try out the climbing in another country. This was extremely exciting for me, with Australia being pretty far from the rest of the world, climbing in another country was a big deal."