UKC

Oliana 8c for Sarah Seeger - Plus Video

© Stefan Koch
German climber Sarah Seeger, who is based in the Frankenjura, has had a couple of trips to Spain this year, and on one of them she has redpointed the technical and long T1 - Full Equip (8c) at Oliana.

Sarah, who has previously climbed several 8cs in the Frankenjura, reported on her Spainish exploits on the Marmot Website and we have a copy of that report below. But if you don't know Sarah, why not check out this excellent video portrait of her from Black Diamond:

VIDEO: Sarah Seeger - Frankenjura

Report from Sarah:

Sarah Seeger onsighting Els inconformistas, Tres Ponts, (8a)  © Stefan Koch
Sarah Seeger onsighting Els inconformistas, Tres Ponts, (8a)
© Stefan Koch
"For me, Spain is like a second home. Every time I hear the first Spanish words and taste the first tapas I feel like being at the right place. Coming to España twice this year was therefore a real luxury.

In August, I spent two weeks in Rodellar. I have been there eight years ago, and back then it was only us in the gorge, except for some vultures. Nowadays, Rodellar has become one of the world's top spots for sport climbing and the vultures no longer hold the majority. However, plenty of swimming, sun bathing, eating and of course climbing made my time there absolutely pleasant – tranqui, tranqui!

In the beginning of November, I was back on a plane towards Barcelona again. This time, we headed towards Andorra to the province of Alt Urgell. At first, we visited Oliana where I got dizzy by only watching the endless length of the routes. Standing at the bottom of the cliff, you hardly can see the anchors. Puh.

One route in particular attracted my attention."T1 – Full Equip" goes up a characteristic grey streak on the slightly overhanging part of the crag and is 35 meters long. It is technically demanding and offers great and fun climbing from the beginning until the end. Even if Full Equip for sure is not the hardest 8c, it is a fantastic climb on beautiful rock.

On my first time on the route I did not even reach the anchors, I lowered after the first part. How should one ever be able to memorize the more than 80 moves??? And how should one deal with all that lactic acid running through the forearms??? Surprisingly, things were looking better quite soon. Motivated by the ascents of the two Franconian warriors Jonas and Chris and by the constantly flowing energia positiva at the crag, I finally could send Full Equip.

Oliana, Spain  © Sarah Seeger
Oliana, Spain
© Sarah Seeger
Our second week was dedicated to exploring new destinations. Among others, Spanish climber David Gambús has developed some true highlights in the region. One of them is Fígols, where Helena Alemán recommended a real 5-star route to me. Even if I was not able to send it on that trip, we had a fantastic time up there. And now there is a good reason to come back!

Our next destination was Val de Canelles. This valley is simply mind blowing, with huge climbing potential for the future. The cave "Espluga del Cel" already hosts some great routes, its dimensions are incredible – it is Santa Linya's big sister.

On our last day, we quickly stopped in Tres Ponts where I could send both "Els inconformistas" and "Mites Moderns" on sight (both 8a), a nice end to a great trip. Hasta la proxima, querida España!"


Sarah Seeger is sponsored by Marmot, Sterling Rope and Black Diamond


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