The German Martina Demmel sends with 8c+ „Joe Blau“ in the spanish climbing crag Oliana her second 8c+-Route after „La Montaña Magica“ in Chulilla in January.

„The iconic @joekinder gem „Joe Blau“ [8c+] surprisingly went down the same evening as well! Seems like once the sending train is rolling, it’s no that easy to stop again! This was literally one of the most unexpected sends ever by still being pumped from the onsight an hour before but therefor I had the right commitment and flow in my movements! In addition, there has always been the right mix of negative expectations and the confidence to be capable of fighting through the pump. This beauty is mostly about getting through the resistency lower half but mentally it just starts there and isn’t over till you survived the topslab…! Still waiting to wake up from a long crazy too perfect to be true dream! Basically 3rd go at all as I had two check-out goes in the lower crux part and was able to clipp the chains of „El gran blau“ in my 2nd try 2 days before which shares the same upper part! But first real attempt from the ground with directly sticking the jump! What a surreal day!!!“

The day before she onsighted her first 8b + with the route „Humildes pa casa„! Respect!

„Litterally so overwhelmed when I’m trying to realise what just happened 3 days ago… Already had this little dreamgoal somewhere in my thoughts when I first heard about a tufaline next to the iconic ‚Mind Control‘. But I always was scared to start thinking about a possible onsight because it simply felt too far away… until I saw this stunning tufakingline in reality the first time 2 weeks ago but still tried to avoid any visualisation of myself fighting up there… a few days ago, I slowly realised that there actually might be a chance but ONLY ONE chance when everything has to work perfectly so close to the limit! Last Wednesday, I felt fresh after the rest day and mostly wanted to conquer all these thoughts, the excitement and nervousness! Super nervously I put on my kneepad which was the descision for the try and started off the ground with super shaky legs, still a miracle that I wasn’t slipping off the first 7c-ish part… as soon as I began pinching and kneebaring my way up on this perfect single tufa, I was in perfect flow. It was quite a warm day with a nice little brieze and I totally enjoyed this calm athmosphaere as it weren’t that many people at the crag! I managed to regulate the pump quite well with constantly breathing until the last few meters where you’re arriving at the end of the tufa. No chalk guiding the way made it extra exciting to get through the last 3m slab before clipping the chains: such a big relief that it luckily worked out on this outstanding 5star line! This diamond is for sure all about controlling the mind as its neighbour! Maybe the hardest was to not watch anybody climbing on it the days before even if it’s basically pretty obvious what’s to do on this single tufa… Massive thanks are going out to @blondi_haering for the constantly cheering that I keep pushing forward! Congrats as well for sending your rather antistyle proj „Marroncita“ the same day as well after taking some big whippers. Little sidenote.

Photo:  (c) Toni Mas Buchaca