Alexander Megos stayed in his favourite Spanish climbing crag Margalef and managed two new top routes, „Pink Patatas“ and „Full Journey“. He had already managed to climb „Off the Tractor“ (8c), „Patan el villano“ (8c, flash) and „Patatas el villano“ (8c+) within a few hours. The latter route was even a first ascent.

In the sector „Raco de la Finestra“, where he already left a touchstone in 2018 with Perfecto Mundo (9b+), he managed the first ascent of „The Full Journey“.

In April Alex already tested the line bolted by Tom Bolger. Now, in his first week in Margalef, he was able to repeat the first pitch, already a 9a+. Until he could then also add the second part, another six days of trying passed.

According to Alex, the second part offers, after a good rest point, a boulder with a pretty bad dead-point move into a one-finger hole and the following further hard moves

„A rather rainy day turned out to be amazing! Great conditions and a super psyched crew made for a brilliant day! The send train also started rolling through and I could get the FA of „Pink Patatas“ 9a+! It was definitely a first for me to climb one of those hybrid routes. The first part is a sit start boulder problem that checks in at around 8A+ (V12) and finishes on a good flake from which an 8c+ route starts. Climbing the boulder into the route adds up to about 9a+ I’d say. 50 moves in a roof make it very pumpy for sure. Right after @tom_bolger made the FA of „Pink Pantera“ with a crazy fight right up to the chains!

Thanks so much for the good day team! @tom_bolger @gabiliii @dasha.kan @luisaflohe and Ellie.“

A little before that, Alex also sent his „nemesis“ route „Gancho Perfecto“ 9a/+. Alex hadn’t tried the route for four years and was shocked to see how badly the holds had „eroded“.

„Another one off the list! I have tried Gancho back in 2018 when I was here to do „Perfecto Mundo“. Back then I only went up once to check out the upper half and gave it one try. Falling on the last move I thought I’ll just do it once I’ve done Perfecto. The day after sending Perfecto I just wanted to leave and was in no mental shape to even try anything hard anymore.

Until this trip I haven’t had a look at Gancho during the past four years, but after doing „The Full Journey“ I felt like it was time to give it another go. After checking out the moves twice in the last few days I was able to send it today!
I do have to say, it seems weird to see so many holds and footholds „eroding“ and getting bigger in the course of only four years. Usually it takes wind and weather thousands and millions of years to form and change rock formations. Things have been changing quite fast here lately. Not so cool to be honest.“

Photo: (c) Dasha Kan: Alexander Megos in „Pink Patatas“