Ascents in Spain by Justin Case

Antfest! Set this up for Isabel since it seemed easier than the 5 way out left, but there was a path of tiny ants that stung and swarmed more painfully than they looked. Easy but hard to focus!

Techy, footy, and short. Isabel's first outdoor rock climb. Impressive considering the techy character of the route, and the fact that she's only done less than 10 climbs ever, including gym climbs! Great headspace for sure!

Number 18. 18 5.12a or higher climbs in 2023. 18 of these done in 3 different countries, 7 different crags, and 33 wonderful companions. This marks the most of that grade range I've done in since 2013, and tied the most I've done in a year, ever, nigh the eve of my 40th birthday. This comes after the most difficult year of my life, in 2022. Once again, climbing has shown me that any challenge can be overcome with perseverance, self-belief, discipline, self-care, self-love, breathing, and decisiveness. Doing this to a beautiful, overhanging, juggy, powerful, short, and fun climb, with the best company I could possibly imagine, is truly a dream come true. Here's to the start of my new life! Number 19, here I go!

Chill and cool line with a hard start and techy but cool climbing for the rest of the route. Setting up TR for Ben and Michael

Lead this to set up TR for Ben after he took a fall close to the ground that we managed to take well. He was still shaken by the flip-around fall he took on Ca La Marta the day before. He TR'd it clean after!

Tried this to set up TR for Ben right after an attempt at Fanatic, so I couldn't quite get the first bouldery pockety fingery part. After the 3rd bolt, the character of the route changes into a slightly overhanging, technical stem. Classic! I think the 2022 guidebook calls it 6c+, and I would agree.

Classic! Very sustained, long route. Both technical and fingery at times. Felt much harder than 7a+! Got it on my 3rd go. Has one sort-of rest section with medium feet around the middle. It's all about keeping the concentration! Thanks to Ben and Isabel for the great vibes!

First 7b in Margalef! Tried it first on 4/29/23 with a beta burn with Ben and Isabel. Very cool start with a bouldery pockety left throw by the second bolt. Then power through the pockets to a throw to the horizontal break. On the send, just about managed to do this without peeling! 9 PM ascent, last climb of the trip with Ben!! Very pumpy, sustained second half. Cut up my ring finger pretty good on my second try of 5/3/23. VERY psyched!!

Fist 7a onsight in Margalef!! Flows soo well. The kind of climb that moves your body for you. Excellent feeling on the route, and very satisfying to get the OS!!

Ben was having some trouble with this climb. He caught the rope behind his foot and flipped, hitting his hips. Fortunately, he did not injure himself! I got Oscar, another climber, to belay me to collect the gear. Very stemmy and flowy, nice airy climb!

Pretty damn hard for the grade, but beautiful nontheless! 7b+ in the guidebook, and already hard at that grade. 2 burns this session. One powerful boulder problem, followed by a poor rest, followed by an even harder Boulder problem after the break. Thinking of skipping a bolt on the send.

Similar to the next door neighbor, super hard for the grade. Weight-bearing monos and other harder-than-6b+ moves are the order of the day. Very satisfying to get, and definitely much higher quality than the next door neighbor!!

Very cryptic, polished, and hard for the grade. Satisfying to get, but not a huge fan otherwise.

Very enjoyable off-character climb. Many small tufa-like features on stemmy, balancy, and pumpy terrain. Not the greatest warm up, but it was fun and I'll take it!

Bouldery start on crimps and pockets. After this, the climb is divided by a series of very pumpy sequences on fingery holds followed by not-really-rests. The hardest crux comes over halfway, where it finishes on a good flat hold. I was soooooo gassed when I got here (because I fell on my second attempt and wanted to try from the ground straight away), threw with my left hand, my right came off, but still unbelievably stuck it! A very exciting feeling that made this climb improbable, and that's what we live for, folks. First 7a+ in Europe!

Pretty awesome overhanging dihedral! Starts with a couple of powerful moves off the deck, followed by physical offwidth-feeling stemming with your entire back, followed by technical stemming. Quite varied and enjoyable!

Bouldery start (more than 6b for sure) leads to pumpy, continuous climbing in a beautiful pocketed face. Ben spent a while here, as did he on the 6a all the way to the left the day before!

Great route with polished holds that needs better bolting. I took on the first attempt because the distance from the 2nd to 3rd bolt was significant and not worth the fall. I extended the draws and went 2nd go in a straightforward fashion.

I remain without a 7a onsight in Europe! Fell deadpointing to a good pocket. Got it second go without that many issues- perhaps just a loud grunt or two. Cool climbing on good overhanging pockets through an arete, followed by another overhanging section with precise throws and even a kneescum. Stoked for the first 7a of the trip!

Dafuq. This is a total sandbag! Definitely qualifies for 7a, maybe even low end 7a+ IMO. Bottom boulder is quite physical, followed by pumpy, insecure climbing. There's also large chunks of rock that are dangerously loose to boot. If it were appropriately graded and cleaned, would be a great climb!

The confirmation that what they say about Margalef and pockets is no fake news. Stiff for 6b+, but also very nice, continuous movement.

First climb in Spain ever! Happy to be in Margalef in good company and mindset. As advertised, lots of pockets! Balancy and technical- quite a bit for only 6a. What a beautiful place