In the early hours of Sunday, October 30, one of the greatest Petzl RocTrips ever came to an end. Here in the Getu valley, the last few days have witnessed the very best of rock climbing, community sharing and entertainment.
Yesterday at the great Arch, above the eyes of hundreds of spectators, Dani “La Machina” Andrada sent all the pitches of his huge project, “Corazon de Ensueno”. To complete this feat he was belayed all the way by Chris Sharma.
Here’s a short interview with Dani Andrada:
Q : How long did it take you to set up this humungous 8-pitch route that travels in the huge ceiling of the great arch?
A : It took me 11 days of hard work, most of the time alone using solo aid technique. In the critical pitch, located at the lip of the arc, Yann Ghesquier went up with me to belay in better conditions.
Q : How much work on the route was necessary to free those pitches?
A : I worked on them for 3 days, free climbing all of them separately. I took a good rest Friday and went for the link on Saturday.
Q : Your impressions after sending it ?
A: This is definitely the best climb I have ever created. It’s hard, long, and so unique. After 4 pitches you find yourself in the ceiling of the arch, the belay station is actually a 10-meter wide suspended cave! And the following pitch is pretty unique – sort of like downclimbing 8b+. It’s totally “inhumane”.
Q: After sending it, what would you rate the pitches?
A: L1: 8a+, L2: 8b, L3: 7c+, L4: 7a, L5: 8b+, L6: 8c, L7: 7c+ /8a, L8: 8a+
This was Dani’s third visit to the Getu valley. Dani was here for the two bolting trips last year. Over the past ten years, Dani has attended almost all the RocTrips. He finds that Getu destination is very unique mix of Asian and Western culture. He enjoyed a RocTrip without a designated Ultimate Route, allowing everyone the maximum to try whatever routes they like to and suit their style.
Read More: Where there’s a will (and strong arms), there’s a way
