3 New 5.15bs by Spanish Young’uns in Rodellar
50 points to whoever can explain to us clearly all the different variations to the famous route Ali Hulk!
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The boys are busy over in Spain: between the two of them, 19-year-old Jorge Diaz-Rullo and 22-year-old Jonatan Flor have established three new 9b (5.15b) sport climbs this summer, all in Rodellar, Spain.
Back in July, Flor put up a new variation to Dani Andrada’s Ali Hulk Sit Start (variously graded 9a+ and 9b)—which already has a confusing number of variations. But what the heck, why not one more. From the reporting we’ve seen on it, we believe Flor’s new line—dubbed the not-at-all confusing Ali Hulk Extension Total Sit Start—adds some new climbing to Ali Hulk Total Extension, itself an extension of Andrada’s original line, created by Piotr Schab. For a fairly good explanation of this Inception-like situation (a route within a route within a route?), click here.
Ali Hulk Extension Total Sit Start was Flor’s first 9b.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gb43GoUHo/
Moving on to more straightforward new routes…
This week, Flor made the first ascent of Apocalipsis de la Gioconda in Rodellar, Spain. The route, which he graded 9b, adds 25 meters to Apocalipsis (8c+/9a 5.14c/d)—a different new route that Flor created last week. According to 8a.nu, Flor needed a full month to send this new 9b.
[Also Read Angy Eiter Bags Another 5.14d with Pure Dreaming]
Finally, Jorge Diaz-Rullo suggested 9b for his new link up called Patanics. It climbs parts of three different routes. The cryptic name is derived from the line’s component parts: Pata Negra (8c/5.14b), No Pain No Gain (9a+), and Botanics (8b+/5.14b). On Instagram, Diaz-Rullo wrote that it was likely both his hardest and longest first ascent to date.
Diaz-Rullo is having a summer to remember. At the end of May, he ticked his first 9b with La Planta de Shiva. Then at the end of July, he repeated Flor’s freshie above, Ali Hulk Extension Total Sit Start. Throw in a handful of 9a and 9a+ repetitions and FAs (including yet another unneeded variation to Ali Hulk, the details of which we’ll pay to be spared) and Diaz-Rullo might be the climber with the hottest hand around.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1oy5ZNoa4h/