After galavanting around San Sebastián Chris and I returned to Valdegovía, both of us psyched to get back on our projects- for Chris that was an 8b+ (5.14a- yeah he’s really strong) with the name of “Olatz” which is evidently a female Basque name. I got back on El Legado, the 7a+ (5.12a) I had given 4 goes on before.
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In Spanish, “psicobloc” literally translates into “crazy bouldering” which is probably the best way to describe deep-water soloing, a scary but exhilarating form of climbing in which the climber ascends without a rope (aka: soloing), but does so over the ocean so the water serves as protection in the event of a fall. Perhaps the most revered location to practice DWS is Mallorca, one of the four Balearic islands in the Mediterranean sea off of the coast of Spain. As I explained in my other blog post about the sport climbing on Mallorca, my friend Nat, who just so happens to be a super strong rock-climber, has been living in Palma, the main city in Mallorca. So, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Mallorca and crash on his couch for a few days while sampling the islands climbing, I couldn’t resist. Nat graciously agreed to host me and show me both the sport climbing and DWS.
Continue reading “Mallorca- psicobloc!!”
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| Vista from Berga with Montserrat seen in the distance |
Apart from visiting some of the premier climbing destinations in Europe, I have climbed at smaller local crags that are closer to Barcelona. Here are a few of my favorites.
Jasna Hodžić, PhD 