04/11/2009Silvia Overcomes Heat Wave F8b

DMM sponsored climber Silvia Fitzpatrick reports on her blog that she has just completed her second F8b. Talking to DMM, Silvia said: "I had been trying Golpe de Calor - Heat Wave in Spanish - in the Chilam Balam Cave for six days, spread out over the last two weeks of October and could mostly only make one attempt each time as the route was so physically and psychologically draining."

This is the fifth ascent of this 30 metre route. The first half uses tufas and crimps on a twenty degree overhanging wall, followed by a desperate roof on undercut tufas and slopey footholds. Silvia explained: "I found it quite hard because I could not get the kneebar rest below the overhang - I wasted a day trying to get my foot and knee to stick before deciding that I was wasting more energy than I was saving." Despite the easiest route at the crag being F7c, the cliff has been very popular during the area's recent hot spell, as it faces north and sits at 1000 m.

Silvia's time is divided between her Conwy Valley home and a base in Andalucia, not far from the Chilam Balam Cave. She had been worried that after a busy summer working in Wales as a climbing coach and instructor, that she had lost too much fitness. During this hectic period she was only able to manage after-work evening sessions on her fingerboard. However, this clearly helped when she was able to climb regularly through October, after arriving in Spain for the winter. Silvia's take on it is: "It has not rained for months in southern Spain and the beauty of long term dry weather is that allows you to fit a lot of climbing in even if you have work to do."

Only half-a-dozen British women have climbed F8b in the UK and Lucy Creamer is the only Brit female who has climbed harder, with her ascent of Kalea Borroka F8b+ (Siurana) earlier this year.

Silvia now has her eye on another route at the same crag - La Rubia F8c+! We wish her luck.

Click here for more about Silvia and the fantastic climbing around her winter hang-out of Villanueva del Rosario.

Photo: Silvia Fitzpatrick tackling Golpe de Calor, Chilam Balam Cave, Spain.