His autumn break looks a little different from that of his classmates: Twelve-year-old Leo Cea spent his week off from school in Margalef, checking out some challenging climbing routes. »Víctimas Pérez« The young exceptional climber has now achieved his fifth 9a there.
Leo Cea has spent his autumn holidays on a trip to Margalef used it together with his father and siblings. There, the twelve-year-old succeeded in his project »Víctimas Pérez« (9a) as well as other difficult routes, such as »Mystic« (8c) and »La Niña Mala« (8b) – the latter on his second attempt.
Fifth 9a for Leo Cea
»Víctimas Pérez« is Leo Cea's fifth 9a and his third 9a this year. The young lead specialist with Chilean roots repeated the route in August.Trip Tik Tonik" in the Gorges du LoupIn May, he also completed his first FA at this grade with "Tecnoqueen" in Llaillay, Chile. He now considers "Víctimas Pérez" in Margalef to be a difficult climb for this grade.
I found Víctimas Pérez to be a difficult 9a, more demanding than Trip Tik Tonik. The hardest moves come practically right at the end.
Leo Cea
First trials as early as 2024
Leo chose "Víctimas Pérez" because he had already visited the route in 2024 during his project at the time.Era Vella“(9a) had devoted several attempts to it. The line has many two- and three-finger pockets – a style that Leo particularly likes. Located in the famous Racó de la Finestra sector, ‘Víctimas Pérez’ combines several lines, including ‘Samfaina’ (9a) and ‘Mejorando Imagen’ (9a). Ramon Julián made the first ascent in October 2008.”
Besides Leo Cea, several well-known climbers have repeated the route, including Jorge Díaz-Rullo, Daniel Woods, Angie Scarth-Johnson, and others. Adam OndraThe Czech climber described the line as his "absolute nemesis" and "probably the hardest 9a I've ever climbed." He climbed the line in 2020 while projecting "Perfecto Mundo."
Surprising ascent on the last day
Leo spent a total of five days working on "Víctimas Pérez" and needed eleven attempts to complete the climb. He made rapid progress in the first few days and mastered the difficult crux in the overhang just before the exit onto the slab on the second day. With over 70 moves, however, the route also demanded long periods of endurance from Leo. In addition, the sharp pockets took their toll on his skin, forcing him to take a break of almost two days.
The young, exceptional climber had actually already written off his project for this season – especially since it started to rain on the last day of the trip. However, upon arriving at the sector, he discovered that the wall was damp but not wet. On his second attempt, just before departure, everything suddenly came together, and Leo climbed with astonishing ease and precision all the way to the anchor.
I only wanted to practice the moves, then suddenly it clicked. I was totally relaxed during the ascent and just wanted to keep climbing.
Leo Cea
Exchange with other professional climbers in Margalef
Autumn is peak season in Margalef – a good opportunity for Leo Cea to exchange ideas with other professional climbers. In particular, the joint attempts with Ainhize Belar, who also gave him some beta tips in 2024, as well as a video of David Bermúdez's ascent, helped him to understand the key sequences of »Víctimas Pérez«.
Seeing my role models climb and the joint sessions motivated me a lot.
Leo Cea
During his trip, Leo was also able to watch some of his idols climbing: including Jorge Díaz-Rullo, Ana Belén Argudo, and Angelo Bernal. He also had a brief chat with Briton Tim Emmett, who is currently »Era Vella"Projected – the route where Leo holds the record as the youngest ascender. Emmetts, with his ascent, would in turn be the oldest person to have repeated the line."
New home & training base in the Franconian Jura
In May of this year, Leo and his family moved from Chile to Frankenjura Drawn to the cradle of redpoint climbing. Even though Franconian routes usually offer 15 to 20 meters of climbing rather than 25, the twelve-year-old is convinced: The training in Franconia has helped him master the physical and technical challenges of the routes in Racó de la Finestra. What's next for Leo Cea? First up is a training session:
I would like to continue working with my coach Daniel Serman and within the environment of Frankenjura Academy develop.
Leo Cea
The German-Chilean also trains with his role model and mentor. Alex Megosto prepare for challenging projects. In Franconia, he is currently working on the steep and demanding route "The Holy Grail" (9a) at the Colosseum. His next climbing trip will take him to [location name] during the Christmas holidays. bow, to gather new projects there – on the personal recommendation of Laura Rogora.
Uncut video: Leo Cea climbs »Víctimas Pérez« (9a)
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Credits cover photo: Leo Cea/René Cea
Interview questions: Javier Cea