Is El Toro Salvaje the next 9c route?

Adam Ondra manages the first ascent of the El Potro route in Margalef, which he rates 9a. AND: He suspects a 9c line in the same sector.

Commented on the most recent episode of his video series Adam Ondra the first ascent of the route The Colt in the El Laboratori sector, Margalef. The route was originally set up by Dani Andrada, but was never climbed for the first time. Although Margalef is one of the most visited climbing areas in Spain, El Potro has been forgotten. Until Adam came. He climbed the line without further ado and gave it a rating of 9a.

I rate the difficulty as 9a. It is certainly not the toughest 9a route, but significantly more difficult than Bumaye, which is rated 8c +.

Adam Ondra
Adam Ondra rates the yellow line, El Toro Salvaje, at 9c. (Image AO Productions)
Adam Ondra rates the yellow line, El Toro Salvaje, at 9c. (Image AO Productions)

Potential 9c route El Toro Salvaje

The El Potro route, which Adam first climbed, shares the same start as the well-known and popular route First Round First Minute (9b). Another line in the area is Bumaye. In this area Adam suspects a futuristic and very difficult route that combines the different lines: El Toro Salvaje.

If you start in El Potro - or even further to the right with the 8c + bouldering sequence - and then everything is connected until you get to the key point of First Round First Minute, then in my opinion that results in a 9c.

Adam Ondra

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Credits: Cover picture AO Productions

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