On Saturday, July 25, 2020, the Belgian climber Siebe Vanhee successfully climbed the mystical and extremely difficult route Orbayu (8c, 500m, 13 SL) at Naranjo De Bulnes in the Picos de Europa National Park, Spain.
Siebe Vanhee has also been known in Switzerland, especially in German-speaking countries, since last summer. Within a short time he scored numerous heavy classics in the Alps. Including that Hospitality Testpiece Yeah Man and the Rätikon route silver vulture.
The route was created in 2009 by the Basque brothers Iker and Eneko Pou climbed free for the first time and has since been repeated by only a handful of athletes: 2011 by Nico Favresse and Adam Pustelnik, 2014 by Cédric Lachat, 2016 from Edu Marin and 2017 by Gorka Karapeto.
5 rope lengths are in the range 7c to 8c
At the route orbayu It is a 500-meter multi-pitch tour with a total of 13 rope lengths, of which 5 are in the range 7c to 8c. After this Siebe spent six days in the wall planning the route, his hands forced him to take a four-day break. On Saturday morning, the Belgian made the first attempt.
Saturday was THE day, faster than expected I managed to climb all pitches straight away! I was super nervous, I knew I had the key, but it was all a matter of skin
Siebe Vanhee
Siebe Vanhee was amazed at how quickly and precisely he climbed. But the conditions were on his side that day. The wind was blowing strongly and the air was dry, a combination that is not often found in the Picos de Europa.
Siebe was made by the Spanish mountaineer during his ascent Ignacio Mulero and the filmmaker David "Campe" Lopez. The film about Siebe's success will be released this year.
That might interest you
A film about the ascent of Orbayu by the Swiss Cédric Lachat
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Credits: Pictures David Lopez Campe, Text The North Face