BURSTKorean climbing champion Chaehyun Seo is having a big season as she puts down another test-piece sport route with Joe-Cita in Oliana, Spain. The 22-year-old has had a busy month with repeats of her second 5.15a with Papichulo, and a flash of El Gran Blau 5.14a/b. Her other hardest sends to date include La Rambla 5.15a, Open Your Mind Direct 5.14d, and Bad Girls Club 5.14d.
About her send of Joe-Cita, Seo said, “I’m trying Pachamama [5.15a] but my skin was too bad today, so I decided to try Joe-Cita. During my first try I just fell in the Joe Blau [5.14c] part because I forgot some moves, and I tried not to use the second finger because the skin torn. I tried again, I’m not quite sure because of the conditions, but somehow I made all the moves.” About potential success on Pachamama, Seo said “I’ve tried the whole route five times and the crux part eight times. I think the lower crux is the hardest for me, and the rest of it is feeling quite promising.”
Seo is one of the best climbers on the World Cup circuit, often making finals and even besting Olympic gold medalist Janja Garnbret. This year, Seo placed second overall in the Lead World Cup season. It was her second silver for the overall Lead season, her first being in 2022, and in 2019, she won gold. She placed third this at year’s Lead World Championships, third at the 2023 Championships in Bern, and first in 2021 in Moscow.
Joe-Cita was first climbed in 2012 by Adam Ondra, who said this after, “First go, link up of Joe Blau and Marroncita. Most of the climb was onsight or flash, except the end of the second pitch of Marroncita 5.13c.” It’s been repeated several times, including by Laura Rogora, Anak Verhoeven, Jonathan Siegrist, and Martina Demmel.
The post Chaehyun Seo Climbs Her Third 5.14d with Joe-Cita appeared first on Gripped Magazine.