Daniel Andrada climbs Chilam Balam at Villanueva del Rosario in Spain

Daniel Dani Andrada, the tireless force of nature who perhaps more than any other Spanish climber has helped place his country on the international climbing map, is the news of the day. Over the last decade this new router and climber has put up hundreds and hundreds of lines, often together with his friend and champion climber Chris Sharma, and together they have formed an absolute reference point for cutting edge difficulties, in particular in the area around Lleida with the crags of Santa Linya and Oliana and the routes on which all the strongest in the world test themselves.

It is from his American friend that the news about Andrada’s latest success has come: Chilam Balam in the Villanueva del Rosario cave in Andalusia. As many will remember, this 80m marathon was freed in 2003 - not without controversy due to the hitherto unheard of 9b+ grade - by Bernabé Fernandez and repeated, as late as 2011, by Adam Ondra and then Sébastian Bouin in May this year. Both suggested a difficulty more akin to 9a+/b.

Andrada required just over an hour to make the third repeat of what he has defined as "one of the most beautiful routes" he has ever climbed. Circa 235 moves, carried out to absolute perfection by the 40-year-old who in 2006 was a candidate for the first ever Arco Rock Legends Awards. At the time the climbing journalists had identified in Andrada talent, boundless enthusiasm and a contribution to this sport that goes well beyond the normal. Evidently little has changed during these last 10 years.