Edu Marin's new mega climb up Grand Arch at Getu in China

We don’t often publish "work in progress" reports about sport climbs but this one seems so out of the ordinary that we just couldn’t ignore it: a new route through the famous Grand Arch in China’s Gétû valley. The enormous limestone arch earned international acclaim in 2011 thanks to a Petzl Roc Trop and a spectacular route put up by Daniel Andrada, and as we write his fellow countryman Edu Marin is attempting to establish a new route ground-up though the same roof.

Writing to planetmountain.com from China, Marin explained "The route starts on the left, just inside the first arch and goes up and crosses the amazing roof. It’s really impressive! My aim is to exit on the other side, just like the route put up by Dani Andrada. My route doesn’t cross any other route, it’s totally independent! Bolting this roof is harder that I ever could have imagined. It’s like being suspended in an overhanging sea of rock and tufas. I’m exited to finish bolting the route and to start trying to free it."