Edu Marin repeats Ego Land on Marmolada, Dolomites

On the 25th of August we started early, full of energy and motivation. The day was perfect: sunny, cold, and windy. I felt it was going to be a good day.

I warmed up on the first two pitches, 7b+ and 8a, moving lightly and with good sensations. Soon, I was standing below the 8c/+. On my first attempt, I fell before the halfway point due to a small mistake, so I came down quickly to try again. After resting for a few minutes, I managed to reach the anchor on my second attempt. My flow was back! I knew I had completed the most difficult section of Ego land, but I was also acutely aware that I could still fail.

We then arrived at the 8b/+, a very short pitch (only 4 quickdraws) with a very specific boulder crux. I decided to climb up to the crux while grabbing the first draws, just to refine a new method for the boulder. It worked well. I mean, really well. I came down smiling; I knew that if I could do the boulder, I could send that pitch. I had a really clean attempt, everything was perfect, the wind, the cold, and — booommm! — after a few minutes I clipped the chains.

At that point, I knew the hardest part of Egoland was behind me, but there were still six pitches ahead: 8a, 8a, 7c, 7c, 7b, and 6c. Fatigue was kicking in, and higher up, the rain from previous days had washed all the chalk from the holds. I had to improvise and fight on every move until I finally reached the last 6c and stood at the top of the route. My hands were bleeding, my legs and arms were destroyed, but my heart was full of happiness! What a fight, what a day!

From up there, I took in the beautiful views, my eyes full of tears. We hugged, shouted, and I felt how truly special this process had been - conquering something that truly makes you grow.

I don’t believe in coincidences. As soon as I arrived in Italy with this project in mind, I got injured again—the same finger with the same problem… Burst capillaries created a huge hematoma and swelling, which made it impossible to move.

Our ego can be our worst enemy, a shadow that follows and overshadows us. Luckily, we have the ability to isolate and regulate it in order to see things clearly.

I decided to stay in Italy to recover and train to regain my performance for a final attempt on the project. We trained for almost two weeks at Vertik Area Dolomiti, and I it was there that I felt prepared!

Leading every pitch, one after another, from the base to the summit, was a process of brutal difficulty, both physically and mentally. Learning to channel emotions and use them as fuel is a complex journey.

Huge thanks to Juan Pablo Caballero for fighting every day by my side — a big part of this success is yours! Thanks also to Laura for all your energy and support! Thanks to Marcello Bombardi for coming to share the experience with us with such a great attitude! And congrats again on the first repeat of Egoland. Finally, thank to Vertik Area Dolomiti, Vertik Rustik Bar and Rifugio Falier for making us feel so at home!

- Edu Marin