Jorge Díaz-Rullo proposes 9c for Café Colombia at Margalef

Ten days after completing Café Colombia, ie his mammoth, 240-day project at Margalef in Spain, Jorge Díaz-Rullo has now proposed a grade: 9c. This makes it only the fifth route of this grade, after Silence at Flatanger in Norway, established by Adam Ondra in 2017; DNA in the Verdon Gorge in France, freed by Sébastien Bouin in 2022; B.I.G. at Flatanger, put up by Jakob Schubert in 2023; and Duality of Man, first ascended by Sean Bailey in 2025. All of these are currently unrepeated, meaning that 9c — the upper echelon of the sport — has yet to be confirmed.

Díaz-Rullo's grade proposal comes as no surprise. In fact, had he suggested anything easier, that would have raised an eyebrow, given his previous track record of cutting-edge repeats and the amount of time and effort he invested in freeing Café Colombia. And as he himself explains, he even toyed with the idea of proposing something even harder...

He posted the following: "Proposing a grade for a first ascent is never easy, especially for a project that has pushed me to my limit for years. I feel a great sense of responsibility, particularly since this is one of the hardest routes in the world, so I think it’s worth taking the time to stop and reflect carefully.

Before making a grade proposal, I’ve tried to set my emotions aside and be as analytical as possible. I’ve also asked for other people’s opinions, because in a way, something like this feels bigger than me. Even so, I admit I still have doubts, and I’m sure I still will until more climbers are able to try it and share their views.

The route has taken me to a level of effort I have never experienced before, both physically and mentally. Factors like conditions and skin added a level of complexity that led to many more days of work, and although they are not directly reflected in the grade itself, they are hard to separate completely from the overall experience of the route. In any case, it felt significantly harder than the 9b+ routes I’ve done before.

Based on my experience, there’s a part of me that feels it could be harder than 9c. Even breaking it down into sections and using tools like Darth Grader, the results point towards 9c+. But I don’t really know what 9c+ feels like. I don’t even have a clear idea of what 9c/+ would feel like. So I don’t think it would be reasonable to propose a grade like that.

For all these reasons, I’ve decided to propose 9c. I believe it’s the most honest and logical option, as it reflects a clear step up from the hardest routes I’ve done so far.

Beyond the grade, what truly makes me happy is having achieved something like this. Now I am excited and looking forward to future repeats and to hearing what other climbers think about the grade."

9c - the hardest climbs in the world
1. Silence - Flatanger, Norway. Adam Ondra 03/09/2017
2. DNA - Verdon Gorge, France. Sébastien Bouin 26/04/2022
3. B.I.G - Flatanger, Norway. Jakob Schubert 20/09/2023
4. Duality of Man - Dry Canyon, USA. Sean Bailey 06/03/2025
5. Café Colombia - Margalef, Spain. Jorge Díaz-Rullo 13/03/2026

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jorge Díaz-Rullo (@jorge.diazrullo)