Magnus Midtbø climbs Papichulo at Oliana

"Not my hardest, but one of my favorite routes for sure!" This is what Magnus Midtbø told planetmountain yesterday after his successful redpoint of Papichulo, Chris Sharma’s 9a+ at Oliana in Spain.

The Norwegian managed the send despite far from ideal conditions - it was a humid day and it even started raining hard as Midtbø dealt with the top slab.

"I had tried it a few times in the past, but never really gone for it. So it was the first trip dedicated to this route" explained Midtbø, who now adds this climb to a string of other difficult ascents that include two Rodellar gems, his 8c+ onsight of Così fan tutte and the 9b Ali hulk sit extension.