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Laura Rogora onsights 8c at Cicera in Spain

Italian climber Laura Rogora has onsighted her first 8c, 'Ajo crude' at Cicera in Spain. She is only the third woman to succeed in this feat, after Janja Garnbret (2021) and Chaehyun Seo (2022).

Planetmountain

August 2023

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Laura Rogora preparing to climb Ali hulk sit extension total at Rodellar in Spain. In climbing this route she has become only the second woman in the world to climb 9b, after Angela Eiter

Marco Iacono

Last week Laura Rogora made sport climbing history by onsighting an 8c and becoming only th third woman in the world to achieve this feat. The 22-year-old Italian climber managed sent 'Ajo crude', a 35m route at Cicera in Spain that, as it happens, had been onsighted a few days ago by Belgium's Seb Berthe.

The first woman to onsight an 8c was Janja Garnbret in November 2021. The Slovenian made a faultless first-go ascent of Fish Eye at Oliana in Spain and then, just to confirm it wasn't a flash in the pan, a few days later she onsighted the nearby 8c American Hustle. The second woman to onsight 8c South Korea's Chaehyun Seo who in November 2022 powered her way up 'L'Antagonista' at Montsant in Spain.

AJO CRUDO ONSIGHT by Laura Rogora
At the end of 2021 I got very close to onsighting the 8c Thin Ice at Terlago, but I fell at the end of the difficulties when I failed to see a hold. Then for various reasons I never had the opportunity to try others.

In recent years I haven't climbed much on rock and, whenever I did, I preferred not to onsight routes because it's far more stressful. Then earlier this year I hurt myself, so I maybe climbed outdoors a couple of days only.

Thursday was a somewhat peculiar day. In fact, usually when I try such an important goal I plan the day well ahead. But this time it was different. I was in Picos d'Europa for the Edelrid athlete meeting and after finishing filming I decided to try this route. It didn't even have quickdraws in it, I hadn't warmed up very well and I only had a few quickdraws clipped to my harness, so I set off with the idea of looking at the moves and then giving it a second go.

As I climbed the first few meters, however, I felt good, and I saw that the last 4 quickdraws were already in place, so the ones I had would have been enough and I considered making a serious attempt, it wouldn't cost me anything. The higher I got the more I began to believe in myself and maybe it was setting off without expectations the enabled me to climb with decision on the most difficult sections and reach the chain!

The route was totally my style, vertical on small edges, long but with partial rests between the cruxes that allowed me to recover from any route reading mistake. I completed the route by putting in the quickdraws and after a long time away from climbing on rock, and this leaves me a bit in doubt about the grade. It's hard to tell when onsighting, so I trust past and future repeaters.