Pou brothers establish Truenu, extreme multipitch on Peña Santa in Picos de Europa

After various days of hard work over the course of September Eneko and Iker Pou established an extremely difficult new multipitch on the south face of Peña Santa de Castilla (2,596m) in the Picos de Europa massif in Spain. The 600m climb tackles a totally independent line to the right of their 2020 creation Rayu and has been called Truenu (Thunder), as a nod to the harsh weather they faced during the ascent.

The route was climbed ground-up, is protected by a mix of trad gear and extremely few bolts, and is split into two distinct sections. The first part is comprised of five pitches (~300m), with difficulties no higher than 7b+/c but with climbing that is "going to require max effort due to the sparse fixed gear and the potential for some sketchy falls".

The second section is seven pitches long (~300m) and weaves its way through the hardest and most overhanging terrain. Pitch 10 is by far the most difficult and provides a circa 8A+ boulder crux. All pitches were climbed free individually except for the crux pitch, which Iker failed to link due to the difficulties and poor weather. The overall grade, still to be confirmed, is estimated in the region of 9a/+.

After the ascent the Pou brothers explained "We had marathon sessions, climbing for over 15 hours straight... we were exhausted, but so happy. We gave it our all, and when you put in 100%, it leaves you with a great feeling. "One of the most beautiful parts was bivying halfway up the wall, watching the incredible sunrises and sunsets, and being under a blanket of stars at night. Now, we just need to come back stronger and with more time for a proper redpoint attempt. It's an amazing project on exceptional rock."