Zaratustra in Ordesa National Park for Josune Bereziartu and Rikar Otegui

Almost a year to date after the first ascent of "El Ojo Critico" 8a on the Pilar de Cotatuero in Spain's Ordesa National Park, Josune Bereziartu and her husband Rikar Otegui have now made a swift repeat of the nearby Zaratrusta 8a/a+. The route in question was first ascended with the use of aid in the 1979 by Fredi Parera and Antonio Picazo and freed, via a 15m variant which avoids a section of the large horizontal roof, by Mikel Zabalza and Manu Cordova in 2007.

Rikar on-sighted the entire line, reinforcing the old and precarious pitons in the crux roof variation, while Josune followed and flashed all the pitches which she describes as "interesting terrain de adventure."

A few days later the two Basque climbers made their way across the border to the French Pyrenees where on 10 July they made swift work the 200m Mariage Douce 8a on Gran Pic D´Espade (2863m). The hardest sections of this granite route are bolt protected while trad gear is necessary for the rest: once again Josune flashed the entire line, while Rikar needed two attempts to get two grips with the 8a crux 5th pitch.